14 Kitchen Colors Going Out Of Style In Phoenix Homes (And 4 That Left Long Ago)
In Phoenix, the sun isn’t the only thing blazing – so are opinions on kitchen colors. Once-trendy shades are now making homes look stuck in the past, leaving homeowners scrambling to keep their spaces fresh and modern.
From bold reds to dated golds, certain hues are fading fast under the Arizona sun.
If you’re planning a kitchen update – or just want to dodge décor mistakes – it’s time to discover which colors are on their way out in the Valley of the Sun.
1. Tuscan Gold
Remember when every upscale Phoenix kitchen gleamed with that yellowish-golden hue? The once-beloved Tuscan gold dominated the early 2000s desert home scene.
Tuscan gold has steadily fallen from grace as homeowners embrace cleaner, more modern palettes. Paired with those ubiquitous brown granite countertops, this shade now screams ‘dated renovation needed!’
2. Cherry Red
Bold and attention-grabbing at first glance, cherry red quickly becomes overwhelming in Arizona’s already warm climate. The intense color makes kitchens feel hotter than they actually are.
Cherry red appliances and cabinets have rapidly declined in popularity. Modern Phoenix homeowners now prefer cooler tones that create visual relief from the desert heat outside their windows.
3. Olive Green
The earthy undertones once made olive green a Southwest staple. Formerly praised for complementing desert landscapes, this muddy shade has lost its appeal.
Olive green kitchens now feel heavy and dated in Phoenix homes. The trend has been replaced by brighter, more refreshing greens that better capture modern desert living without the drab, military-surplus vibe.
4. Dark Espresso Brown
Those rich, nearly-black cabinets once signaled luxury in every high-end Phoenix development. The dark espresso trend peaked around 2010 when developers installed these cabinets by the thousands.
Unfortunately, espresso brown shows every speck of dust – a particular problem in our desert environment. The dark color also absorbs light, making kitchens feel smaller and cave-like in our sun-drenched region.
5. Mustard Yellow
Once considered vibrant and cheerful, mustard yellow has soured in popularity. The yellowed tone quickly became associated with aging and neglect rather than intentional style.
Mustard yellow kitchens now feel particularly outdated in Phoenix’s modern homes. The color has a distinctly 70s vibe that clashes with contemporary desert aesthetics, making spaces feel stuck in a time warp.
6. Burgundy
The rich wine-inspired hue once graced many upscale Valley kitchens. Burgundy was particularly popular paired with oak cabinets and brass fixtures in 90s Phoenix homes.
Today’s homebuyers see burgundy and immediately plan renovations. The color feels heavy and formal in our casual desert lifestyle, making spaces seem smaller and darker – exactly what you don’t want in sun-drenched Arizona.
7. Mint Green
Pastel perfection once ruled Phoenix kitchens with mint green leading the charge. The soft shade was everywhere in the 80s and early 90s, often paired with pink or peach accents.
Mint green kitchens now immediately date your home to a specific era. The color has become synonymous with outdated design in the Valley, making potential buyers mentally add renovation costs to their offers.
8. Peach
Southwestern chic once demanded peach-colored kitchens across the Valley. This warm hue was meant to echo our famous Arizona sunsets and complement terracotta tiles.
Peach has faded faster than actual fruit in summer heat. Modern Phoenix homeowners now see this color as instantly aging a kitchen by decades, creating a visual time capsule of 80s Southwestern design that few want to revisit.
9. Slate Gray
Cool and seemingly timeless, slate gray swept through Phoenix kitchens during the early 2010s. The neutral shade promised sophistication without commitment to bold color.
Unfortunately, slate gray has proven problematic in our desert lighting. The color can appear depressing and industrial under Arizona’s harsh sunlight, creating a cold, unwelcoming atmosphere that contradicts our warm climate and lifestyle.
10. Terracotta Orange
Quintessentially Southwestern, terracotta orange once defined Phoenix kitchen style. The earthy tone mimicked our iconic red rocks and desert landscape, creating seamless indoor-outdoor flow.
Today’s homeowners find terracotta overwhelming and dated. The color has become a caricature of Southwestern design rather than an authentic choice, making kitchens feel like themed restaurants rather than modern living spaces.
11. Soft Lavender
Unexpected but once trendy, soft lavender had its moment in upscale Phoenix kitchens. The subtle purple hue was marketed as a sophisticated alternative to basic neutrals.
Lavender kitchens quickly fell from favor in our desert setting. The color clashes with our natural landscape and feels disconnected from Arizona’s organic palette, creating spaces that feel imported rather than belonging to our unique environment.
12. Navy Blue
Dark and dramatic navy blue cabinets surged through Phoenix’s luxury home market around 2017. The bold choice was once considered timeless and sophisticated by local designers.
Navy has rapidly declined in our sun-drenched climate. The dark color absorbs heat and creates visual weight that feels oppressive during our long summers. Modern Phoenix kitchens now favor lighter blues that better reflect our abundant natural light.
13. Sage Green
Earthy and calming, sage green promised to bring nature indoors to Phoenix homes. This muted tone peaked during the early 2000s farmhouse trend that swept through Arizona suburbs.
Sage has since wilted in popularity. The color now reads as distinctly dated, especially when paired with those ubiquitous oak cabinets. Today’s desert homeowners prefer either bolder or more neutral green tones that feel fresh rather than faded.
14. Black High-Gloss Finishes
Ultra-modern and sleek, black high-gloss finishes briefly dazzled in upscale Phoenix developments. The reflective surfaces promised sophisticated urban style in suburban desert settings.
Black high-gloss quickly revealed its impracticality in our dusty environment. These finishes show every fingerprint, dust particle, and water spot – a constant maintenance nightmare in Arizona. The trend has been replaced by more forgiving matte black or dark charcoal options.
15. Avocado Green
Long before millennial pink, there was avocado green – the color that dominated kitchens decades ago. This distinctive muddy green was everywhere from appliances to countertops in mid-century Phoenix homes.
Avocado green disappeared from the design scene by the 1980s. The color became so associated with dated homes that entire kitchen renovations were triggered by its presence, making it one of the first casualties in the evolution of modern desert design.
16. Harvest Gold
The yellowy-orange hue known as harvest gold once reigned supreme in Phoenix homes. Often paired with avocado green, this distinctive color dominated kitchens from the late 60s through the 70s.
Harvest gold vanished from design catalogs decades ago. The color became so synonymous with outdated homes that its presence instantly reduced property values, making it one of the most universally rejected kitchen colors in Arizona real estate history.
17. Powder Blue
Soft and seemingly innocent, powder blue kitchens were standard in many post-war Phoenix developments. The pastel shade dominated 1950s suburban homes throughout the Valley.
Powder blue fell from favor by the late 1960s. The color became immediately associated with outdated design, often paired with those distinctive boomerang-pattern Formica countertops that now appear only in vintage shops or homes that haven’t been updated in generations.
18. Mauve Pink
The dusty rose shade called mauve pink dominated Phoenix kitchens during the 1980s. Often paired with country-style oak cabinets and blue accents, this color defined an entire decade of desert home design.
Mauve pink disappeared completely by the mid-1990s. The color became so linked to dated design that it’s now referenced only ironically. Today’s homebuyers run from mauve kitchens faster than from scorpions, making it a definitive relic of Phoenix design history.
