No, I don’t think that is why. There have been much more depressing times in the past and those were just as colorful as any other time. I think the thing that has most influenced the color palette of millennials, or rather the lack of, is the rise of the internet and social media. People don’t want to stand out and be mocked for being different. Especially in a climate where being different can actually cost you quite a bit. I believe this is especially true of interior decorators and designers who often set the trends for people to use.

There’s also something to be said for an extreme backlash to the home makeover shows that were all the rage back in the late aughts. I think a lot of people still have trauma from the “experimental” bullshit that some of those designers did to their “clients” all in the name of chasing ratings.