Sad beige is no good!
I know interior design is based on taste, but I have to complain about this (that's why I'm writing in the opinion section). I can't stand the beige minimalist aesthetic that has taken over Instagram and TikTok for years. It makes the space look soulless, uninhabited, clinical, and I can't bear to enter a room that reminds me of a doctor's office.
If you know me personally or have been in my living space, you know that I'm a bit of a maximalist. When you get a new blank surface, it will have a sticker on it. Laptops, water bottles, coffee tumblers, even record players can't escape the need to look at a flat surface.
This habit probably stems from the fact that the house I grew up in had very minimal decoration. There were paintings and decorations here and there, but for the most part they were sparse. However, my room was an outlier. I used to draw pictures, put up Polaroids, and once I wanted some decoration so I flattened candy wrappers and made a collage and put it on the wall, much to my mother's dismay. I did this because I really couldn't bear to look at bare walls. You want to decorate your space in a cozy way, even if it looks a little chaotic.
I understand that not everyone needs constant visual stimulation like I do, and that's okay (note that I'm diagnosed with ADHD). But I'm writing this article because I'm tired of the implication that if your space isn't beige and minimalist, you're somehow not mature or functioning as an adult. I like to put up posters, put photos and polaroids all over the place, and decorate the walls with glow-in-the-dark stars. I enjoy a more “childish” look. What's wrong with that?
Why is having the most bland, bland living space the world has ever seen the ultimate mark of maturity and sophistication? We can't say for sure, but sociology As a major, my mind immediately goes to class. If a lower class person didn't decorate their house, didn't give their children toys, and spent money on basically non-functional home decorations, they would be ridiculed. Why is there no home decor, the ultimate indicator of wealth and class? It's like you moved to IKEA instead of a house.
Image via Pexels.com.
Another reason I hate minimalism is that it destroys beautiful historic homes. If I see another millennial or sad beige mom ruining the uniqueness and character of a Victorian or Edwardian house, I'm going to rip all my hair out. “But this is their home. They can paint all the walls gentrification gray if they want!” If you don't like the look of a historic home, buy a historic home please do not. Leave it to someone who can do it!
This has always baffled me. If you want a gray and beige minimalist house, buy it! Stop “flipping” a home with amazing history, beauty, uniqueness, and character. While updating older homes is clearly necessary, tearing down a unique home and making it look like any other drab, clinical Instagram home is just an insult. I hope the ghost of the carpenter who went through the trouble of carving the stair railings and pillars for your staircase will haunt you for the rest of your life and knock your target mod-style vase off the table because you were told it “doesn't fit your aesthetic.” Masu.
Will I ever be able to afford a house? Probably not. Would you like to? Yes, I want a house! What I'm trying to say is that if you're buying a house with adult money, you're not painting the house beige just to make it look more “mature” and “adult”. My house will be painted phthalo green, there will be stars painted on the ceiling, and the kitchen will have colorful glassware and stained glass windows. My home will be my home, not my doctor's waiting room.