Color Commentary: The “Greta Got Robbed” Sweet Piedmont Signature Color Palette

The name "Greta Got Robbed" for this floral color scheme is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2023 “Barbie” movie, directed by Greta Gerwig. It captures the bold, unapologetic spirit of Barbie’s world while also making a statement about recognition and creativity.

I went to see the Barbie movie with little knowledge of the storyline. I just figured that it would have a lot of pink—my favorite color, and therefore a good thing. I was also intrigued by the movie's blockbuster status, thanks to many young women heading to the theater—often in groups and usually wearing pink – to see it. It was like the color I sometimes felt I needed to defend was being transformed into a uniform. A statement, even.

I walked out of the theater feeling a powerful mix of emotions. Actress America Ferrera’s monologue shook me, with several lines hitting a nerve I didn’t even know was raw, so accustomed I had become to powering through the impossible contradictions of womanhood. At first, I thought I was the only one having such an emotional reaction to her words, but I quickly realized that most of those around me were choking back sobs too. And the montage at the end of the film—set off by Billie Eilish’s haunting song “What Was I Made For?”—triggered more tears. Interspersed with those powerful scenes were moments of absolute hilarity, with perfectly executed comedic performances and a storyline that mixed satire and camp effortlessly. And the visuals, of course, were pure eye candy. In short, the movie was like nothing I’d ever seen.

Given that the movie’s conception, script, and direction all came from Greta Gerwig, the fact that she wasn’t even nominated for Best Director (especially when the movie itself was nominated for Best Picture) was the ultimate irony, given the film’s storyline. Greta, in my opinion, definitely got robbed.

Now, about the color palette itself. The "Greta Got Robbed" floral color palette is a vibrant, playful mix of pink hues that capture the essence of fun and femininity but with a boldness that befits a trailblazer. The palette features a range of pinks, from bright coral to bold fuchsia, interspersed with warm pink and peach tones.

Chromatic Coordinates: Mapping the Palette to the Color Wheel

The colors in the "Greta Got Robbed" flower color combinations are all from the same area on the color wheel and are made up of both cool and warm hues of pink. See the color wheel on the left below, and notice how the pinks that make up the color palette range from warm salmon and coral tones (pink mixed with a touch of orange) to cooler fuchsia hues (pink mixed with a dash of purple). This reflects the exact hues within the “Greta Got Robbed” color palette and is considered “analogous”. However, if you compare that with the color wheel on the right, you’ll notice it shows a “monochromatic” line of a single hue, reflecting different shades of the same pink color.  There’s nothing wrong with a truly monochromatic design, but with “Greta Got Robbed”, a wider spread brings more visual interest.

These two photos help illustrate the subtle differences between an analogous range of pinks and a monochromatic range. The single ranunculus flower on the left shows a range of pink hues on its petals, from the cool pink edges of the lower petals, to the salmon colored petals at the center of the flower. It’s like a Greta Got Robbed color palette embodied in a single bloom! The photo on the right shows several varieties of pink ranunculus, but all of them (with the exception of one bloom towards the lower left) are all a similar hue of pink.

Palette Perfection: What Makes it Work – and What Wrecks It

The range of pinks in the “Greta Got Robbed” floral color palette keeps the pink-on-pink-on-pink from being boring—creating a color scheme that is both lively and cohesive. While this same combination of warm-neutral-cool would certainly work for softer shades of pink, this palette is anything but shy and unassuming. Instead, it’s unapologetically vibrant and bold. The palette's strong visual impact makes it perfect for creating standout bouquets that draw attention.

On the one hand, keeping this floral color palette effective is pretty simple: don’t add anything that’s not pink! The success of this palette comes from the nuances of the different hues of pink. Adding another color—even an adjacent color, such as orange or purple—can disrupt the harmony, risking a bouquet that appears garish rather than elegant. Interestingly, though, if the flowers used are too monochromatic—for example, all warm shades of pink, or all cool ones—the bouquet loses the complexity that makes it visually interesting, and the palette appears “flat.” It’s better to make either the warm or the cool pink hues dominant and use the other hue as an accent, though, because equal amounts of warm and cool pink hues can create a visual competition that is less pleasing.

In both of these photos, the warm pinks dominate. In the photo on the left, the two pink peonies in the upper left corner bring the coolest hue of pink (note how much more “cool” they look than the Coral Charm peony they are positioned next to). The hydrangea (towards the center) and the sweet peas (mid-right) are also less warm than the other flowers in this flatlay. In the photo on the right, the purplish-pink dahlia in the lower left, brings into focus a strong “pop” of cool pink in a sea of otherwise warm pink hues.

Mood in Bloom: The Psychology Behind the Color Palette

Have you heard of the term “Drunk Tank Pink”? Researchers studying the effects of color on emotion discovered that sitting in a room with pink walls imparts a calming influence. This influence is strong enough that people’s physical strength (measured by the weight they could lift) decreased after sitting in different colored rooms, with pink causing the most significant decrease.

Given this effect, researchers started painting the walls in places where fights tend to break out—such as the jail cell known as the “drunk tank,” where overnight prisoners are held together. The result? Fewer fights. Learning about this phenomenon just reinforced what I’ve always thought:  the world would be a better place with a little more pink in it.

Pinks have long been associated with love, compassion, and playfulness. The saturated, bright pinks in the “Greta Got Robbed” floral color palette definitely pick up on that last adjective. Bouquets in this color palette almost vibrate with positivity and cheerfulness, and also have a “look at me” vibe, making them perfect for occasions that call for joy and exuberance—and for standing out at the farmers market. Bouquets in this color palette always sell quickly. Clearly, I’m not the only one who “thinks pink.”

The Greta Got Robbed color palette is far more versatile than you might think, given that it’s created from a single color on the color wheel. The variation shown just in these three photos demonstrates how many dimensions exist — even within a single color — in nature.

Camera-Ready Colors: Floral Photography Tips for the “Greta Got Robbed” Color Palette

Photographing the “Greta Got Robbed” palette is relativey straightforward, but good technique is as important as ever, because the similarity of flower colors means that you’ll want high-quality images that prevent the blooms from blurring together into a bubble-gum wad of pink.

Same with lighting. Basic rules apply – such as not shooting in direct sunlight or under fluorescent lights. As with all flower farming photography, the quality of the light is crucial to capture the nuances of the colors in the palette. While Golden Hour is a great time of day to take pictures of humans, it’s not the best light for shooting bouquets in the “Greta Got Robbed” color palette, as it will turn ALL of the pinks into warm pinks, defeating the purpose of the carefully balanced warm and cool hues that make this bouquet vibrant and more complex than initially meets the eye.