Guest Picks: Colorful Appliances

If you bake and cook a lot, I'm sure you have a scale. But most of us (I know I do) have a small plastic digital scale that just sits in the drawer somewhere. I'd love one of these that I could leave on the counter: not only is it a classic retro style but also has a large capacity bowl and an over-sized dial for easy reading all in gorgeous red. Even if you didn’t use a scale I'd say to buy one of these for decoration in your kitchen — just use it for fruit instead, like the picture.

Most people want some kind of espresso machine in their kitchen, so why not get a funky red one? Not only will you have great espresso but it'll brighten up your kitchen, too. I love this cool-looking retro style; it even makes coffee-making look fun!

If you're like me, you probably got a KitchenAid mixer when you got married, at a time when the choices were just white, black or silver. Today they come in every fabulous color imaginable, and if you bake a lot, this mixer will probably sit on your counter most of the time. I would love a pink one to brighten up my white kitchen!

I love, love, love everything about this mixer: the style, the colors, and the two cool-looking red buttons. This is another one of those tools you use all the time, so you want it to be colorful and fun to use. A perfect hand mixer for a chef.

I need a new George Foreman Grill. Now I have a white one that is hard to clean, so I hide it in one of my drawers. These come in all sorts of colors and are easy to use, but most importantly, they're easy to clean. This is the one I'll be getting in a few months to replace my old hard-to-clean grill.

This stove to me is stunning. Most of us dream about white or wood kitchens but then just get stainless steel or black appliances, so why not have your stove stand out with some color? If you're going to spend lots of money on a gorgeous stove you want it to stand out, so splurge on it instead of a colorful backsplash or artwork.

The famous slow cooker: I haven't gotten one yet, but I'm keeping my eyes open. I know for most people this slow cooker will sit on the counter cooking for hours, so why not have something nice there? When I'm ready to get my slow cooker, this is the one I'll be getting.

It's summer, and I have been making ice cream every week. Now if I could only have an ice cream maker that looks as bright and tasty as the ice cream I make. This blue color is fabulous — I would love to have this sitting on my counter turning all summer long.

I'm one of those people who uses my food processor every other day; if I'm not making soup in it, I'm making a dressing or my morning smoothie. What I love about this one is not only that it comes in many different colors that'll look great sitting out on my counter, it also comes with to-go cups in matching colors! Perfect for a smoothie on the go.

Since I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, I believe all my tools should be colorful and fun to use. I think that's part of the fun of it — not just creating things but having fun tools to create them with, too. I would love to have a blue hand mixer, instead of my off-white one.

Where is your toaster oven? I know mine is sitting on the counter, but I wish I had a cover for it. I'm thinking of getting this one to bring a little color to my kitchen counter. I love the red sides — just gorgeous.

I love the idea of a microwave for your kid that can sit somewhere lower where they can reach it. I think getting a microwave that is especially for your kid, like this cute Hello Kitty one, will make them use it more.

I love making lattes, but one of the problems is how hard it is to make steamed milk unless you have one of these froth machines. You just pour your milk in there and press the button, it's as simple as that. Not only do I love this machine for its simplicity, but the color as well — the perfect addition to my coffee maker.

This is just too cute. How many of you have a juice squeezer that is white and stained? I do, and I never leave it out because of that. But this one is adorable enough to leave out all the time — I love the lime green color that'll brighten up my white kitchen.

I'm a huge pasta lover and have always wanted a pasta maker at my home. Most of the pasta makers I've seen around are stainless steel and pretty boring, and since most of these are pretty large you want to be able to leave it on the counter. I think I've finally found the perfect one: the beautifully-designed body and mix of red and chrome are just gorgeous.

I love having fondue parties, and even if I don’t have them very often, I'd love this set as a centerpiece in my kitchen for decoration. It is gorgeous, and I adore the red pot with black forks. You can put this on a shelf in the middle of the kitchen or on top of a counter — it'll look good anywhere.

If you're like me, I bet you you have a white grinder with coffee all over it sitting next to the coffee machine — not very appealing. That's why I'd love a coffee grinder like this one: not only can you keep your coffee beans showing on top as a decorative item, but the grinder itself is cool-looking and comes in all these fabulous colors. This is a coffee grinder you definitely want sitting out on your counter.

Imagine: an all-white kitchen with just a pop of orange from this refrigerator sticking out. Not only do I love its bright color but the retro style is awesome too — just check out those handles and rounded corners. Everyone that comes over will ask you about this fridge, and if you can't get one in your kitchen, try it for your basement, media room or man cave.

One of my most boring appliances is my rice cooker: the plain white shade just ruins my gorgeous kitchen. If you cook rice a lot and have your rice cooker sitting out on the counter, this is a fabulous option. Sleek and simple, but with a little color.

Next: More colorful kitchen finds for the home