A Beige New World

Librarian, poet, and TikTok creator Haley DeRoche noticed beige creeping into children's products—stacking cups in shades like fawn and chestnut, marketed with serene baby models—and started her @sadbeige account to satirize it. What began as a joke about "sad beige" kids' clothes expanded into observations of neutrals dominating homes, coffee shops, fast food redesigns, and even Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, described as a "lofty white" for quiet reflection. Hosts Amory Siverson and Ben Brock Johnson explore with DeRoche why beige is everywhere and what it reveals.

Sad Beige's Origins

DeRoche traces her fascination to online shopping for a baby shower gift: rainbow stacking cups had morphed into all-beige versions, paired with imagery of "wise beyond their years" children. Sad beige evokes a monochrome world of oatmeal, khaki, camel—clean, sparse, cerebral, but joyless and uniform. She contrasts this with her 1980s-90s childhood of bright neons, like Pizza Hut's Back to the Future sunglasses. Now, minimalist coffee shops, all-white kitchens, and corporate-looking fast food chains signal the shift. Her book, Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: A Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent, satirizes it with Werner Herzog impressions, like promoting "the Velvet Flair of Despair" clothing.