A little candy-apple color with my kitchen, please

When I read that Viking expanded its appliance color palate from 14 to 24 colors, I wanted to take a joyous ode-to-the-candy-apple-red leap.

This news provides a measure of relief to my growing ennui toward stainless steel.

This one's not stainless steel.

(Credit: Viking)

I know, I know, stainless steel is a kitchen fashion statement that an increasing number of people are willing to shell out the extra $200 per appliance to have. It blends well, cleans up nicely (sometimes), looks sophisticated, and is supposed to last a long time.

Arguably--and believe me people do argue endlessly about the merits of stainless steel--it has got a lot going for it compared with plain old white.

If you've any doubt whether stainless steel is here to stay, check out this Hooked on Houses poll of its readers that asks whether stainless steel would go out in 2008. All told, 17 percent said it will indeed go out, while 47 percent said it's here to stay, and 34 percent said it has got at least a few more good years.

Sigh. Not that I long for the bisque or avocado of my childhood. I just think a Viking palette including Mint Julep, Pumpkin, Apple Red, and Cobalt Blue provides some design options beyond what everyone else is already doing. For its part, Dacor offers six new hues for its Preference line of dishwashers that aren't as bright as some of Viking's, but a splash of color nonetheless, including Slate Green and Blue Water. The company already offers colors within its Millenia and Preference line of refrigerators.

This Dacor Preference dishwasher comes in "Blue Water."

(Credit: Dacor)

It's nice to see color inching its way back into the palettes of bigger brands like Viking, Dacor, LG (Emerald Green, Bahama Blue dryer), and Kenmore. (Sears offers this wine-colored Kenmore front-load washer and dryer).

Whether most customers actually want to mix it up with a mint julep-colored stove and a lemonade-colored oven is another question.