Though fully aware of the fact that world peace will not be created by this review, I find an immense need to weigh in on the "BEIGE vs TAUPE" conversation as I recently faced the conundrum head on. What began as a "quick run into Amazon" to pick up a settee cushion that would easily make friends with the other on the lanai, ended in a most intriguing manner. Initial attempts to obtain a genuine sense of the cushion color were of the more "acceptable" persuasion, such as obsessively clicking back and forth between images of both the beige and taupe cushions, opening a second screen in a new widow so I could execute a respectable "side by side" vertical analysis, and reading each of the hundreds of reviews posted by individuals who had suffered a remarkably similar and equally perilous struggle which had caught me off guard – giving special attention to those with pictorial display that may serve to support their findings. There were still questions... what type of camera lens was the reviewing photographer using, was there any potential that a flash was used, and most importantly – was I being purposely misled? How was I to accurately access the color when there wasn't a comparable piece of fabric in the image. All of those, "what does a pear taste like to you?" questions rushed through my mind. I knew things had gone way too far when I realized that I had spent the better part of 30 minutes staring at the screen of my laptop, now fully pivoted and in the apex position, enabling me to place the screen as close as was humanly possible to my existing, and otherwise unrelated cushion – (which had now begun to question its very own existence... "Well, what does that mean for me? Did I spend my time on earth thus far thinking I was beige when I was really taupe? It couldn't possibly be true! I always knew that I had a hint of yellow but I was told not to worry about that – I was simply a little more tan than the others... but now I might be beige?") After calming my cushion in a most sensitive manner, I quickly turned my attention back to my now nearly scientific comparison process, affording careful consideration as I factored various elements of light; diving deep into the color wheel, to the place most hues don't normally venture; calculating varying degrees of glare, percentages of opacity, and politics with a most sincere certainty that I would get to the bottom of the mystery. That my friends, is when it dawned on me... not only was the methodology itself flawed as I wasn't on any of the design computers and therefore didn't have a true representation of color on the screen. Further, a bizarre sense washed over me, one that indicated the situation had reached a most divisive tipping point. It occurred to me that all the pedantic minutia surrounded $40 - $50 cushions (an entirely separate dilemma that I can't bear to discuss; one cushion was $10 more than the other? How could that be, and did it matter since I couldn't ascertain which cushion was of any particular preference). I took a deep breath and came to the conclusion that my steps had to be calculated and deliberate, as they would determine how the situation was going to end. Once my neurons returned to firing in a proper fashion, I thought to myself, "you can take this on, you have it in you; you entertain pitches by columnists and freelance writers who approach you with these exact questions... 'what is the true meaning of beige', they ask". You have hundreds of products sent to your office with the hopes that someone might write 40 words and dedicate 1/16th of a pages worth of attention to the next "biggest thing". Fueled by my sheer disbelief that no photo's existed which compared the two cushions side by side, I finally did it; I ever so recklessly paid the $95 dollars and bought both cushions. After the daily arrival of both UPS and FedEx (each brining a cushion to my door – which honestly evoked a level of intrigue that was worth the $95 even if the boxes were empty). I must say, that I could easily pontificate, entertaining innumerable reasons why NEITHER of these CUSHION'S COLORS ARE PROPERLY CONVEYED from the most technical of standpoints; with consideration granted to respective predominant undertones, and what all this may mean to the world at large. If you've read this far though, I can only imagine your hoping for a straight answer... so here it is: The photo below is labeled based on each products description. Beige is sold as beige, the labels do not take into account my personal opinion nor has the photo been altered. Here's what you need to know the "beige" is decidedly tan (deeper and warmer than true beige). The "taupe" is undeniably olive and its texturized fabric does bring other hues through the fabric. However, there is not a singe "taupe" thing about the "taupe" cushion. It wouldn't be taupe if shed it skin. If you aren't looking for OLIVE, keep yourself safe; stay away from the taupe. Not even a bad color, I happen to like it quite rightly. Not a chance anyone could mistake the cushion for taupe. Not happening. My concern for you, now that the mystery has been solved would be that someone corrects the description or that the image links are re-coded. Perhaps something far more sinister could occur, the factory itself could begin a new run of fabric with has nothing to do with either of the cushions I purchased this week. Consider for a moment the sheer waste of time for both of us... and I don't know about you, but happen to be on drop-dead deadline no less. Oh, by the way, the cushions are well worth the money. Nothing remarkably special, certainly not a thing wrong with them – other than the fact that they happen to be a significant variance from the color that they claim themselves to be, no bad blood though. In fact, next time I might get three... live a little you know. Go crazy, maybe something in the grey category (with just enough blue to make me question myself). I hope I helped someone rest a little more easily tonight; whether your pillow is beige, tan, taupe, olive, or magenta~
