When I grew up, our house was anything but colorful. Everything that could be painted was painted beige. Furniture was either beige or white, and accessories such as lamps and tables were either beige or wood. We didn’t have colors such as “eggshell” and “dusty winter,” we had beige. In fact, if I were to choose a title for my autobiography, it would probably be Growing Up Beige.
Choosing beige was not some sort of interior design statement by my parents; it was, quite simply, the safest possible choice. Beige is neutral and they didn’t have to worry about it looking good or bad — it didn’t look like anything. Sort of like my mother’s cooking.
So today I thought I’d look at some colorful rooms from 1967 through 1969 culled from the pages of a stack of Better Homes and Gardens magazines I recently found at a garage sale. Click on any image for a larger view.
The other good thing about beige is that it doesn’t look that bad when covered in a thick film of nicotine. Smoking and cottage-cheese ceilings were just a routine part of life in those days.
Growing up beige didn’t stop at the color of the walls or the quality of the food. It extended into fashion, art, and music, all of which took on muted tones. My dad surely had an artistic flair, but when it came to interior design he was beige all over.
I can’t really blame my parents for being bland, but they were. Not what you’d call risk-takers. However, looking at these images makes me wonder if beige was so bad after all.
There’s something about the late ’60s that defies logic, since it’s impossible to imagine anyone ever thought these rooms looked good, regardless of whatever drugs were popular at the time.
Remember, this is the period of Harvest Gold and Avocado appliances. I guess anything that seemed bold and different was considered fair game. The magazine even uses language like “subtle shades of purple” and “calming green” to describe these rooms.
I guess the late 1960s were like that — you were either psychedelic and colorful, or bland and beige. Both extremes seem rather silly in today’s world of designer paint hues and the Home and Garden channel.
The thing about growing up beige is that, as with all dysfunctions, at the time you have no clue that the rest of the world isn’t beige, too. I honestly can’t imagine growing up in any of the rooms pictured here, and wonder if, in some parallel universe somewhere, some guy is writing a blog called Growing Up Purple.
This article was last modified on May 17, 2023
This article was first published on May 14, 2010
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
