When a coworker learned my fancy stand mixer was not red, he did not try to hide his disappointment. I understand the feeling. I was disappointed in myself for choosing basic black. To my defense, I had coveted a cobalt blue mixer, but when it came time to make the purchase, the store ran a sale and offered only two colors – silver and black.

Our discussion of the color of my mixer led to us reminisce about the most colorful kitchens of all time. Yes, I’m talking about the burnt orange, avocado green, and harvest yellow appliances and gadgets that populated the kitchens of our childhoods.

Indeed, when folks of a certain age joke about rotary phones, phone booths, video stores, and other dinosaurs that younglings will never experience, we should add colors to the list.

I’ve written before about how people express shock, which verges on outrage, upon learning the walls in my home are blue, yellow, orange, and deep red. Apparently, we’re supposed to live in neutral-hued homes whilst we wait for someone to burst in like the Kool-Aid man with an offer to buy our houses. Ours walls must be beige, white, or perhaps gray because neither we nor the Kool-Aid man will possess the ability to paint the walls a neutral color if and/or when he does make an offer.

These thoughts wormed into my mind when someone on a social media site I frequent posted that he misses the colorful rooms and houses of yore. According to someone else who commented, the proliferation of home renovation/flipping shows led to the popularity of neutral-hued walls and houses. Because, again, once a wall is painted, it is simply impossible to paint over that bold color. Impossible.

By the way, I have only watched those shows against my will. When doing so, I usually can’t figure out what’s wrong with the houses they decide to renovate. They look fine to me. That’s really all you need to know about me and home renovation. Well, one more thing. The first time I heard the term “flipping,” I legit thought they were going to turn the house upside down. The lady who tried to describe it to me probably thought I was touched in the head.

Anyway, the posters on that social media site I frequent shared images of flamboyant rooms of yore. One bedroom boasted matching rose and French blue wallpaper, carpet, and bedspread. A living room featured yellow wallpaper with a design that might have been created whilst the artist was under the influence of a hallucinogen. As you can imagine, those rooms exuded character.

Not as much character as a kitchen with an avocado green fridge, though.

This post originally appeared in the Appalachian News-Express.

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