Brown Aesthetic

Although sometimes called a composite color, brown is technically just a dark shade of orange or desaturated red, and can also be made by combining red and green. A brown aesthetic can run a huge range from vintage and antique looks to more modern cosy, autumnal or coffee shop type vibes, and is also widely found throughout nature as the natural color of rich soil or dark wood.

“God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.”

Anne Sexton

Brown aesthetic themes and meanings

• nature
• dirt, earth and soil
• the plain or rustic
• poverty (or simple living)
• nuturing
• stability and reliability
• security and safety
• warmth and comfort or “cosiness”
• honesty and sincerity
• sensibility and practicality, a “no frills” sort of vibe
• antique or vintage chic, because of the colors of burned/aged papers and many older artefacts
• coffee shop chic and associated moods – hot chocolate, warm tea, simple cakes or pastries

Brown aesthetic things in nature

More brown aesthetic things

Example shades of brown

Example accent colors for a brown aesthetic

Do you have a brown aesthetic?

Liking to have shades or close variations of brown around you, from fashion and decor to accessories, stationery and even gadgets or toys, is generally a good starter sign that you have a brown aesthetic. Some people find brown to be grounding, soothing, and cozy to have in their environment, which is another common sign.

Brown is most commonly associated with nature, earth, and warmth. Vintage and rustic aesthetics pair well with it, as do other popular styles like cottagecore, grunge, and light or dark academia. Autumnal moods often evoke brown very strongly. Pay attention to whether you are naturally drawn to images, videos, or themes that feature a brown color palette or evoke a warm, vintage, or rustic feel; it could be photographs of cosy blankets and hot chocolates or aged antique photographs and furniture. Whether it inspires or comforts you, that’s a good sign you have a brown aesthetic.

A short history of brown

A very old color, the name comes from the Old English term brún, meaning any dusky or dark shade of color, and refined into the meaning we know now around the 14th century in Middle English. Words around the world for brown often come from food and drinks; coffee in the eastern Mediterranean, chestnut in the west, chocolate in southeast Asia, and tea in Japan! Brown is often quoted as people’s least favourite color because it gets associated with the plain, poor, and – amazingly – literal faeces (the old Roman word for the urban poor, plebians, was pullati, literally meaning “those dressed in brown!) but some of its more positive associations are the season of autumn, baking, homely atmospheres, wildlife, and homely or cosy vibes. It pairs well with pretty much everything depending on the desired mood, is excellent as a background, and works great with bolder colors that can pop against it.