A top commenting rule on the blog is, “No one can be made to feel bad for their choices.” So I am breaking my own rule and will probably regret it. However, I can no longer contain my rant against “greige” — that drab, virtually colorless, gray-green-brown-beige — that has begun to permeate the contemporary interior design world. Above: from Restoration Hardware. This is their second season, at least, deep into the doo doo (pun intended) of greige. I know times are really tough, and that a somber mood, on many occasions, is called for. But, this palette (can you even call the absence of color a palette?) … makes me depressed. I encourage the secret society of people who plan the “hot colors” for years forward to, instead, consider promoting a palette that reminds us to smile… that lifts us up… that gives us some hope! We Americans are an optimistic, extroverted, hard-working bunch, and we’ll pull out of this malaise. We are Not a Greige Nation. Oh and one more thing: Please remember that the Marketing Machine wants to convince you to throw out everything you bought five years ago for whatever is new today. Train your own eye, surround yourself with what makes You happy, and ignore what any trend pundits — including me-ish — say.
Reader Interactions
113 comments
Stacey says
The newest Restoration Hardware catalog is hideous, but greige does have its place…used correctly it can set off bright colors beautifully. I have already used the color in my 1950s home in all three bedrooms to give the house a non-white neutral palette when I first moved in.
Greige doesn’t go with everything though. My kitchen has white vinyl floors and sea-foam green countertops and greige would look ridiculous! So I chose a cheerful lemony-yellow color.
I think greige goes best with turquoise, teal greens, bright pinks, and red. That’s just my opinion though. Doing a whole house in greige would be incredibly boring.
Elaine says
The only good thing about greige is it fades away when you go wild with your colorful artwork, textiles and accessories. My bedroom walls are kind of greigy, but there are gorgeous oak dressers, beautiful woodland paintings and wonderful bright quilts and pillows to liven things up.
That Restoration Hardware picture looks the way my house did one morning when my toddler son went wild chasing the dog with the fireplace broom full of ashes. Ashes were everywhere and it did look just like that picture. I thought something was wrong with my eyes. So much for five extra minutes of sleep that morning.
Gavin Hastings says
I feel exactly the same way. It is a great backdrop for COLOR.
tammyCA says
hee-hee, reading the post by jkaye just made me laugh out loud. 😀
tammyCA says
I can’t live in a house without COLOR! I suppose my style is not “sophisticated”, but it is cheerful & makes me smile. I despise how “masculine” decor has become (although, I’m not overly fond of frou-frou fluffy decor either). I’m in the lousy position now of searching for a bigger house & I hate it. I currently live in a 1954 Ranch with original hardwood floors, original bath tiles…I love this little house and I am such a depressed client going to these homes that are covered in beige and granite, marble…all the renovated stuff I hate…and these houses are from the 50s-60s so it looks so out of place.
Have you seen the old Bob Hope movie, “Bachelor in Paradise”? I’ve always loved it (& it was recently on t.v.) for the fact that it shows the Valley (which is where I live) and the new housing development of 1961. If you haven’t seen it you gotta rent it…I love how Bob Hope sees the Modern new house for the first time and says, “Pink?” and the real estate lady says, “it’s not pink, it’s California Coral.” 🙂
The poster above mentioned the same dull drab colors of cars…I always think that. Except for the occassional yellow VW, it’s like a blur of silvergrey, black, white (I’m sorry to say my other half bought our cars and they are grey…I always wanted an aqua colored car!)
Gavin Hastings says
Bungalow Bill…..I would have gladly moved into that grey livingroom…but would have brought a Calder silkscreen and a huge vase of forsythia with me…
Pam….I try to understand your rule and I have also read some NASTY remarks mde by others… I think the issue is the INTENT of the writer.
I like the greige…not a whole house of it.
I find extroverts tend toward quiet backrounds and quiet “normal” people go wild with the colors.
pam kueber says
Your house is not greige, Gavine!
BungalowBILL says
I have to say I liked the color all through summer. But in NJ between January and April the sky is grey, the trees are grey, the shrubs are grey, the grass is grey, and the streets are grey from road salt. It was an eGREIGEous amount of grey. I did have touches of yellow ( Memphis was big then), but enough was enough and I needed color by Spring. Monotones become monotonous. You’re more than welcome to come over with the Calder silkscreen though!
Margaret says
Gavin, and Miss Pam, I just found RR today via Maison21-and I never miss a day without visiting my favorite, “Greige” blog. I grew up in the ’60s, and so much I see on RR is what I remember, and hold dear. However, my parent’s 1957 home had builders’ gray tub surround tile, shades of gray floor tile and blue fixtures. It drove my mom crazy, along with the gray walls in the house. Oddly, my parents never replaced the blue & gray scheme, and the house was sold 2 years ago, along with a plethora of eagles, paneling, layers of vinyl under carpeting. I personally love gray/beige because all accent colors come alive in the room, and it unifies a myriad of mis-matched furnishings. So, if I linger, and clutch my pearls at RR, it’s all good: I grew up breathing plastics! XO
Sara in WA says
I could not agree with you more Pam!!! Here in our real estate office (when it’s just us agents) we joke about “greige” too. It seems to be what people pick when they can’t make up their mind or want to play it safe. Now it looks like marketing is playing into that fear and trying make people feel like their indecision is actually “good taste”. Oh please people. We must stop them now. I did indeed paint my countertops Holiday Turquoise (which lightened and yellowed a bit with 4 coats of poly. on top but it’s perfect) and it makes me so happy everytime I see it. I’m the one who got your great suggestions for my kitchen and it’s almost done. Can’t wait to show you all. Personally, I thank God for color in our world and look at fabric and wallpaper just for the fun of seeing colors and patterns. Sure am glad His favorite color wasn’t greige. And is anyone else tired of grey, black, white, and the occasional red cars?
Kelly says
I was recently looking for a new car and was shocked at the lack of color choices out there! I have a 14 year old civic hatch back in bright bright teal and *love* it! So sad to only see gray, navy, or maroon cars being made now.
Chris says
This is too funny! My husband and I were on a lunch date just yesterday, at the the mall. We were waiting for California Pizza Kitchen to open up and decided to stroll through Restoration Hardware. I almost lost my appetite. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Bo-ring.
There was NOTHING in the store that appealed to me. It reminded my of how dull The Gap used to be with nothing but light blue and beige. This is even worse. Such a nasty color.
On top of that, the store was trying to set a cultured, haughty, upscale, exclusive mood by playing foreign-language “musak” — which was also — somehow — greige.
Blech. I had to make an emergency trip to Macy’s houseware department to stand in the middle of the Fiesta ware display.
Didn’t Restoration Hardware used to have some fun stuff? It seems to me that they have been getting steadily more dull.
Sara in WA says
You’re so funny; I go in the door at the mall where Macy’s displays the Fiesta just to get a little dose of color therapy too.
Handyandy says
I remember seeing these non-colors in a Martha Stewart magazine a couple years ago showcasing her new kitchen. Ugh. Very institutional looking. Maybe if we ignore this trend, it will go away.
nina462 says
I used to love Restoration Hardware – but no longer with the greige theme. As for the femme fatale – where’s the “jungle red” nail polish that they used to wear? As you all know, I’m addicted to the cherry red accents.
Although my hallway is a tan-oatmealy color, it’s not greige and it allows my framed cherry label artwork to stand out.
Al Curnow says
I like the Scandinavian approach, clean white walls and colourful textiles mixed with warm wood tones. Fill your space with things that make you happy, dont decorate for resale value………………….