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
Mary Tatum says
I figure everything is cyclical. The catalogs come out every season, but nobody really runs out and updates their entire home to Renovation Hardware, Pottery Barn, or Crate and Barrell’s style edicts. 😉 Okay, I would be there with C&B if I could. Most of us have one couch for most of our adult lives (mine is purple), and I find pillows at Goodwill, consignment and garage/estate sales and mix it up every few years. I’m a person who wears mostly black, taupe, and white, but my house pops with color!! 😀
Melissa says
I love lots of color. I like to have a cheerful place to wake up in. Greige seems in keeping with the political trend of going back to the WORST of the mid century – not the best and brightest.
midmodms says
The thing I like about this color actually, is it makes colorful art really pop off the walls. So we don’t necessarily need more peppy wall colors, we need more art! (IMO, of course).
Diane Hodge says
A friend and I stopped in there last night. We had been talking about depression anyway so the store fit the discussion. Blah- it is all so blah. We went to Pottery Barn next. Both of us stopped in the doorway to say, “Oh now, this is so much more welcoming”. Restoration Hardware is… the color of dark concrete. Just so blah!
Deb says
That’s strange, I’ve never thought of Restoration Hardware as carrying a Mid-Century Modern style. It always looked Victorian to Craftsman to me. Am I missing something?
pam kueber says
Deb, I think they’ve always had a mix…
Janice Hill says
You’re so right! Beige depresses me, too–that and an entirely white home. My goal is to have so much color in my house that an all-white room comes across as a color choice. And if you want to see my mid-century modern rental property, including a saved pink bathroom, go to http://www.blanshouse.com. I bought the house as an estate and much of the furniture there came with it, but now I’m supplementing it with more mid-century estate finds. And this from a girl who grew up in a Victorian house and hated the mid-century stuff that was new when she was growing up. Thank you, Pam!
pam kueber says
You’re welcome, Janice. I looked at your rental property – very nice. But put that toilet seat down, dearie. Bad bad $$$ feng shui.
SaraTinkelman says
Who remembers Beverly Cleary’s “Fifteen” ? I adored that book when I was a kid. It was about a late-fifties era teenage girl who periodically had to babysit for a very, very stylish couple with a near-sadistic little girl.Cleary’s description of the home interior of these highbrowed, high powered jet setters was that it was very spare & nearly everything was beige…a place to feel anything but warm and welcome. BTW, Restor. Hardware has been hyping beige and muted, quiet-to-the-point-of-somnolence colors for years. You know: washed-out moss, washed-out pale blue-gray, washed-out gold…I think the raciest color they’ve ever screwed up the courage to to put out there was washed-out burgundy. The cover of R.H.’s latest catalog is not so much somnolent as it is sepulchral. As Fearless Retro Leader points out: Who needs this? I was disturbed by the redecorating of the Oval Office for the same reason – drab doesn’t begin to say it. I think we owe it to ourselves and our fellow citizens to hum “Keep On The Sunny Side” while we bring back aquamarine countertops and slather our walls with daffodil yellow. So take *that* Color Deniers! Think we don’t know what you’re really up to?
pam kueber says
perhaps we should blame it on all the vampires.
Brini says
I agree in theory, however, I do think that the “greige” theme has it’s place in mid century design – just look at some of the sets for the film Auntie Mame. I especially like it when used as a foundation with pops of color for accent, pops that can be changed out seasonally, for instance.
pam kueber says
hey, Brini, nice to hear from you!
Diana says
I actually enjoy visiting Restoration Hardware; it’s always a great place to look at older hardware and get great ideas. However, have you scrolled through the Restoration Hardware “Design Gallery”? It’s totally devoid of color. I thought the point of Restoration Hardware is “restoration” [to what is old]. I don’t recall older styles ever lacking color on this scale.
Anyway, as a person who loves color, I dislike this greige trend.
judy says
Greige has NO place in the mid-century home! I love my pink bathroom as well as my robin’s egg blue bathroom. I think Turquoise is my fave cheery color in my home.