This TikTok Color Trend Has the Design World Divided

What Is Beige Aesthetic?

‘That Girl,’ ‘Vanilla Girl,’ 'Beige Aesthetic,' whatever term you like for the minimalist, muted, neutrally colored lifestyle that has come to define a kind of soothing California design aesthetic, the trend has taken over TikTok. The #VanillaGirl hashtag alone has over 381 million views on the social platform. Each hashtag represents a slightly different take on the lifestyle while touting the cohesive thread of a perfectly curated, monochromatic beige lifestyle. From clothing to interiors and home office accessories to even coffee, the color scheme for this latest TikTok design trend extends to nearly every aspect of life. Those who love the trend appreciate its serenity, its orderliness, its luxury and its simplicity—and that when applied to interiors, it’s so easy to mix, match and layer.

What Does Beige Aesthetic Look Like?

The trend may owe some thanks to Kim Kardashian and the excitement behind her perfectly monochromatic, nothing-but-neutrals home, but between the embrace of the simplistic California desert lifestyle, Japandi style, and the love affair with the light and white interiors of Nancy Meyers’ movies and her Coastal Grandma Chic aesthetic, the explosion of this serenely simple beige aesthetic design trend was just a matter of time. So what exactly does the beige aesthetic look like and how do you get it?

Beige aesthetic home decoration and accents can include:

• Beige nature-inspired murals or painted accents, like those at Posada by artist Linda Pappa
• Jute rugs
• Cane or rattan lamp shades and furniture
• Oversized, over-stuffed ivory-colored sofa
• Natural-toned wood accents
• Light-toned earthenware or terra cotta vases and other accents
• Neutral-colored brutalist coffee table
• Taupe- or camel-colored throws
• Billowy linen window treatments
• Leather accents in cognac tones
• Bouclé side chair or ottoman
• Hanging canvas wall tapestry
• Large bunch of pampas grass

Photo Credit: Bethany Nauert

Photo courtesy of Kinlake and Linda Pappa

What Is the Backlash Over Beige?

While many adore the beige aesthetic (just look at the billions of hashtag video views and the millions of followers for influential beige TikTok accounts), others can’t seem to stand the trend. For every action there is, of course, an equal and opposite reaction. Enter the term ‘Sad Beige,’ a social media movement and TikTok hashtag with over 97 million views that pokes fun at what some perceive to be the woefully drab and lackluster beige design trend. Those in the ‘Sad Beige’ camp view a world without color to be one without joy. What side of the beige design trend debate do you land on?

For a look at beiges, tans, taupes and other neutrals that are components of this versatile aesthetic, check out Dunn-Edwards' neutral collection of paint colors here.