In the search for our home, we visited many, many houses.  Different styles, different floor plans. Yet one thing made them common: greige, that color palette that is part grey and part beige. (I question using the word color or palette here, as it is neither.)

It was EVERYWHERE. The walls, the counters, the backsplashes and the furniture. I even had on realtor say how on trend the house was all due to the paint.  When I gave him the skeptical eye and crinkled my nose a bit, he pivoted to talking about the next trend will be greigreen (greige with a hint of green).  Ugh.

Greige (and any thing with such a tone) sucks, literally. It’s drabness sucks the light from a room. It makes humans look less alive.

It reminds me of hospitals.  Old, worn, and sterile.  But even that’s changing. Many newer hospitals, however, have realized color helps keep people cheerful, helps them feel confident and allows people to relax.

Yes, greige was fresh and new when it hit homes in 2006. (That’s when my kids were born!) But today, it looks washout in most houses, and I believe it has overstayed its welcome.

Now I know some will say I am completely off base; greige can be warm, they will claim.  Maybe.  But it takes a lot of effort to get it right: to add warmth to your home. (After all, isn’t that the point?)  How to add that warmth?  Add your favorite color.  I promise you it will make you a lot happier. (Has anyone ever said greige is their favorite color?)

That’s not to say greige should be abandoned completely.  As an accent color it can really be great! (I’m currently on the lookout for a couch in a particular tone that will go with coral and navy.)  But after seeing way too many greige interiors on our quest for our home, it’s a trend too common to continue.