You can get appliances that will take a panel and then get panels that match your kitchen cabinets to face them. This works for the Frig and dishwasher. I have not seen it done for a microwave or wall oven.

The frig and dishwasher in this photo are that way:

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The new black stainless are pretty and new. But how about fingerprints and cleaning? I am so over my stainless that mar so easily, always cleaning!

It's a really large upcharge too move from standard appliances to upper end ones that come in colors or that can be paneled. Would an 10K refrigerator be something you'd be comfortable with?

I would never do the black stainless. It scratches and scrapes of the film that gives it the black cast to it.

There is no better choice for most kitchens than stainless if you have to stick to a moderate price.

Smeg and some other companies make colorful appliances. They tend to have a retro look. But they are smashing!

https://www.elmirastoveworks.com/northstar/refrigerators/colors/

https://www.remodelista.com/posts/colored-refrigerators-roundup-pink-fridge-red-fridge-green-fridge/

Aga makes beautiful ranges, but they are high end.

I have been advising my clients to not do stainless either. It has been around for two decades and ail look dated soon. As your read above it's custom panels to blend in the with kitchen or go for new colors. Old school but with a new edge. Cooper or a unexpected color. Viking has some appliances as well as hoods. Things changes start slowly.

My family had an avocado green fridge in the 70s. Then in the 80s mom got bored with that, and had dad paint it harvest gold (in his automative shop). That's when fridges lasted a long time and weren't built for obsolescence.

Flash forward, they retired and moved in the 90s, building their dream house. And upgraded to a panel-ready Subzero to match their cherry cabinets. That fridge is still going strong too; it's nearly 30 years old now. (The cherry cabinets are still gorgeous too).

Me? I've had white fridges, which I hate -- shows everything and it's just kind of boring to my eye, and reminds me of my rental days. And I've had stainless, which I did like a lot -- easy to clean with stainless steel spray every week. I never got how people think stainless gets too many fingerprints.

But yeah recent reno I went with a panel-ready Subzero to match my cabinets. I like how it blends in and looks more like furniture. But, we do have an open floor plan. Also I am hoping the Subzero lasts as long as my parents did, and may be the last fridge I ever buy. (I'm not quite retirement age but I am the exact same age my parents were when they retired and bought their panel-ready subzero).

I do think the Smeg's are adorable though. But, I think I'd probably get bored of whatever color I chose for it, and want to re-paint it like my mom repainted her avocado fridge.

First, find the appliances you want for function and ergonomics, then you can decide if you've got money to burn on a specific look, or if you want to adjust the look later with an inexpensive after-market change. Personally, I don't like stainless steel appliances either, but the range and the fridge I wanted only came in stainless. So, I bought all my appliances in stainless, and I agree it's boring -- but I do have the appliances I wanted. My fridge has the boring look broken up by magnets, notes, and photos I keep on the fridge, so that gives it a more interesting, personal look. I keep playing with the idea of a dishwasher skin to cover my boring SS dishwasher front, but I can't decide on what I want yet.

I hear the new stainless is matte or brushed or something. I never understood why anyone wants their HOME to look INSTITUTIONAL. SS would never be my choice. Almond is boring but it never looks WRONG either. I have lived with avocado/harvest gold both got tired fast. I was always told the more unique a choice the more likely you will tire of it quickly. As noted ANY color is possible with $$ and or know how. Automotive body shops are a great place to turn all your appliance any color your heart desires.

Don't reinvent a wheel. Color is for walls and back splashes, and cabinetry, and and and. Stainless goes with ALL OF IT. For a lot less money too. And for the next twenty odd years.....??

"Automotive body shops are a great place to turn all your appliance any color your heart desires."

When I read this, I thought you meant paint......but the folks that make vinyl sheets to put on cars and buses will also make custom-sized vinyl in any colour.

We like our new GE SLATE appliances.

Whirlpool has Sunset Bronze.

What's your budget. If it isn't high end, then stainless will be your best choice as the colorful ones are all much more expensive than stainless. I loved the Big Chill retro stuff but it's crazy expensive based on functionality. I am willing to pay somewhat of a premium for aesthetics but not the price differential for those since the thousands one is paying is solely for the style and the refrigerators, at least, have less functionality than more standard configurations. I know nothing about their reliability since I didn't get that far when doing preliminary searches for appliances.

Stainless is timeless and has been around at least since the 1950's since I am familiar with kitchens from that era which had some incredible stainless ranges.

I wouldn't go with a color because I would then be tied to that color and that manufacturer because a mishmash of colors in a kitchen isn't attractive. Most people hate when they have a white wall oven (for example) and it's the only white appliance.

A reasonable compromise is to get paneled appliances - as others have suggested. I am doing this for my refrigerator and dishwasher and the appliances themselves (KA refrigerator and Bosch DW) are not significantly more expensive than comparable models in stainless. However, one then has the additional expense of the panels and the pulls which adds up if you're on a tight budget. However, they are nowhere near the $8000 people are quoting for a Subzero.

"...stainless is the most durable and design flexible option for the long term."

Yes...for sure.