Colors in appliances from 1953 to 1990

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appliguy

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I have done some research on colors in kitchen appliances from 1953 to 1990 and this is what I have come up with, If anyone has any admissions or deletions please feel free
PATRICK COFFEY

Late 1953-1954
Frigidaire introduces the first appliances in colors. You had a choice of Stratford Yellow or Sherwood Green in addition to plain white.

January 1955
GE introduces 5 new colors for their appliances, Woodtone Brown (the color of light chocolate milk),Turquoise Green, Cadet Blue, Petal Pink, and Canary Yellow. Woodtone Brown and Cadet Blue are not very popular colors and are gone by the late 50's

1955-1956
Frigidaire adds Mayfair Pink to its color palette for the 1956 line of appliances, Maytag washers and dryers become available in Pasteltone Pink, Green, and Yellow, Kelvinator produces a plethora of colors, including a beautiful shade of blue known as Lagoon Blue, non of which are all that popular. The majority of these colors were dropped sometime around 1960 and replaced with the standard pink, turquoise, brown,and yellow colors.. It is also around this time that stainless steel appliances start to make their debut...ecspecially in the new field of built in appliances range, oven fridge etc.).

1957
Frigidaire introduces Charcoal Gray to its new Sheer Look line of appliances. This color is not at all popular and is discontinued after 1960

1959
Frigidaire introduces Aztec Copper to its line of appliances and this color will eventually become know as Coppertone or Copper Brown and be offered by the industry all the way into the early 1980's.

1963-1964
The number of companies offering pink, mint green, and yellow appliances have dwindled while the hot colors of the early 1960s are copper brown and turquoise

1966
GE introduces the first new appliance color since 1959.... Just in time to go with the Danish modern look of the late 1960s.....Avocado. Maytag offers turquoise for the last time on its redesigned Washpower automatics.

1967
GE introduces a second new color ....Harvest (never officially know as harvest gold). This color along with Avacado catches on like wild fire and is offered by the industry until circa 1984. Also about this time Whirlpool offers a very rare version of GE's Woodtone Brown and Cadet Blue on their washers and dryers (that is my guess as I have seen a Woodtone Brown dryer and a Cadet Blue washer)

Circa 1970
Frigidaire introduces the color poppy on its appliances

1971-1976
No major changes are made in colors during this period

1977
GE gets rid of all its shaded colors and introduces a new line of colors called the New Naturals. These colors are named, Onyx, Coffee, Harvest Wheat, Fresh Avocado, and a brand new color called Almond (the way you can tell the difference between the New Natural colors and the their old shaded versions is this, the New Natural colors are uniform through out while the old colors were deep and vibarant around the edges and more faded in the middle).

Early to late 1980's
Copper Brown and Avacado start to fall by the wayside as the favorite colors of the early 80s seems to be Almond and what is now known as Harvest Gold (which is gone by 1986). During this time Whirlpool experiments with a light brown/beige color the call toast. Kenmore offers toast as well as a light gray color called platinum starting around 1987. Both of these colors prove not to be to popular and they are dropped after a few years.

That brings us up to 1990. Does anyonelse have anything to add?
If so I can't wait to hear from you guys so I can learn even more.
 
Fascinating, Patrick! A friend and I were just wondering, recently, what colors were available, esp. in the 50's.

I can report, from personal experience, a different color name for Frigidaire. My parents bought a washer in 1980 or 1981, and the color was called "wheat." I was disappointed when they told me about it, as all our other appliances were harvest gold. But when the washer was finally delivered, it was the same color as our harvest gold appliances! (A rose is a rose, I guess....)

David
 
Let's not forget "Honey Beige" introduced on the 66' line of Frigidaire appliances. I have a 66' Custom Imperial washer and dryer in this very rare color.
 
Turquoise Frigidaires

While visiting a sister and her family in 1968 in Ft. Worth had to go to laundrymat to wash diapers all Frigidaire's in turquoise had been there a couple of years she said and always used it was quicker than the speed queen laundry near her. It was quick less than 20 minutes and about 20 in the dryer and ready to fold and go. They lived in apartment at the time had the round slant front Westinghouse coinops but were not kept up so nasty looking to use.
 
Hey Bruce! Having seen that Frigidaire washer set of yours I fell in love with both the set and the color! I know you are taking good care of it, but if it ever needs a foster home..........!
 
desert sand

GE introduced this color briefly back in the mid-late 80's
(someone jump in on dates) I was told it to be a tribute to soldiers in operation desert sheild, hence the name desert sand. It was a color very simular to whirlpool/kenmore's toast.

This was during my high school years so dates and events will sometimes pass me by.

Scott
 
Matador Red! Biscayne Blue! Tahitian Green!

Just some of the Frigidaire colors available in 1966. There was a much wider selection than I realized.

veg

8-22-2005-08-48-37--veg-o-matic.jpg
 
To Add to the listing above, 1957 Frigidaire continued to offered Sea-Foam Green and Stradford Yellow (first introduced late in 1954). In 1958 Sea-Foam was replaced with "Turquoise" and Stradford Yellow was replaced with a more pastel "Sunny Yellow".
 

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