Since mental health outcomes are shaped by a complex interplay of social, economic and environmental factors, considerable attention has been devoted to determinants such as income insecurity, social isolation and the built environment while visual environments remain largely absent from public health discourse. Over recent decades, high-income societies have experienced a marked shift towards desaturated visual aesthetics across architecture, urban design, fashion and media. This shift, often framed as minimalist or calming, raises an important but underexplored question: might increasingly desaturated visual environments influence population mental health? Evidence from psychology studies suggests that colour perception influences affective states, arousal and emotional regulation.