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Comment by msoad | Hacker News Reader

There is a trend towards less colors overall. Something is changing

https://lab.sciencemuseum.org.uk/colour-shape-using-computer...

Maybe we are overstimulated by visual content and attracted to otherwise less visually striking objects, either to find some peace or to not be distracted from that content?

At least for me, visually minimalist objects and environments are appealing because I generally feel overstimulated in modern society and by modern technology. I might feel different if I were to spend my days on the field doing slow, repetitive hard work.

I don't really buy this line of reasoning. Nature can be immensely colorful yet soothing to all the senses. You don't need to stuff your house with psychedelic rugs, tapestries and color-changing LEDs for it to have color. Including color does not mean that your space is cluttered or maximalist in style.

We got a designer for a flat that was being renovated, and I realized that I needed to seriously involve myself in the project if the result was not going to turn out a lifeless, gray-white-beige soup.

Now the flat is full of green, (warm) wooden, peach and red elements, giving it a cozy autumn-y vibe. And I don't need to stuff it with props that "pop" to add personality - it has one of its own.

The prevailing wisdom seems to be "Make it all greige, and introduce life with (often pointless) colorful props". I feel this is more offending to the senses than having a tastefully colored environment where you don't need to "add" anything.

In some markets at least, like cars, this blandness is a sales optimization. Strong distinct colors are more likely to block a sale than bland generic ones.

It may not be exactly the same in other markets, but there's still a cost to offering additional color variants. It's a cost optimization to offer the fewest colors that are appealing, or at least aren't objectionable, to the widest range of potential buyers.

I suspect that's the demographic shift towards older average population.

I've only got anecdotal examples of old people preferring blander colours, hence "suspect" rather than "think".

When my dad died, my mum replaced all the furniture and carpets with blander versions of the same — in particular replacing the bold orange living room carpet and dark green patterned hall, stairs, and landing carpets with mild off-white.

> I suspect that's the demographic shift towards older average population.

I agree. The downside is that this is a sort of permanent\long-term shift since the world is generally getting older and we are reproducing at below-replacement.

Millenial Gray

1. It's cheaper.

2. Design values and aesthetics are ossifying around certain "hard" rules.

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