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The trend of gray tones in consumer goods brings to mind the Puritan rule of wearing only "sadd colors." Perhaps we are experiencing a new wave of Puritan chic?

The trend of gray tones in consumer goods brings to mind the Puritan rule of wearing only "sadd colors." Perhaps we are experiencing a new wave of Puritan chic? From the book Albion's Seed: "The taste of New England ran not to black or gray, but to “sadd colors” as they were called in the seventeenth century. A list of these “sadd colors” in 1638 included “liver color, de Boys, tawney, russet, purple, French green, ginger lyne, deer colour, orange.” Other sad colors were called “gridolin” from the French gris de lin (“flax blossom”). Still others were called puce, folding color, Kendall green, Lincoln green, barry, milly and tuly."

micheljansen 4y ago
You joke, but we you are not wrong: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/04/the-sad-beige-trend-goes-against-all-my-wild-instincts https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/04/the-sad... https://www.tiktok.com/@sadbeige https://www.tiktok.com/@sadbeige https://www.instagram.com/officialsadbeige/ https://www.instagram.com/officialsadbeige/
leetcrew 4y ago
I wasn't aware this was a trend; I thought it was just practical. a gray coffee machine may not make for a striking kitchen centerpiece, but it doesn't clash with anything either. if you're KitchenAid, by all means, go and make 12 different colors for a stand mixer. but if you only want to make one color, it might as well be gray. I always get my cars in gray for a similar reason. I like cars, but I don't want mine to stand out on the road. don't need the extra attention from cops, thieves, etc. plus, a gray car in the right shade looks clean for a long time between washes.
- janeerie 4y ago
  The trend the article discusses is using colors that are tones, meaning a hue mixed with gray. So it's not just that a lot of things are gray, it's that even the things that are colored have a gray-ish cast.
  - leetcrew 4y ago
    I admit I didn't read past all the pictures of cars in TFA. I see what you mean with kitchen items now. weird trend, but I think my original point still holds? desaturated versions of otherwise incompatible colors clash less, to my eyes at least
    - janeerie 4y ago
      Oh, I agree. And I'll take muted colors over no colors at all. I do love me some bright Ikea-style colors though, even though they are more difficult to coordinate properly.
- thesmok 4y ago
  Isn't it wrong that "attention from cops" is a factor in your everyday life?
  - yurishimo 4y ago
    Ok, I'll bite. I used to live in Dallas. It's not really a secret that literally everyone speeds all the time on the highway. If you commute daily, it's not uncommon that you'll probably be going 10-15mph over the speed limit at some point. Of course you don't have to speed, but sometimes it's easier to stay in the flow of traffic and drive a little faster. Most of the time, the cops are too busy with other stuff to sit by the road writing tickets for speeding. This is probably why there are so many speeders. It's barely enforced. However, on the 3 days a year where the department has had a slow morning, I wouldn't mind having a less conspicuous car. For the cop, it's much easier to focus on the bright neon green car and pull them over once they turn on lights and sirens and start following them. Nobody wants attention from the cops, but it's also important to acknowledge the possibility. If you drive the speed limit perfectly, by all means, get a bright colored car. For most people, a little bit of speeding is a daily habit and statistically, having a car that blends in will lead to fewer tickets on average.
    - thesmok 4y ago
      In my country everyone is speeding as well, but speed limits are enforced primarily by the radar-cameras, not cops. So you just have to know location of those cameras (thanks, Waze) and slow down there. I assumed that your concern was cops giving trouble just because they can, not for actual violations.
      - yurishimo 4y ago
        This is true where I live currently (Netherlands). Luckily, there are no silly cameras on my commute to and from work. :) In America, cops generally will leave you alone unless you're actively breaking the law right in front of them. Most departments are understaffed already, especially in big cities. In Dallas, there were a couple of suburbs that were notorious for writing traffic tickets and in those areas, people would slow down. But those areas were wealthy and have low crime rates so the local police don't have much else to do.
djur 4y ago
There was a time when the point of the neutrals trend in decor was supposed to be that everyday things could fade modestly into the background to let the colors of clothing, food, art, etc. stand out more. But I don't think that's the way the trend has gone. Kim Kardashian has a completely beige house, in which she and her children have been photographed wearing beige clothing, etc. It seems very exhausting. And the flip side is that youth culture seems to remain interested in bright colors, at least for now.
swayvil 4y ago
The Puritan and the modern intellect-centered (technical, ideological, on social media a lot...) type person have something in common. Both put "the life of the mind" first and the real world second. Maybe they both seek to surround themselves with drab, undistracting stuff so they can focus better on their mental life.
- xbar 4y ago
  I wish I could credit the drivers of these cars with a new sense of austerity in order to find depth in their mental life. But I have seen the folks that climb out of clay-color Dodge Challengers. They do not convince me that such focus drives their decision-making.
  - swayvil 4y ago
    The preference for drab colors need not be a choice made for austerity's sake. It could be that after living in your head all day, bright colors are just unpleasant. On a related note, I know 3 couples who party a lot. Large quantities of alchohol and cocaine. All 3 redecorated their home in gray, black and chrome. I think we're seeing a drug-induced change in how they appreciate colors.
    - jabl 4y ago
      > It could be that after living in your head all day, bright colors are just unpleasant. Doesn't have to be "living in your head", some people are just very easily distracted by bright colors, or visual chaos in general.
    - baandam 4y ago
      Gray and black walls though really make for a nice "frame" when you hang artwork. I find the number of people with bare white walls far stranger.
- lelanthran 4y ago
  That doesn't make sense to me: if someone is seeking: > to surround themselves with drab, undistracting stuff so that they can better focus on their mental life They wouldn't be buying an expensive German automobile or sports car in the first place, regardless of the colour.

micheljansen 4y ago

You joke, but we you are not wrong: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/04/the-sad-beige-trend-goes-against-all-my-wild-instincts https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/04/the-sad... https://www.tiktok.com/@sadbeige https://www.tiktok.com/@sadbeige https://www.instagram.com/officialsadbeige/ https://www.instagram.com/officialsadbeige/

leetcrew 4y ago

I wasn't aware this was a trend; I thought it was just practical. a gray coffee machine may not make for a striking kitchen centerpiece, but it doesn't clash with anything either. if you're KitchenAid, by all means, go and make 12 different colors for a stand mixer. but if you only want to make one color, it might as well be gray. I always get my cars in gray for a similar reason. I like cars, but I don't want mine to stand out on the road. don't need the extra attention from cops, thieves, etc. plus, a gray car in the right shade looks clean for a long time between washes.

janeerie 4y ago
The trend the article discusses is using colors that are tones, meaning a hue mixed with gray. So it's not just that a lot of things are gray, it's that even the things that are colored have a gray-ish cast.
- leetcrew 4y ago
  I admit I didn't read past all the pictures of cars in TFA. I see what you mean with kitchen items now. weird trend, but I think my original point still holds? desaturated versions of otherwise incompatible colors clash less, to my eyes at least
  - janeerie 4y ago
    Oh, I agree. And I'll take muted colors over no colors at all. I do love me some bright Ikea-style colors though, even though they are more difficult to coordinate properly.
thesmok 4y ago
Isn't it wrong that "attention from cops" is a factor in your everyday life?
- yurishimo 4y ago
  Ok, I'll bite. I used to live in Dallas. It's not really a secret that literally everyone speeds all the time on the highway. If you commute daily, it's not uncommon that you'll probably be going 10-15mph over the speed limit at some point. Of course you don't have to speed, but sometimes it's easier to stay in the flow of traffic and drive a little faster. Most of the time, the cops are too busy with other stuff to sit by the road writing tickets for speeding. This is probably why there are so many speeders. It's barely enforced. However, on the 3 days a year where the department has had a slow morning, I wouldn't mind having a less conspicuous car. For the cop, it's much easier to focus on the bright neon green car and pull them over once they turn on lights and sirens and start following them. Nobody wants attention from the cops, but it's also important to acknowledge the possibility. If you drive the speed limit perfectly, by all means, get a bright colored car. For most people, a little bit of speeding is a daily habit and statistically, having a car that blends in will lead to fewer tickets on average.
  - thesmok 4y ago
    In my country everyone is speeding as well, but speed limits are enforced primarily by the radar-cameras, not cops. So you just have to know location of those cameras (thanks, Waze) and slow down there. I assumed that your concern was cops giving trouble just because they can, not for actual violations.
    - yurishimo 4y ago
      This is true where I live currently (Netherlands). Luckily, there are no silly cameras on my commute to and from work. :) In America, cops generally will leave you alone unless you're actively breaking the law right in front of them. Most departments are understaffed already, especially in big cities. In Dallas, there were a couple of suburbs that were notorious for writing traffic tickets and in those areas, people would slow down. But those areas were wealthy and have low crime rates so the local police don't have much else to do.

djur 4y ago

There was a time when the point of the neutrals trend in decor was supposed to be that everyday things could fade modestly into the background to let the colors of clothing, food, art, etc. stand out more. But I don't think that's the way the trend has gone. Kim Kardashian has a completely beige house, in which she and her children have been photographed wearing beige clothing, etc. It seems very exhausting. And the flip side is that youth culture seems to remain interested in bright colors, at least for now.

swayvil 4y ago

The Puritan and the modern intellect-centered (technical, ideological, on social media a lot...) type person have something in common. Both put "the life of the mind" first and the real world second. Maybe they both seek to surround themselves with drab, undistracting stuff so they can focus better on their mental life.

xbar 4y ago
I wish I could credit the drivers of these cars with a new sense of austerity in order to find depth in their mental life. But I have seen the folks that climb out of clay-color Dodge Challengers. They do not convince me that such focus drives their decision-making.
- swayvil 4y ago
  The preference for drab colors need not be a choice made for austerity's sake. It could be that after living in your head all day, bright colors are just unpleasant. On a related note, I know 3 couples who party a lot. Large quantities of alchohol and cocaine. All 3 redecorated their home in gray, black and chrome. I think we're seeing a drug-induced change in how they appreciate colors.
  - jabl 4y ago
    > It could be that after living in your head all day, bright colors are just unpleasant. Doesn't have to be "living in your head", some people are just very easily distracted by bright colors, or visual chaos in general.
  - baandam 4y ago
    Gray and black walls though really make for a nice "frame" when you hang artwork. I find the number of people with bare white walls far stranger.
lelanthran 4y ago
That doesn't make sense to me: if someone is seeking: > to surround themselves with drab, undistracting stuff so that they can better focus on their mental life They wouldn't be buying an expensive German automobile or sports car in the first place, regardless of the colour.