Photos: Before avocado toast, the young people of the 1970s were buying avocado kitchens

At least they could afford a starter house…

America has enough to handle with the politics of avocado toast, much less devoting an entire kitchen theme to the creamy stone fruit. But in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, consumers demanded shades of yellow-green in everything from ovens to countertops to bathtubs. Better yet, designers recommended pairing the color scheme with coffee brown ceilings and low lighting for a “cozy” effect. It’s almost as if young homeowners had square footage to spare…

The first colorful kitchen appliances emerged around 1955 in shades of dusky pink, aqua, and yellow, according to a JCPenney instructional pamphlet. But in the year the tract published, 1968, the hue du jour was avocado, best paired with wood tones, copper, and gold. Throw in a few walls of plaid green wallpaper, a macramé owl hanging, and “matching” paisley hand towels while you’re at it.

Color coordination was so important during this era that advertisers even encouraged homemakers to match their house gowns, children’s play clothes, and hors d’oeuvres to their interior design, according to Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color.

However, by the end of the 1970s, brightly hued appliances and wallpaper fell out of favor. When one piece needed to be replaced, colors like burnt orange and golden olive were simply too difficult to match. Instead, people turned to brighter, cleaner palettes — you know, like “parrot green” and “sweet lime.” Shrug.