Not only that, boring gray buildings are easy to sell. Bright, branded restaurants are not. It's cheaper, and it signifies a lack of commitment. They are ready to pull out before they even come in.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I don't think we should make kids stuff sad beige, but what actually is going to happen to your "child's development" if they do? I'm sure it's nice and stimulating and more enjoyable for them to see color, but I'm not sure them having mostly beige rooms and stuff is exactly going to harm them, given most of these beige room kids are growing up in pretty privileged conditions compared to so many other people worldwide lmao

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Does it really have to be an extreme of monochrome nothing or a riot of discordant colors? I truly think it's fine to start with a sad beige room for your kid. I think many early child development experts may disagree with you on this point, as you've previously noted other people have told you. Differing tastes is one thing, but your adamant refusal to accept the latest science on this matter seems strange.

by Fabulous-Data-4527 1 week ago

80% of a child's brain growth occurs during the first three years of life. It is the period of the most rapid growth. During this period, engaging in sensory experiences helps build neural connections and promotes cognitive, language, and emotional growth. How you "feel" about it is mostly irrelevant compared to, you know, actual science.

by Fabulous-Data-4527 1 week ago

have there been actual studies on the brain development of a child growing up in a beige room vs a colored one? Because this just seems like speculation on an oddly specific point. It's not like the child's life is devoid or color deprived because a room of the house is beige. Like I know my bedroom was beige/brown too growing up, not because of trends, but that was just the color of the room/floor etc.. I still saw plenty of colors in daily life. my parents took me out of the house all the time too. If you were purposely depriving your child of exposure to toys, books, going outside etc, then yes absolutely that's abusive, but having a "beige room" is just normal...

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The studies on early childhood development (in this area) appear to be mostly concerned with how engaging sensory experience contribute to building neural connections and cognitive, language, and emotional development. Can you imagine trying to fund a study where one group of children are exposed to sensory stimulation and the other group is deprived of stimulation? That said, I believe there were some studies that followed up on children raised in orphanages in Romania around the time of the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu. People were surprised at how quiet it was and noticed that babies didn't cry because they had been conditioned that no one would respond (understaffed facilities). So, there may be more findings given the lack of stimulation and interaction.

by Fabulous-Data-4527 1 week ago

It would be an oddly bizarre and specific study to compare the impact of a brightly decored room vs. a beige room. Given the ethical issues, the best you'd ever get is likely some sort of situation like the Romanian orphanage situation to assess how "stimulation" affects early development in order to extrapolate those findings more broadly.

by Fabulous-Data-4527 1 week ago

Never argued with this :) Just that it doesn't need to extend to the home decor, which I'm almost certain that "actual science" never tested the impact of, re: child development

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

OMG! How enlightening. I went to montessori

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

that explains your love for beauty, order, and simplicity lol

by FunMind5655 1 week ago

But is it *actually* the latest science though that sad beige bedrooms are bad for kids..? Or is it the latest parent-policing trend + jealousy of people who actually have the $$ to achieve the "sad beige" look when all the toys are put away for when guests come over? I truly can't tell.

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

The way I've always understood the issue is that the parents won't let the kids have color in the room because they want to keep an aesthetic. A child room should be decorated how the child wants as long as it's reasonable. I don't understand aesthetics

by carmelamraz 1 week ago

I can afford an entire sad beige house. I'd rather spend the money having actual taste and personality.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I want color everywhere. That doesn't mean I want a crayon factory explosion. There is plenty - PLENTY - of ground between sad beige and overstimulation nightmare riot.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Lol! This is a good point!

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

i generally agree. i think a more muted nursery is fine as long as they're getting color & mental stimulation in other forms. the only problem i see is when parents start to do things like painting their toys to be beige. kids need to relax, but they also do need color & stimulants to help with their development & curiosity about the world. it's all about balance. a muted nursery is one thing, all of their stuff being lifeless and muted 24/7 is another.

by PapayaAntique7197 1 week ago

I see. Yea that makes sense, there's levels to the beige-ness I guess

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

Colours are pretty essential to a child's development, but I don't know enough to know if having a muted bedroom would be harmful, so long as their exposed to plenty of colour throughout the day and have colourful toys and books for stimulation. I think it's one of those things that if people are that worried about it, they should consult an expert on early childhood development and follow their advice.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I completely agree. I will see rooms with earth tones and green color everywhere and someone will say that it's a "sad beige room" just because it's not over saturated and has more natural color. I don't think people should limit toy colors or anything crazy like that, but having a more calm room and letting your child personalize it as they get older is a great idea.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Agreed, a room being a safe space as a blank canvas that a child can grow into and make their makes a lot of sense to me too.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My kid's room is gray because all the walls in our house are gray. We wanted her room to be calm but girly, so she has pale pink curtains, bedding, and furniture. Everything else is neutral. There's nothing wrong with color and there's nothing wrong with gray. Different strokes for different folks.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Me too!! And I don't have anything against that either, and even hope to do it with my future child I might have! Just saying that the prior combo of white walls and basically-white bed ("sad beige" if you will) didn't, you know, ruin my child brain. I mean I think I turned out with a normal brain or something as an adult now lol

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

I chose blues for my son with a nautical theme. It wasn't beige but it was still restful colors. I had moved while he was at his father's place and wanted him to come home to something very relaxing yet appealing. His first words upon seeing it was "I love it!! I wouldn't criticize anyone's decor...to them. If beige is what makes you feel best...go for it. I do agree that some very colorful nurseries can over stimulate baby.

by Ernie00 1 week ago

Heavy disagree because sad beige rooms mean the parents only care about what they want in a room, not what their kid might like in a room. It doesn't have to be all bright and colors everywhere that can cause overstimulation, but colors are still important for kids to have.

by merlintreutel 1 week ago

I'm also that adult that wants color everywhere (except my wardrobe, which is predominantly black). I can't wait to get into my own place—our current rental was completely greyed out before we moved in and it's a bummer!

by mario16 1 week ago

I'm not going to attack you, but I disagree. Everyone needs more color. 🌈

by Several-Worker2763 1 week ago

color isnt a major factor in the enjoyment of life. relative to everything else. like, you know, a secure life. with food. and solid education. and a solid home life. focus on the important bits. color should be the last thing on everyones mind.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

But unfortunately I'm not though? That's why I'm so confused why people are so angry at this. Like yes, kids need contrast and color for development. But that doesn't mean you can't have a boring room design in the background of that. For example: From this article (linked): Vision and psychology experts suggest that a beige nursery shouldn't hinder a baby's development, though it may be a bit of a bore for them. "Honestly, I would have no concerns about the beige baby trend affecting children's vision or their eyesight," said Courtney Aldrich, an instructor with the child and family development team at Michigan State University who provides programming for early learning professionals and parents. "At such a young age, they're not even able to see the decorations on the walls." ..... What's more important than exposing infants to colors at an early age is exposing them to black and white borders, contrast and movement, which a beige palette may not provide. ..... Krueger tamped down fears that beige walls and toys would stunt an infant's cognitive development, explaining that there isn't research suggesting that this alone causes developmental delays ...... "It doesn't matter what you paint their room," said Reynolds. But there are things you can do to promote healthy development regardless of the hues you choose, he added, like hanging a mobile above a child's crib. "Have it be black and white stripes. Have it be vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, circles, have it be able to move like mobiles do. That's much more stimulating than throwing some red or blue or yellow at them. Color naturally comes along," said Reynolds. And even Opinion pieces against the Sad Beige trend like this one (linked) have similar quotes from the actual experts like: Dr. Edwards also stated, "...If parents prefer a neutral palette, they can still provide the child with developmentally appropriate—and colorful —toys where the child will interact with them. Meanwhile, if the parent wants to make the rest of the nursery beige, they can do so, as long as they recognize that to their baby it will all be one big blur."

by Wymansporer 1 week ago

I could see you might think that, but I'm actually not. Kids are great.

by Wymansporer 1 week ago