apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Going through the exact same dilemma. I have concluded that it is bad... I bought a house with white appliances and disdained them for awhile. I painted my cabinets white and now it looks fine (even great, if the appliances weren't circa 1995). Our dishwasher is dying and it is painful to think about buying another dishwasher for 700 bucks that is in a color I don't like, but I think I am going to do it anyway, because we aren't changing out the rest of the appliances for a long, long time.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/paints-stains-finishes/softmetal-faux-stainless-steel-film-015360

you could always try the reverse if you decide you don't like it

The refrigerator in the picture belongs to someone with a drinking problem.

o__O

From a resale POV and just streamlined aesthetic POV, stick with stainless. We bought a high-end looking stainless GE Profile fridge at the Sears outlet in San Leandro for under $400 (for a fridge originally priced over $1,000)--a hefty discount based on tiny scratches on the back and side that goes to the wall. Call and ask about sales--their already low prices can plummet for a day or two occasionally, and become ridiculously cheap. Sears Outlet 1936 W Avenue 140th (at Merced St) San Leandro, CA 94577(510) 895-0546

If you could find one with noticeable stainless accents, and if your cabinets are white, i say go for it.

Not sure white and stainless would go that well together, but it may depend on where the appliances are located and what your cabinets look like.

We have white appliances, and are re-doing the kitchen. The stove is new (one year old, put in by previous owner) and the fridge is relatively new, so we're replacing the really old dishwasher with a white one. If I was starting from scratch, I think I would do black appliances. But it's too expensive and wasteful to get rid of perfectly good appliances!

My kitchen is mixed and it works. We have a stianless Sub-zero fridge, and the rest of the appliances are white. I wouldn't have done it this way on purpose, but the appliances came with the house and are all really nice.

As someone who has all stainless appliances except for the white refrigerator we bought when we first moved into our house a number of years ago, I advise against this particular combination. We'll be replacing the fridge with a stainless (or black - I think the stainless/black combo works fine) one just as soon as our budget allows for it, but until then, it looks really mismatched, but the white fridge keeps our food cold!

I think black and stainless probably go better than white and stainless. Do you have a picture? That would help.

Jenzoe, there used to be dishwashers with flat front panels that reverse from one color to another. The colors were usually white and black, but if they still make them, perhaps you can make the black side into steel. I have seen adhesive steel sheeting that is like contact paper.

I think it can work. Personally, I like white appliances if they are new and modern looking. In my kitchen, the oven and dishwasher are white and the frig is stainless. It works because all the other accents (drawer pulls, faucet, switch covers) are stainless and because the frig is very sleek and doesn't have black plastic handles/sides.

drinking problem? that's Izze Soda! LOVE IT! and it isn't boozy at all!

I know it's soda...I was just being a little silly!

o__O

If you have white cabinets, go for fridge you like in white. If not...better to have the appliances match.

I support sillyness!

i think they should be pretty uniform...

I say its not ok. I would mix black with SS before mixing white.

I agree with the above comments that uniformity is better...particularly for resale.

yes you can mix....especially if you have white cabinets....it actually makes your kitchen brighter...

I have the new back painted glass jenn-air white appliances and I think they would look great with stainless steel mixed in especially if the pulls all look the same or you have white cabinets. Go for it why does it always have to be for resale or match get creative especially if you love what you have you'll be happy!

white and stainless would go great with pale blue swedish cabinets. i guess it depends on the rest of your mix. imagine blond wood counters.. it would be a good mix.

We have a white fridge, a black and white stove, and a stainless microwave. Honestly, it never occurred to me that they didn't work together. The stove was here when we moved in, we had the microwave in our previous apartment, and my in laws gave us the fridge for free, so we just worked with what we had. As someone said above, we did put in stainless hardware and switch/outlet covers, which helps tie everything together a bit more.

It looks fine to me, but then again I'm not a big matchy matchy person.

Jenzroe, for the contact paper, search for "Metal FX Stainless Steel Contact Paper" on Amazon.com. If you can apply it to the black side of the panel, then you can have a white dishwasher now, and a stainless dishwasher for when you want to change to stainless appliances.

There is a website that shows how to apply it, but I'm not sure I would feel comfortable on doing it on more than just a flat panel.

http://www.handymanfixhomerepair.com/how-to-make-old-appliances-look-new/

We have a stainless fridge and stove (inherited when we bought our apartment) and a white dishwasher. It works fine because the cabinets are white, and actually helps break up the potential monotony of all white.

Is anyone else ready for the whole Stainless Steel/Black appliance look to join Harvest Yellow and Avocado Green? My kitchen has the Stainless Steel/Black appliances and they are just about the most impractical finishes one could possibly pick for a kitchen. They never look clean, no matter how often I clean them. Someday when I have the money to remodel my kitchen, they'll be the first things to get the boot!

I wouldn't worry about it. We have a white dishwasher, stove and microwave, but our fridge is Stainless steel because that's all they had it in and it looks fine. The previous owners also had a ss fridge.

As far as resale, you can take the fridge with you, so that solves that problem!

Our (rental) apartment came with a SS stove and white dishwasher and fridge. It probably wouldn't be what I'd pick if I were replacing all the appliances, but it's fine, especially since the stove is on one side of the kitchen and the DW/fridge are on the other.

I do suspect that SS will be the harvest gold of the '00s, so if you're planning to stay in your space for a while, I wouldn't worry too much about resale value and just get the one you want.

I think you can tie it together with the right paint color. I just painted my bathroom, which is a weird mix of black, white, wood, and stainless, a nice blue (Behr "Magic Spell") and it looks fantastic.

My personnal plan for an upcoming remodel is to do a white fridge, white d/w and all stainless stove.

It really depends on what sort of "stainless" you're talking about. If you are talking about an appliance that is basically black with stainless panels, then i don't think it will look too good with white appliances. might work better with black.

i think im the only person in the world who likes white appliances. i do not stainless steel one bit, it does nothing for me.
that picture really makes me want an Izze

Ah...Izze and vintage-inspired fridges. Sigh.

I think it *can* work but you have to be careful. The pictured fridge would work with stainless because of the metal handles--something with white plastic might not look so good....

I am in the opposite position from you: when I moved in, the kitchen had a fairly new and nice white stove, and a horrible gargantuan ancient mucous-colored energy-sucking fridge, which I replaced with a nice new small stainless one. I put stainless burner covers on the stove and it looks...okay. I hope.

Mattab - I have been telling everyone I know for a couple weeks that SS is the Avocado Green of tomorrow! Soon we will all look back with disgust on this trend, and be embarrassed to have participated. (I do have a SS microwave in my rented Harvest Gold kitchen...)

Judy, I say buy what you like, especially since it's all neutrals.

Thank you all for your comments. I bought the stove and dishwasher over 5 years ago when I moved into my home. I do like stainless steel, but like lemonadefish and Mattab, I feel it will be dated in a few years. To me, white is classic...kinda wish I purchased the stove and dishwasher in white. My cabinets are a dingey golden oak (ok...). At some point I'll have them painted or refaced or maybe refinished. My kitchen needs a lot of cosmetic updating....just need the $$. I can't post a photo, as I don't have a digital camera. Judy

You can mix but don't buy a white fridge in that weird "leathery" material with plastic handles and expect it to dovetail with its stainless steel counter parts.

A white glass front fridge, like the Jennair with stainless steel handles will best work with stainless. If you go the cheap route, you'll be dissapointed with the outcome.

If that is your preference. Buy a white refrigerator
Why follow the crowd and buy stainless steel?. You can mix and match.

Thank you, figs!

I personally love white appliances -- I think stainless looks sterile and will be dated in a few years, just like black is now. However, that's an opinion I know is in the minority here at AT. I'm a big believer in matching appliances, so I'd say go with the stainless. Look for a scratch-and-dent sale.

I have all stainless things and a total black range and it really looks good---I also try and pick up the black around the room with glass or ceramic objects.
Also the black parts of the stainless stuff helps carry the look around the room.
I see all white kitchens with stainless appliances and it does not bother me to see a white micro wave or white dishwasher at times.

i support silliness too!

and should add that yes, if you like the white fridge... GO for it! :)

I agree about stainless looking dated. It's already starting to look over-familiar.

I picked out black appliances for our kitchen, but at the last moment my husband went for the stainless stove because we have an open-plan loft, and he thought stainless was kinda required for a kitchen you can see from the couch. The black-and-stainless mix works fine (as noted above), but I don't think the stainless was worth the extra $$$.

Just as an FYI, Stainless was something of a popular thing back in the early 70's, possibly earlier than that, like in the late 60's and stainless, or brass has always been around since the at least the 40's.

Some people we know had a house, built in 1972 that originaly came with stainless steel GE double wall ovens, a Whirlpool stainless cooktop (electric) and a GE dishwasher that had a faux wood panel in it if I recall when they bought the place new and always had a white fridge. I think they went with black panels on later dishwashers when the original one died. A lot of the dishwashers made with removeable panels ofteh had 2 or 3 panels with different colors on each side so you had the option of black, white almond or stainless steel and that goes way back to the mid 80's.

Like that vintage fridge, or is it a repro of one. Anyway, I'd love it in a cool retro color besides white, but that's just me.

And I should say that the stainless look today is much too much of a cliche for it's the same types of stainless appliances with black accents, black granite counters and medium to dark cabinets that have a similar look to them in almost every kitchen so they end up looking much alike, that's where it gets dated IMO.

I'm with the crowd saying, "stainless steel is the new coppertone brown/avocado green/harvest gold". Taste and style trump fads and trends.