Back to Yellow

A good chess player knows to think several moves ahead, anticipating her opponent's strategy and then mentally challenging it. When a well thought out plan backfires, it's a struggle to retreat. It seems weak and scatter-brained to backtrack on the board. And so I will push forward, but now I do so emotionally rather than with cognitive purpose. Sometimes, the boldest move forward - in chess, and life - is a step back. Learning to admit mistakes can be empowering. An occasional self-check before the ultimate checkmate.

In my apartment I had picked the color pink because, well, girls like pink, right? I had bought several pink items - including that amazing Madeline Weinrib rug, but Back to A is about going back to who you are. Yellow has always been my favorite color. I just thought it might look strange in home decor, and so I had pushed in the wrong direction. Time to backtrack and reflect. . . take a step back. When I was teaching, the most thoughtful gift I ever received from a student was a bag of yellow skittles (the only ones I like). Kids are like that. They'll do something so wonderfully weird and perfect that you just melt.

Lemon sours, yellow sour patch kids, lemon chiffon cake, and oh, that lemon fruit slice - that little slice of life is like a party in my mouth.

Growing up in India, my favorite drink was nimbu pani and I could have drank it all day.

A life dripping in lemon. . .from my yellow ikaat dress I bought from favorite boutique Cream - they have the chicest website.

Favorite Anya Hindmarch purchase of all time:

Everyone I know is sick of me in these Roger Vivier heels (I've had them for years) but really, they're my magic shoes. RV heels are a fabulous investment because they never go out of style.

My favorite short story - I used to love teaching it - is The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - you can read it here. It was written in 1892 and it's about a woman whose psycho husband calls her temporary depression (today we know it as post-partum depression) a "hysterical tendency" so he locks her up in a room and there is nothing to do but obsess over the yellow pattern on the paper. It's a critical piece of writing in American literature as well as in the history of psychology because it highlights how far we have come in understanding the human psyche. And how sometimes husbands can say and do the stupidest things and you wish you could lock them up for an hour or month or so. . .

So when design consultant Rachel Ames of Haus Interior had some yellow fabric peeping from her tote the other week, I demanded to see it. It instantly spoke to me. I could look at it for hours. It was meant for another client, but for a good five minutes we just stared at it in wonder. (I have hysterical tendencies with home decor. . .please note pink clashing rug in background.)

Back to Modani - this time to order four dining chairs in white - they're really not badly priced considering their quality, and then we had them directly shipped to Ritz Upholstery (the team at Haus loves their work) along with the fabric and I held my breath. What had I done?! What about the PINK?

Well, let's just say I'm not Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolia - pink might be her signature color, but when I saw the chairs, I was Back to Yellow, baby.

I think it's a little amazing that this side table is Ikea and $79 dollars. . .

There is also a cabinet in this Trollsta collection for $350, but I think it might be too overwhelming in my apartment - also I still love Frank's Hollywood Regency credenza I purchased awhile back. But the cabinet does come in black and could be a good option if you are in the market for a TV cabinet. You can see the entire collection here.

I saw these gorgeous pillows in this Elle Decor - they are by Pierre Deux and are not only yellow, but feature my favorite flower - gardenias.

Since expenses are a bit hectic this month, these pillows will have to go on my wish list. I am a devout believer in the Heinz ketchup philosophy on life. . . good things come to those who wait. Added to the list is a Chinese stool I found on Etsy:

And this incredible, yellow lacquer tray from Crate and Barrel - okay this I might have to buy TODAY as it's under $25.

I'm also loving the Marimekko bedding and the lemonade glasses ($3.95 each!) - 60th and Madison here I come!

I looked up yellow on Color Psychology to see what our favorite colors suggest about our personalities. Yellow "shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts." What is your favorite color, and what does it say about you? While you consider that, I will leave you with a little present - this is the song I used to dance to alone in my bedroom in high school - flinging limbs Elaine-style and just totally getting down the way you can when you're alone and being a freak.



Lemon. See through in the sunlight. She wore lemon. But never in the daylight. .she had heaven, and she held on so tight. . . Please share any amazing yellow finds you have discovered and comment below!