For granite and other big-ticket items, the conservative approach is to go neutral. “Trendy colors can be risky,” says Kristin Okeley, certified kitchen designer (CKD) and member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). “So it’s important to combine those trendy colors with other more timeless colors to help create a balance between what the client may want now and how the space can be manipulated later to stay up-to-date.”

Appliances and plumbing fixtures are usually considered neutrals. “If we’re talking high-end kitchens, you’re going to use stainless steel or wood,” Smith says of appliance finishes. “You’re not going to use black or white unless it’s contemporary and you’re trying to make a statement with it. In baths, white is just clean and crisp. Even white looks great with tans and beiges and camel colors.”

Okeley calls stainless steel the “great neutralizer” in kitchens. Though Kennedy likes to panel appliances to match cabinetry when possible, she does like the reflective quality of stainless steel. “Stainless steel might look terrible with the wood, but you pick a granite that blends the two together,” she says. For bath fixtures, her choice is bisque because it’s compatible with warm wood tones and tumbled stone.