After years of stainless steel being the go-to premium finish for kitchens across the country, manufacturers have started to offer new appliance colors to the market. GE began offering slate and then black slate to compete with new black stainless steel (all of which you can learn about and compare in our article on the topic). GE began offering slate appliances in 2012-2013, and as of 2018, most major appliance manufacturers offer black stainless steel appliances. If you want to learn more about the differences in black stainless steel stylings from a variety of brands, check out our article comparing new appliance colors!
But you're here to learn about a color option from Whirlpool: Sunset Bronze. Unfortunately, as of early 2020 the color has been discontinued after just over a year on the market.
No one else is offering a truly golden bronze color, although Samsung Tuscan stainless steel is an interesting new option with a more coppery tone and a shinier finish than GE Slate.
In the meantime, we will leave this article up as an option for people who want to know more about this color.
What is Sunset Bronze?
This appliance color is hard to describe in words alone - so we've also got a video below to show off this dazzling style. But the basic look of Sunset Bronze is a warm pale gold that can look like copper or rose gold depending on the lighting. It is smudge-proof and has a satin finish, maintaining the metallic texture of stainless steel. It was a nice upgrade for kitchens initially designed with almond or bisque appliances thanks to its warm tones.
Check Out This Video For A Live Look!
This finish has a much warmer tone than stainless steel, achieved by layering the sunset bronze color over stainless steel so that it retains the brushed metal texture but with a warmer, softer color that's very fingerprint-resistant.
Notes from a Sunset Bronze Fan
A homeowner from the midwest contacted us to share her experience with Sunset Bronze and give some tips to people looking for more information on this color! She replaced her almond/bisque appliances with Sunset Bronze models for her country oak kitchen and thinks they are a perfect fit, although she agrees with one commenter that the gray sides of the Whirlpool refrigerators aren't ideal.
She adds that the Electrolux Titanium color washer and dryer set is a great color choice if your laundry room is visible from your kitchen or also has oak cabinets that you want to complement. (Check out our Electrolux Front Load Washer Reviews if that sounds like a good fit!) Samsung's up-and-coming Champagne color in select front load washers could be a great option as well. She also recommends Cuisinart countertop appliances in the color Umber for top-to-bottom kitchen color coordination.
Although the refrigerators do not have a matching color on the sides, Sunset Bronze microwaves do - see this homeowner's Sunset Bronze low-profile over the range microwave paired with a bisque oven, pictured below. She states that the black glass on the microwave gives you flexibility in choosing a new oven color if you want the OTR microwave and range to match well.
Conclusion
Appliance manufacturers are experimenting with alternatives to the classic stainless steel, but there have been failures along the way - if you are a trend-savvy appliance buyer, you may remember the Jenn Air oiled bronze color from the early 2000s, which didn't last long. It looks like Whirlpool Sunset Bronze wasn't quite successful enough for Whirlpool to keep it around.
If you're looking for replacement appliances that will match Sunset Bronze - unfortunately, as of this writing, there aren't any options unless you want to go down a rabbit hole of trying to find custom vinyl wraps that would match - and even then, the match is unlikely to be perfect.
If you're sick to death of stainless steel but are concerned about whether a color will last or be discontinued, you may want to consider GE slate, since it has proven to be popular on the market and offers a warmer, stone-inspired finish compared to stainless steel.
Are you sad to see Sunset Bronze go? Are there any other new appliance colors you're considering for your kitchen? Let us know - We'd love to hear from you!
Editor's Note: This blog was originally written in October of 2018 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy as of the publication date noted above.
