Apparently, beige has had its turn. Every few years, a new trend enters the design lexicon, and a new color becomes the color you must have. No matter whether it’s Japandi, modern farmhouse, cluttercore, or something else entirely, each look represents a moment. Some adopters may stick with their aesthetic for life, but oftentimes people’s tastes will shift and change over time. It happens to be time for a shift. These days, there’s a particular furniture style that’s quickly becoming old news, according to designers. The style they’re over? Minimalist, neutral forms. The color they are over? Beige and gray. What once felt timeless is now being reconsidered, and designers are ready to explain what’s changed.
Apparently, Beige Has Had Its Turn
Just when we’d all learned to tell the difference between oatmeal and warm ivory, the design world has decided our living rooms could use a little more personality. I read this with some amusement. A perfectly good sofa can spend years minding its own business, only to find out one morning that it’s the wrong color.
Earlier this year, Real Simple spoke with designers who were growing tired of rooms furnished almost entirely in neutrals. “Neutral furniture is starting to feel stale because what once read as calm and timeless now often registers as predictable and lacking substance,” says Jordan Cashman, owner and principal designer at Sage, a New Hampshire-based design studio.
Now designers are being drawn to natural wood, softer furniture shapes, upholstery with a little texture, and older pieces with visible craftsmanship. I like hearing what designers are talking about, even when I suspect some of the excitement comes from having spent several years looking at the same sofas. Read the Real Simple article.
As someone who loves antiques and needlepoint, I’m happy to hear that a room can once again contain a slightly eccentric chair and a pillow somebody actually made. Although I’m fairly sure the people who loved those things went right on loving them while the rest of us were being told to clear the shelves.
Late November is a particularly good time to notice what makes a room welcoming. It’s dark by the time friends arrive for dinner. You turn on the lamps, pull up an extra chair and put out the serving bowl you inherited from someone who always made too much food. By the time everyone has settled in, I doubt anyone is thinking about whether the room has the right amount of beige.
If you’re in the mood for a change, try moving a favorite lamp to the spot where you actually sit, or bringing out the pottery you’ve been saving for company. I’d give the big purchases a little longer. A new sofa ought to be comfortable enough to spend a Sunday afternoon on and something you’ll still be glad to see when the magazines change their minds again.
And if your living room is beige and you love it, I hope you enjoy every inch of it. I’m going to see whether I have room for one more needlepoint pillow. As one of the decorators, Mattye Dewhirst, said, “Trends come and go, so while it’s great to find new inspiration from them, the safest bet would be to stick to styles, patterns, colors, and textures that have always appealed to you, particularly when it comes to big-ticket items that would be tricky and/or expensive to switch out. Your space is for you—you’re under no obligation to follow the trends.” Don’t you feel better now?