Colour In The Kitchen

Australia’s love affair with purely neutral kitchens – using large expanses of stone, glass and warm timbers accessorised with stainless steel appliances – continues to grow but with some not-so-subtle changes. Many consumers are now expressing a desire for a shot of colour or a point of difference in their otherwise monochromatic kitchen colour palette.

Leading appliances supplier – Smeg – has recorded a surge in sales of its retro design dishwashers and refrigerators in jelly bean colours such as cherry red, lollipop pink, tangerine, lime green and powder blue plus its racy Porsche rangehoods in a vibrant crimson red and a beautiful ultramarine blue.

Smeg believes these appliances are providing the perfect antidote to the ‘minimalist blues’ of the past few years.

“We have had almost a decade of very minimalist, neutral kitchens where surfaces, finishes and appliances are designed to blend and become one. While consumers are still happy with neutral tones in cabinetry, benchtops and walls they are beginning to ask for a point of difference, a focal point, a way of injecting a shot of colour or interest into the overall kitchen design”, said Gavan McKenna, Smeg’s national marketing manager.

“The FAB 28 refrigerators, for example, are being bought as much for their beautifully retro design as their vibrant colour. And while their design is taken straight from the 50s, open the door and they are pure 21st century technology.”

The FAB28 refrigerators are a single door, 247 litre (nett) automatic defrost refrigerator with a 21 litre (nett) top-mounted ice box – an ideal size for singles and couples. They are available in 10 colours including red, pink, lime, orange, mint green and powder blue.

The FAB32 refrigerator is the same design and colour offer but has two doors and is the ‘upside down’ configuration – a 205 litre (nett) top mounted refrigerator and 103 litre (nett) freezer beneath.

And for those who want a little more colour in their kitchen, there is the cute, retro styled matching dishwasher in eight colours, including red, pink, lime, orange and powder blue. It has 10 wash programmes, takes 14 place settings, is fully electronic and uses a mere 15 litres of water for a full load.

The Porsche K9995 rangehood, featuring racey curves and exceptional power, is a beautiful piece of kitchen sculpture in ultramarine blue, crimson red, jet black or silver. It can remove up to 1000m3 nett of grease-laden air an hour, has four 20 watt halogen globes for shadow-free cooking, four speeds and stainless steel and aluminium grease filters.

All Smeg appliances are available nationally from appliance specialists, electrical retail outlets and some department stores throughout Australia.