Overview of Are we in a "color recession"?
This NPR It’s Been a Minute episode explores the idea that modern life has become increasingly desaturated: homes, cars, appliances, and even public spaces often lean gray, beige, white, or black. Host Brittany Luse speaks with Amog Dimry of The Atlantic and writer Katie Kelleher about why color has “leached out” of so much of the built environment, how class and risk aversion shape our choices, and where bold color still thrives today.
What the “color recession” means
Amog Dimry coined the phrase “color recession” to describe the broad shift away from saturated color in everyday objects and spaces.
Where it shows up
- Cars are now more often black, white, gray, or silver.
- Homes and rentals often use neutral palettes, especially in flips and landlord-painted units.
- Large appliances and furniture are less likely to come in vivid colors.
- Public-facing design often defaults to “safe” neutrals.
Why it stands out
The conversation contrasts today’s muted world with earlier decades, especially the mid-20th century, when cars, interiors, and consumer goods were much more colorful.
Why color disappeared
The guests identify several overlapping causes:
1. Risk aversion
People don’t want to make a costly aesthetic choice that could hurt resale value or offend a future buyer. A bright wall, car, or appliance can feel like a mistake if you may need to sell or move soon.
2. Economic instability and ownership changes
As more people rent, subscribe, or live with less ownership over their belongings, they have fewer chances to express taste through permanent color choices.
3. Cultural shift toward “neutral” sophistication
The rise of quiet luxury and minimalist aesthetics has made neutral tones feel more “classy” or “refined,” even when that idea is mostly a social convention.
4. Lack of color guidance
In the past, there was more public advice on how to use color well. Today, people may avoid bold color because they don’t trust their own judgment or fear social criticism.
Color, class, and identity
A major theme of the episode is that color is never just visual — it signals class, taste, and belonging.
Color as a class marker
- Historically, rare pigments like Tyrian purple were reserved for elites because they were hard to produce.
- In the present, the meaning has flipped: using less color can signal wealth, restraint, or “good taste.”
- High-end paint brands like Farrow & Ball sell not just color, but a curated story of heritage and luxury.
Context changes everything
The same bright orange might read as tacky in plastic, but elegant in silk or leather. Color is shaped by:
- material
- setting
- furniture
- architecture
- social framing
Race, culture, and politics
The episode also connects color to broader cultural and political meanings.
Cultural aesthetics
Luse notes that many Latinx and other non-WASP households often embrace brighter, more varied color palettes, suggesting that preferences for neutrals are culturally specific rather than universal.
Political symbolism
- Neutral aesthetics can carry political meanings.
- The discussion of white marble statues points out that “classical whiteness” is historically misleading — ancient statues were originally painted in bright colors.
- Even “neutral” white can be charged, especially amid modern white supremacist symbolism and anti-DEI backlash.
Where color still thrives
The guests note that color hasn’t disappeared — it has migrated.
Color online
- Social media rewards vivid, saturated visuals.
- Foods like gochujang pasta or bright egg yolks perform well because they pop on screen.
Color in temporary/self-expressive forms
- Hair dye
- Nail polish
- Makeup These allow people to experiment without long-term commitment.
Color in fast fashion and disposable goods
Fast fashion still uses plenty of bold color, but often in lower-commitment or lower-cost contexts.
San Francisco as a counterexample
Dimry highlights San Francisco as one of the few American cities that still feels highly colorful.
The “colorist” movement
A painter nicknamed Dr. Color helped repaint thousands of San Francisco homes in coordinated, vivid palettes in the 1970s, teaching color theory and pushing back against ugly or chaotic combinations.
Takeaway
Color can feel liberating when there’s both:
- permission to experiment
- some guidance on how to make it work
Main takeaways
- The move toward gray, beige, and white is not just taste — it reflects economics, ownership, risk, and class signaling.
- Color has historically been tied to power, status, and exclusion.
- “Neutral” is not truly neutral; it can carry cultural and political meaning.
- Color remains very alive online, in fashion, and in temporary forms of self-expression.
- A renewed culture of color advice and experimentation could help people feel freer to use bold color again.
Memorable idea from the episode
Color is often treated as a flourish, but for many people it is still a way of expressing identity, joy, and freedom.
The episode ends on a hopeful note: children instinctively love bright colors, and adults can reconnect with that feeling if they give themselves permission to do so.