Walmart Went From Blue To Light Gray To Dark Gray While Taco Bell And McDonald’s Lost Their Color, So Has The World Really Lost Its Color

Take a slow drive through town and count the colors. Chances are you will see a lot of black, white, gray and silver, and not much else. The @RhettyforHistory channel asks a simple question about it. Were we overstimulated by color, and now we need a break?

The host calls it a noticeable shift away from color in everything around us, from cars to restaurants to the kitchen counter. Whether it is a trend or something more, he says, you may not have realized how far it has gone.

Walk through his tour, and you may never look at a Walmart parking lot the same way again.

Cars Lost Their Greens, Blues And Oranges

Most cars and trucks today are black, white, gray or some shade of silver, the host says. You can still order red or green, but it is not like it used to be. In the 1970s, vehicles came from the factory in all sorts of greens, blues, reds and oranges, and old color photos from that time prove it.

Interiors have gone the same way. Most cars sold today have a black or dark gray interior, from the dash and seats to the headliner and carpet. The host says colored interiors seem to have faded beginning in the 1990s. When was the last time you saw a blue, red, green, brown or yellow interior, or a colored steering wheel?

Taco Bell Was Colorful In The 1990s, Now It Looks Like A Bank

Restaurants are his next stop. A lot of fast food chains shifted toward what he calls a depressing gray in the early 2000s. Whoever did it first was probably trying to stand out, he says, and they did, but now so many have copied it that the look has lost its spark.

Taco Bell was colorful in the 1990s and that is all gone now, he says. McDonald’s was full of color and is now mostly gray, and in a way he feels they have lost their excitement. The classic Pizza Hut look still survives at a few locations, but modern ones are plain and boring.

Sit-down restaurants have followed along. The host wonders whether it was simply a way to save money with simplicity.

Walmart Went Blue, Then Light Gray, Then Dark Gray

Retail is where he finds the best example. At one point Walmart buildings were accented with brown, then they turned colorful with mostly blues. Then came a light gray, followed by a dark gray. “Are they trying to scare people away?” he asks.

He says plenty of other stores, chain or not, have followed the same path.

Even the playground has changed. They used to be wood and metal, colorful and shiny, then plastic arrived, which was much safer and still bright. Many are now earth tones, more muted and neutral than ever.

Salons Say White Helps Them See The Color

Beauty salons and barber shops once had wood paneling, trendy colors and lots of decorations on the wall. Many modern salons choose white or a light neutral palette. If you ask anyone who works in one, the host says, they will tell you they need it that way, because it helps them see what they are doing, which matters when working with hair color.

The same goes for nail salons and makeup stores. For that one, at least, he says we have an explanation.

New Houses Are Mostly White With Black Trim

At home, the host sees the same trend. Many new houses share the same exterior colors, often white with black accents, including white brick that builders paint. Some are solid black or gray, and even some older homes are copying the style.

Indoors, he says, one color dominates the walls, and it is gray. Gray flooring is popular too, whether carpet, wood-look planks, composite or tile, and most people paint their wood trim white rather than stain it. Some real estate experts suggest it is for resale, though the host points out that resale logic would favor white and neutral colors anyway.

From Harvest Gold Chairs To Stainless Steel Kitchens

Furniture in the 1970s and 1980s was very colorful, he says. Many of us had harvest gold chairs, along with plaids and flowers. Today many couches and chairs are dark brown, dark gray or black. You can special order colored furniture, sometimes at little or no extra cost, but people are not doing it.

A 1970s kitchen had color on everything, from wallpaper and floors to counters, appliances and sinks. Now most appliances are stainless steel, though you can still find black and white. There has been a trend toward almost entirely white kitchens, and the host cracks that it must be for hair coloring.

Even The Toilet Paper Used To Match

Bathrooms had colorful counters, floors and wallpaper, with a sink, toilet, bathtub and tile all color coordinated. We even had colorful towels, soaps, rugs and toilet covers. Paper towels came in colored patterns and holiday designs, and toilet paper came in colors so it matched the rest of the bathroom.

Today you will find only white toilet paper and plain paper towels, he says.

Bringing A Little Color Back Home

The host closes with a thought worth chewing on. Even the brown and barren desert shows different greens and colorful flowers, so color is a natural part of life. It seems to him that gray is being pushed on us in so many areas, and he jokes that we are not in the navy.

If you miss the color, you can bring a bit of it back without a big remodel. A painted front door, a bright rug, a colorful throw on the couch or a few vintage pieces from a thrift store can warm up a gray room. Tell us in the comments whether you like the color options or are fine with what we have, just as the host asks his own audience.

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