Are Stainless Steel Appliances Making Your Kitchen Look Outdated?

If you were to guess the most popular appliance color over the past several years, odds are pretty good you'd say stainless steel. And along with white and black, you'd be right. Stainless steel is a material that started in professional kitchens and eventually made its way to mainstream household appliances, where people fell in love with their durability and high-end, industrial modern aesthetic. Stainless steel appliances became ubiquitous, seemingly overnight, as a hallmark of an updated kitchen, transcending and complementing most design styles. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, stainless steel became the "it" appliance color, sending white, black, and almond/bisque packing. However, here we are in 2025, and the time has come for the questions to be asked: Have stainless steel appliances seen their day, and are they making your home look stuck in the past?

Well, I'm here to tell you that, as a professional interior designer, the short answer is no, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if you have stainless steel appliance finishes in your kitchen. I'm right there with you. However, the longer answer is a little more complicated, so let's delve into my nuanced take on why stainless steel appliances are here to stay, but why you may want to branch out beyond the default stainless finishes of the past couple of decades if you're in the market for new appliances.

Here is where the short version of my answer comes into play: If you already have stainless steel appliances in your kitchen, rest assured that they aren't making your kitchen look out of date. Stainless steel is still one of the most popular appliance colors on the market, with no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. Stainless steel is beloved for its long-term durability and chic, modern aesthetic with a generally budget-friendly price tag. The good news for a busy kitchen is that the material, even if it does get smears, is extremely easy to clean and naturally resistant to stains, rust, and dents. Pair that with the fact that it's readily accessible and easily matchable across most brands, and it's easy to see why stainless steel has solidified itself as a long-term contender for appliance selections.

On top of functionality, its versatile, clean aesthetic pairs seamlessly with most design styles – the chameleon of appliances, if you will. While ultra traditional or rustic homes may call for an alternate finish truer to that vibe, stainless steel looks at home with most other aesthetics, from transitional to contemporary or super modern. Its fantastic ability to play nicely and blend in with most design aesthetics has given stainless steel its widespread popularity over the years. But what if you're looking for new appliances for your kitchen?

Well, here's the part where my advice gets a little more nuanced. While existing stainless appliances aren't dragging down your aesthetic, many people are becoming more open-minded about considering other finishes when shopping for new appliances. The nearly exclusive reign of the stainless steel colorway is shifting to share the stage with some other exciting options. This isn't to say stainless steel won't continue to dominate a large share of the new appliance market (it will), but it's worth exploring the wide variety of other exciting finishes that have exploded onto the scene.

What other appliance finishes are out there, and will they stand the test of time like stainless steel has? Matte white and black options with various decorative metal options for handles, knobs, and details are a more visually interesting, updated spin on classic, standard appliances. Panel-ready appliances, if you can swing them in your budget, are also a very popular, chic choice for blending them in seamlessly with your cabinetry. Colored appliances have a long history (think the mint and pink fridges of the 1950s!), and their trendiness will always ebb and flow. At the moment, people are incorporating appliances in the color of their cabinetry for a chic color-wash effect that feels gorgeously high-end; however, fewer people are showcasing bold, contrasting appliances than they used to. It's important to know that black stainless steel appliances are on their way out and are nearly unavailable on the market right now because of durability issues with the delicate, easily-scratched finish.

So there you have it: My two cents on why stainless steel appliances aren't going anywhere any time soon, but also how they're sharing the spotlight with other gorgeous appliance colors when it comes to buying new.