Beige is Blah…!

Kircher writes about an online negative reaction to a beige-y interior in “She Redecorated Her Boyfriend’s Apartment.  Tik Tok Hated It.”  (The New York Times, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/style/tiktok-beige-apartment.html). Science indicates that sometimes beige, as a very unsaturated light colour, can be useful, but often there’s another light shade that can add something more to a space, such as supporting creative behaviour (greens) or encouraging positive interactions with others (warm colours).

As Kircher tells it: “after Emma Ganzarain moved into her boyfriend’s apartment in Oslo, the couple. . . . added light-colored herringbone floors . . . and taupe kitchen cabinets. In the living room, the pair swapped out a purple light fixture for a white one and replaced a maroon armchair with a chair of a similar size in off-white. When the work was just about done, Ms. Ganzarain, 26, posted some before and after photos on TikTok. . . . Her post has . . . generated more than 55,000 comments, most of which are negative. Many people have accused Ms. Ganzarain . . . of ruining her boyfriend’s space, replacing its warmth and character with a more sterile look. . . . Several of Ms. Ganzarain’s detractors hit on the phrase ‘sad beige,’ an internet term used to describe a minimalist style with an emphasis on neutral tones.”