For many years, the color of consumer electronics has run the gamut from charcoal gray to silver gray, unavoidably reminding us of that apocryphal Henry Ford quote about color options for the Model T. To be fair, there has been some tentative dipping of the toes into color here and there, and a tiny few brands offer white as an option. But, for the most part, gray has held sway.

It seems incongruous that a field bursting with cutting-edge innovation got stuck on a color traditionally associated with conservatism, as in “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.” (The dictionary also associates gray with old, dull, dismal, and gloomy.)

There may be a number of reasons for this, with the most obvious one being that adding carbon to polymer materials is the cheapest method to imbue a plastic housing with EMI shielding. Another possibility may be a still lingering overreaction to the once-popular wood-grain phenomenon. When makers of televisions, radios and stereos switched from wooden cabinets to plastic laminate, they tried to preserve the look with faux wood-grain finishes, something that disturbs a modern designer as much as brick-patterned wallpaper. It may also be that gray is perceived to represent the aesthetics of high tech, with a gray exterior serving as a metaphoric extension of the gray silicon brains within.

Whatever the reason, one can’t help but notice that, in an average home, these gray plastic blocks seem strangely out of place in a sea of pastels and earth tones, woods and fabrics, tiles and vinyls, brass and glass. In the realm of televisions, there has been a recent stampede from dark gray to black, a great leap indeed. But that only aggravates the incongruity rather than mitigating it. Cubes of gray or black may work nicely in contemporary minimalist decors, but such scenes are found more often in magazine ads than in the real world where traditional, casual, and eclectic collide.

Should the designer care? Good design should reflect harmony. But that begs the question: harmonious with what? The narrow answer focuses on the object in isolation, that its design should be congruent with its function and original design intent. This perspective judges the product by itself, sitting on the conference room table.

A somewhat broader perspective places the product’s design in a market context, examining it on the retail shelf lined up against its competitors, trying to snag the passing shopper. Then there’s the panoramic perspective, which views the product in the environment in which it will ultimately reside and determines whether it acts as an intruder or welcome guest.

Which of those perspectives should rank first? And are they necessarily mutually exclusive? Some electronics designers may argue that, given the odd mix of colors, materials, and styles in the average home, their gray and black products are no more incongruous than anything else, that harmony is something found only in the pages of Architectural Digest. Others may argue that standing out is precisely the point. It’s the best way to differentiate one’s product.

Either way, I doubt that the Model T approach to color in electronics looms high on anyone’s agenda. I can only suggest that it should, and offer home appliances as a model. For decades, appliance designers have had to design their boxes to fit between and under the boxes made by kitchen cabinet makers. They understand how to design products that fit in, literally and figuratively. And one of the coolest things they ever did was to roll out the bisque/biscuit color, an appealing hue that offers warmth and neutrality.

With flat screen televisions now hanging on the wall like paintings, it’s a good time for consumer electronics designers to reconsider their color paradigm and how to frame that picture. It’s a perfect time to find a biscuit.