Nothing changes the feel of a kitchen quite like a coloured range cooker. An olive green Portofino or a cream Victoria turns a practical appliance into the centrepiece of the room. But a range cooker is also a big purchase that you'll probably keep for a decade or more, so the colour needs to work long after the novelty wears off.
Here's how to choose a colour you'll still love in ten years.
Start with the style of your kitchen
The colour and the cooker's overall style go hand in hand. Before thinking about shades, decide what kind of kitchen you're creating.
- Traditional, country or farmhouse: classic shapes with soft, heritage colours. Smeg's Victoria range comes in black, cream, slate grey and blue, and suits this look perfectly.
- Modern with personality: cleaner lines with a bolder colour. Smeg's Portofino range offers olive green, orange, red and white, as well as steel and black.
- Sleek and contemporary: if you'd rather the cooker blended in, black or stainless steel is the safer route. The Symphony in matt black is a good example.
The colours, and how they behave
Cream
The classic country-kitchen choice. Cream is warm, forgiving and works with wood, painted Shaker units and natural stone. It's one of the least likely colours to feel dated. Just make sure it doesn't clash with white or off-white units right next to it. Put a sample of each side by side before you commit.
Black
Black is the most versatile colour of all. It works in traditional and modern kitchens alike, looks smart against almost any worktop, and hides everyday marks well. If you want a range cooker with presence but you're nervous about colour, black is a very safe bet.
Slate grey and anthracite
Greys sit neatly between classic and modern. They pair beautifully with white, navy, sage and oak, and suit the current trend for muted, earthy kitchens without being tied to it.
Olive and sage greens
Greens have been one of the most popular kitchen colours for several years, and they work because they feel natural. An olive range cooker looks great with oak, brass and cream. If you already have green units, choose a cooker in a contrasting neutral or check the shades carefully, as two slightly different greens side by side can look like a mistake.
Blue
Soft blues suit coastal, cottage and Scandinavian-style kitchens. They pair well with white units and light wood, and bring a calm, fresh feel.
Red and orange
These are the boldest options and the true statement pieces. A red or orange range cooker can look fantastic against white, grey or black units, where it becomes the room's single pop of colour. It's best to let the cooker be the only bold element, so keep splashbacks and accessories simple.
White
White looks crisp and bright and suits Mediterranean and minimalist schemes. It shows splashes more readily than darker colours, so it suits tidy cooks best.
Five rules for choosing well
- Choose the cooker before the paint. It's much easier to match walls and accessories to a cooker than the other way round. Paint can be changed in a weekend; a range cooker can't.
- Look at colour in your own light. A shade that looks rich in a showroom can look quite different in a north-facing kitchen. Look at the product photos at different times of day, and ask us if you'd like help comparing shades.
- Think about your worktop and splashback. Busy granite or patterned tiles can fight with a bold cooker. Plainer surfaces let a coloured range shine.
- One statement at a time. If your units are already colourful, a neutral cooker usually looks more considered. If your units are neutral, that's your chance to go bold.
- Match the hardware. Handles, taps and light fittings in brass, chrome or black can tie a coloured cooker into the rest of the room.
Don't let colour distract from the practical checks
However good it looks, the cooker still has to fit and suit how you cook. Check the width of the gap, whether you want dual fuel or induction, and how many ovens you need. Our range cooker buying guide covers the essentials, and our guide to Smeg's range cooker families shows which colours come with which styles. For stainless steel and black glass, see our guide to appliance finishes.
Our quick recommendations
- Safest choice that still has character: black or cream
- On-trend but lasting: olive green or slate grey
- Maximum impact: red or orange against neutral units
- Calm and fresh: blue or white
Browse our coloured Smeg range cookers, including Portofino and Victoria, with free UK delivery. If you'd like help choosing a colour or checking what's available in your size, just get in touch.
