Manufacturers keep trying to float alternatives to stainless steel but none of them catch on. The major choices continue to be: stainless, black, or white. Minor choices are: custom cabinetry panels, almond enamel, or for certain manufacturers, vibrant or custom colors such as cobalt, cherry, chartreuse etc. (always much more $$$).

Stainless is here to stay. It is so functional and so practical that regardless of whether you actually like the look or not, it will continue to be sold for decades to come. Likewise, 99.99% of kitchen faucets are polished chrome or brushed nickel and that isn't going to change either.

White isn't old-fashioned, it's a standard choice that is ideal for certain kitchens, particularly smaller, cottagey ones with white cabinets, where stainless might look anachronistic. White could also be used in a very modern way in a higher end kitchen.

IMHO - I've never been a fan of stainless steel appliances and I realize I am in the minority on this. If you really don't like them - don't use them. If you are doing white cabinets, go ahead and use white appliances. If you are doing dark wood cabinets, then I'd go with black appliances. In my own kitchen, I have soft yellow cabinets and used bisque colored appliances, except for the stove. It's black and leftover from previous home. It looks fine.

I've also done a kitchen where the homeowner had a fairly new black refrigerator. We kept the fridge and added stainless steel for the rest of the appliances. It worked well because most stainless appliances have black on them. Since the fridge is the biggest culprit for the fingerprints, this may be a good option for you too.

Best of luck with your project.

What's the style of your kitchen? A mix of stainless and retro can look nice too.
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/revel-in-retro-with-vintage-and-new-kitchen-appliances-stsetivw-vs~7899944

My kitchen has a vintage black stove, stainless steel range hood, ceiling fan, cabinet hardware and dishwasher, white cabinets and white fridge. In face the fridge and dishwasher are directly next to each other. I have heard lots of comments about my kitchen and no one has ever said anything about the mismatched color appliances.

If your house and kitchen have enough personality, the appliances won't be the eye-catcher in the room unless you have a showpiece stove. I would go with the appliances which appeal to you, regardless of the finish. Some fridge designs look great in stainless steel while others look silly. The new retro style fridge from GE looks absolutely smashing in black but would look totally ridiculous in stainless. It is your kitchen, go with what you like

spot on, as always.

Stainless is definitely not on it's way out, just read the recently published Houzz homeowner survey. But as previous posters have suggested, go with what appeals to you. One benefit of stainless is that if your kitchen is dark, the stainless can reflect light into the room, making it feel more cheerful. A few tips for keeping stainless looking good: 1) Simply Human has a stainless cleaning mitt that works like a charm (non-toxically) and if you find yourself in a real pickle, WD40 will take care of just about any mess on stainless. Just remember to wipe only in the direction of the grain and you have to do the entire surface, not just the spots.

Check out Viking appliances! Love mine lots of great options for a timeless look