Color crusade hits home appliances

Pam Clark, of Gladwyne, Pa., says her distant history with color appliances inspired her to steer clear of them when she recently remodeled her kitchen. "I bought a refrigerator in harvest gold in 1972 and just thought it was the latest and greatest," says Clark, a nonprofit organization development director. "But I got very tired of the color by about 1990, maybe even sooner."

She adds: "I am also the proud owner of a '50's-era pink clothes dryer, and the thing just won't die."

Some of the new brightly hued home appliances

— Aga Range's two-oven cooker

Price: Starts at $9,175

Colors: 14 shades including terracotta, aubergine, pewter, Wedgewood blue and yellow.

— Zephyr Ventilation "Torino Island" range hood

Price: $3,400

Colors: Red, green, yellow and blue.

— The Morice Grand Veneur Cooktop

Price: $12,125

Colors: British Racing green, wine, red, ivory, sunlight yellow, dark gray, sapphire blue, ruby red, black, brown.

— Viking Range Corp.'s 48-inch side-by-side refrigerator/freezer

Price: $8,175

Colors: 14 shades, including cobalt blue, eggplant, mint julep and lemonade.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal