After intensive research, Australian scientists believe they have found the ugliest color in the world. In fact, they are using a repulsive connotation to discourage people from smoking, and other governments may follow suit.
So what terrifying shade can be so bad that it can make people kick their dirtiest lifelong habits?
Drum roll please! It turns out that this Pantone 448C, a delightful shade of greenish brownish bile with a beautiful name Opaque Couche.
Nice, isn't it?
But we like brown as a rule (hello chocolate) and green too. So what about this particular color, what makes us do "fu"? Apparently this is how we handle it.
Thankfully (and apparently unsurprisingly) the Opaque Couche hasn't appeared in any of the homes Humphrey has seen, but that doesn't mean the interior design world is safe. There are many "ugly flowers" prize winners that can be found inside houses. In fact, they may even be in your home.
See what interior design experts call the worst colors you could have in your home, and then go out and buy some new paint, for God's sake."
Peach Fuzz
Peach was in vogue for home decor in the 1960s, but it began to fade into the background in the 1970s and never came back into fashion, probably because it's as scary as a mortal sin. Not that he evoked strong feelings or anything like that.
“Peach is just such a color that is difficult to work with. It's almost impossible to design around it,” Humphrey says. “And it's really outdated.”
In terms of color psychology, when it comes to home accessories or clothing, peach can make us feel warm and sunny (and a bit feminine), but when you put it on the walls and try to squeeze it into a color scheme, peach goes from cheerful to a mood-destroying one, according to Humphrey.
Orange Popsicle
Orange shades are not easy. In small doses, we mostly see orange as warm, a little fiery, and a little vintage. And it's not a color that people immediately hate. Orange pops up every few years for a short stay in home design, but it never lasts.
“While I love this color in general, I find it quite difficult to work with,” says Humphrey. “He's just too active. Applied to the walls, it has a "wow" effect, but not in a good way."
blazing yellow
Yellow has always been in the design of the house. He is sunny. He is bright. This is a wonderful mood generator for your home, isn't it?
Not always.
"You have to be very careful with him," says Humphrey. “While I can see that some buttery yellows are perceived as bright and cheerful, bright yellows are aggressive. They can make people feel anxious."
Even without a panic attack, a large room full of bright yellow looks overwhelming. And too much is always ugly.
Poppy Red
“Red is just also a very aggressive color,” says Humphrey. And if you see a lot of red, you probably expect to see it by looking at red. Understandably?
But some shades are not only irritating, they are also slightly nauseating. This shade of red coral combines the worst parts: a little pink, a little pure red, a little neon 80s and the combination of the two is something we want to have far, far away from our walls.
But this does not mean that all red shades are disgusting. Deep, bright red is a great color for a front door. “Who doesn't love a bright door on a beautiful house?” Humphrey asks.
Parfait Pink
Dusty pastels are popping up in designer magazines, but be careful before you cover your bedroom walls with these muted mauve hues. They top Humphrey's list of the worst house colors.
“The brightness in the paint lifts the mood in the room,” she says. And the dusty look of this shade sucks all the brightness out of the room. Also, let's be honest, it's really more of a color you'd expect to see on your grandma's hand-knitted toilet paper covers than on your living room walls.
So what should you use instead? As you can probably imagine, neutrals tend to work best on walls.
“I like something that is on the border between modern and timeless,” says Humphrey. She recommends Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter - gray with a beige combo for a timeless, classy look, because after all, any day you might be thinking "What was I thinking???".
According to scientists, all the shades listed below negatively affect both the mood of a person and his lifestyle. What is wrong with bright, saturated and such beautiful colors? Read our article.
And while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, we think many will agree with the results of a study by Australian scientists that sheds light on the ugliest colors in the world.
A little earlier, a color outsider was identified: "olive green" color, which was recognized as so ugly that they decided to use it for the design of cigarette packs. And all in order to discourage people from addiction.
I can't say that this color is ugly. I've seen pants in this shade and they look great. But when people choose a paint color, they a priori want it to bring them joyful emotions in the future. And olive green is more likely to make you feel oppressed and lifeless. A true mood killer. Heather HumphreyFounding Partner of design firm Alder and Tweed
And of course, olive green isn't the only color that gets "ugly" by taking up too much space in your home. So, what colors should be avoided in home interior design?
Dark peach color
Incredibly popular in the 60s of the 20th century, today this color can age the interior of your home in no time. As for the psychology of color, Humphrey says that in small quantities (for example, in home accessories), dark peach is only welcome. But when it comes to large spaces decorated with this shade, it becomes overwhelming and depressing for the mood of the owner.
Orange color
Humphrey believes that the color orange causes a “wow!” effect, but not in a positive way. The color is too overwhelming for the walls of the house, besides, orange stimulates the appetite. Long live the constant rumbling in the stomach!
Dazzling yellow color
Buttery yellow is an invigorating and joyful color, but it is too bright... This “happy color” turns into a real aggressor and makes people feel anxious and restless. When used in large quantities, it becomes so intrusive that it turns into just a disgusting color.
orange red color
Bright colors usually act as "provocateurs" of human emotions, you hardly want to create such a tense atmosphere in your home. And Humphrey notes that the orange-red hue is a combination of two bright colors that are best to stay away from when designing.
Scientists have conducted research to find out how the color is the most unpleasant for the human eye. In the future, they want to use it to combat the addiction to smoking cigarettes.
According to the site, the ugliest color in the world is called Pantone 448 C. It looks like a tar brown color that looks quite gloomy and repulsive. According to scientists, this shade is immediately associated in people with dirt and death, and causes disgust, nausea and vomiting. The search for this color took three months of research and detailed tests on human subjects.
As it turned out, this shade was chosen for a reason. It is intended to be used as an anti-smoking, and to force manufacturers to completely paint all cigarette packs in this color. According to experts, such measures should significantly reduce the desire of people to buy and smoke cigarettes in such packages.
According to the site, GfK was responsible for research into the ugliest color, and the commission came straight from the Australian government. Currently, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Russia have also joined the anti-tobacco initiative. Soon all tobacco products in these countries will be sold in Pantone 448 C only packs with additional health warnings.
Colors can evoke many associations, but apparently only one particular hue can "minimize attractiveness" and "maximize perceived harm." That's right - researchers have identified the world's ugliest color, and it's affectionately described as "dirty," "tarry," and even "deadly," just to name a few associations.
Pantone 448 C, also called "couch opaque", might get a bad rap, but this sewage shade actually has an important mission. From across the rainbow, the experts chose a green-brown hue to discourage smoking. And one look at this pattern will convince you of its ability to destroy habits. It's not for the faint of heart, but here it is:
Disgusting, right? Back in 2012, the Australian government hired research agency GfK to spearhead new packaging design for all tobacco products. But instead of the usual goal of a marketing firm, they should have achieved the opposite. Each box had to look as unattractive as possible.
It took three months, seven studies, and more than 1,000 regular smokers, but researchers finally identified the most offensive print color along with new graphic health warnings. Also on the run? Light green, white, beige, dark gray and mustard. The dark brown came in the next second, but its rich (and chocolatey!) hues seemed too appetizing - like the "cool" associations of a medium olive.
After finding a clear winner (or loser, in this case), the government first announced the shade as "olive green". But after an urgent letter from the Australian Olive Association, they changed the nickname "gray brown" - no hard feelings, olives?
Thanks to Australia's and GfK's flashy breakthrough, other governments are also adopting this shade. Ireland, the UK, and France have recently passed their own "plain packaging" laws, with mockups in exactly the same hue. Perhaps an opaque lodge could get a better reputation for all the lives it could save.
[h/t Metro UK