It’s Friday! You know what that means: It’s time to hear from my friend and yours, Mr. Jim Williamson. Every week (okay, almost every week), I try to bring you some humor, happenings, and helpful hints on living a well-designed life. Today, I thought I would start out with some of my favorite lines from this week’s thought provoking and highly intellectual conversations I’ve witnessed. Heard while discussing the Grammy Awards with someone under 30: “Who was that old lady singing? She was kind of awesome.” That was no old lady—that was Annie freaking Lennox. Heard while discussing how a couple met one another: “…over our fondness for Waygu beef.” On asking a woman over the age of 50 who tried a Goopyesque “steaming” down you-know-where how she felt after the procedure: “Like a virgin—only with wrinkles.” But the top line of the week goes to: “Can we bake some ice cream when we get home?”
The smarts never end around here folks.
It’s “let’s wear pink or red for Valentine’s Day” day here at work. My wardrobe consists mainly of colors found in the lint trap of the dryer—mostly grey with a touch of blue. Can’t you tell how excited I am about this day that does nothing but make single people feel even more single, flowers more expensive, and couples anxious about getting a gift that says, “I love you but I don’t want to go broke proving it, especially since it was just Christmas, your birthday, our anniversary, the anniversary of our anniversary, and you just purchased yourself a pair of shoes that cost more that some people make in a week”? I remember one time my dad gave my mother a paper towel holder for Valentine’s Day. I have no idea why he thought this would be an appropriate sign of love—unless someone really loves paper towels and wiping. She does not. If I could only properly describe the look she gave W.O. when she opened that package. Let’s just say, every kiss does not begin with “kitchen accessories.” You have been duly warned.
Now it is time for your design inspiration for the week. It comes to us from the city of love, Paris, courtesy of new collections from textile editors Casamance. Plus Mathieu, one of the super charming principals, was in town this week showing us some of the awesome new collections. The floral textile in this image is called Hanami, which is also the Japanese custom of appreciating the beauty of flowers. These are indeed some beautiful flowers woven in silk, cotton, and flax. I like that they are on a dark background, which takes it from sweet to chic. The collection also does an excellent job of incorporating the color of the year, Marsala, into the mix. Now this is very much a sneak peek as I just saw this collection in Paris. It will not be launched in the States until around June-ish, so don’t get all freaked out if you just can’t wait to get this fabric until June. I am pretty sure Mr. Jim can pull a string or two to get you a sample.
So from me to you, Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy some very practical-yet-elegant flowers that will definitely last longer than a week. No water required.
Have a great weekend!
