Unpacking the Beige Kids Decor Controversy Rocking the Internet

Last year, Kimberly Roman, a content creator and mom, posted a 15-second video of her six-month-old daughter’s toys on TikTok. To her surprise, the video went viral, and with the widespread viewership came a flood of comments. There were watchers that commented that the toys would make her daughter suffer or that the objects weren’t appropriate for children. “It was really dramatic stuff,” Roman remembers. The intense public reaction might lead people to believe that Roman had filmed a collection of razor blades or rattles filled with rat poisoning. But no, the mother had only shared videos of her daughter’s neutral-colored baby toys.

Children’s products that lack the vibrancy of a Fisher Price or Lego piece have become increasingly popular in recent years as more parents desire products that match the aesthetics of the rest of their homes. “Through customer insights and market studies, we learned that parents are looking for quality and sustainable toys that they wouldn’t have to hide away and could integrate more into their living spaces,” Sebastian Brauer, senior vice president of product design for Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids, tells AD. Crate & Kids now offers a number of muted, neutral children’s items after introducing wood toys in 2018. Since, the company has received positive responses from customers. “We’ve seen searches are up 49% year over year when it comes to natural wood finishes in toys and accessories,” he adds.

But opting for beige kids decor or designing a neutral nursery can provoke fiery reactions online, with a number of critics referring to those who choose neutral palettes as “sad beige moms.” Those against the design trend argue that these parents are favoring their own aesthetic ideals over the well-being of their children, insisting that a lack of color will stifle a child’s development. But it’s a perspective that pediatricians and child development experts don’t necessarily share.

“It’s not a black-and-white—or beige, in this case—issue,” says Jamie Anderson, a licensed professional clinical counselor supervisor and clinical program director at Pediatric Partners in Fargo, North Dakota. As she explains, color does play a prominent role in teaching children about the world around them and can impact learning development when it comes to memory and recognition. However, Anderson explains that “just because the home environment might be more neutral doesn’t mean kids won’t have an opportunity to experience color in their world.” Children learn colors through books, daycare, or by simply going outside. “Those who grow up in economically diverse areas without access to lots of colorful toys, or with visual impairments and an inability to see some or all colors, are certainly able to develop into well-adjusted individuals,” she adds.

Maya McNeal, a self described “beige mom,” admits that her beige nursery mirrors her personal preferences, but abhors the idea that it is at the detriment of her son. “I wanted the nursery to feel like the rest of the home,” she says. “If my husband and I are spending a lot of time in the nursery, it should feel comfortable for us as well.” There are a number of whimsical, child-friendly motifs, but it retains an overall simple style that appears in the entirety of McNeal’s house.

For her, it wasn’t just a stylistic preference, but rather a choice that was helpful when transitioning into motherhood. “Going from [having] no kids to suddenly having this other person, it’s easy to lose yourself,” she explains. “Seeing your own taste and design in a room is a nice way to not have a massive culture shock. I’m a parent, but I’m still me.” Once her son is old enough to communicate his decor preferences, she says she’ll be happy to oblige them.

Anderson, the pediatric counselor, believes that honoring a parent’s design preferences can also be beneficial to the child. “Having a preferred design aesthetic is one way parents might maintain some control over their home before children start to express more independence,” she says. If a neutral home keeps a parent calm and happy, this can positively impact how they raise and interact with their child. “What mental health practitioners and child development experts find makes the most positive impact on a child’s early development is parental or caregiver engagement and interaction,” she adds. “The supportive and social-emotional factors definitely play a larger role.”

Maryam Shaffee Mirza, another mom on TikTok who is known for her neutral aesthetic, argues that there is often more intention behind beige kids decor than online critics realize. “I didn’t do this just to project my own preferences,” she says. A Montessori teacher by trade, she planned her nursery following the education system’s principles in which most classrooms feature natural colors, minimal ornamentation, and a structured organization system. “It’s done with the idea that it keeps children from being overstimulated,” she says.

When Shaffee Mirza was a teacher, she found that a neutral room helped her students stay calm and focused. It was an occurrence that her students’ parents noticed too. In fact, many of them told her that they mirrored the classroom in their children’s room’s at home. While she is currently designing a playroom for her son with more color, she wanted his bedroom to be neutral. “I followed similar design elements in my son’s nursery [as my classroom], so when he goes to his place of sleep, he can relax and is not distracted or overwhelmed,” she says.

For her, a neutral environment also represents a blank canvas that can evolve as her son grows. “If he says he wants red in his room once he’s older, that’s no problem,” she says. “It’ll be very easy to add.”

Of course, beige kids decor might not work for everyone. As Anderson explains, some children may benefit from a more colorful space. “Every child is so unique and their development is impacted by so many things along the journey,” she says. “Some kids will thrive being exposed to a lot of colorful items, and it may spark their own creativity as they grow. Other children may find too many bright colors overstimulating and distracting.”

Though the mothers interviewed for this story accept the “beige mom” moniker, they insist this doesn’t make them unhappy. “I’m a beige mom, but I’m not sad about it,” Shaffee Mirza says. Their kids, they add, aren’t sad either. “He’s a happy kid; he’s a normal guy,” McNeal says about her son. “And he has fun with his beige toys.”