On Color

I made a salad the other day with whatever I had in the fridge- radishes, tomatoes, pickled beet root, cheese- and as I was cutting the radishes I was arrested by their loveliness.  By their crisp, clean insides and vibrant skins that shined almost magenta in the sun.

It made me wish that I could bottle colors.  I'd display these bottles, small like spice jars, on a shelf in a sunny room and watch them change as the light moved throughout the day. What colors would I bottle?  The perfect off-white of a birch tree trunk, the deep purple of an Acer leaf, and the salmon-pink of flamingo feathers.  The inky black of a cobra's scales, the hot red of a chili still on the vine, and the stunning green of a fiddlehead.  All the colors of a peacock, and the warm brown of a buffalo hide.  There are so many arrestingly beautiful colors in the world and fashion, art, photography and words really do them no justice, which makes them all the more precious.  Notice the colors around you, dear reader, and live colorfully.

p.s. A couple months ago there was a really great RadioLab program about color called Why Isn't the Sky Blue. Listen to it.  It's amazing!

Cox Quarters DIY: Paint It Black

Ever since I was sixteen and living in Brussels, I've been obsessed with the idea of a black kitchen.  The idea sparked when I first visited L'Atelier en Herbe in the Sablon, which is a beautiful flower shop that is completely painted matte black.  The flowers dramatically pop against the dark background and I remember thinking how beautiful an eggplant, leek or strawberry would look in a kitchen with black walls. 

Fastforward eight hears and I finally have it- my very own black kitchen!  And though we have a few spots to touch up and some finishing tweaks to make, I can say with much certainty that I am obsessed with my black kitchen.  It is so sleek and warm, so dramatic and clean.  I am in l.o.v.e.

See how the colors just pop!  So cool.  

This is the first major overhaul I've made to Cox Quarters so far, but it will certainly not be the last.  I still have major plans for the living room (which will be finished this week), hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.  Basically it's all getting an overhaul.  And then, knowing us, David will get a job in Bristol or something and we'll end up moving.  Whatever.  This is just the beginning of a number of changes to our environment that I've set it motion to help us take control of our space and our lives.  I got tired of saying, When you get a job, let's.... so instead of waiting around for the world to meet my needs, I am going to meet them myself.  And boy does it feel good!