"Amber," he says (after I informed him what the color was called), "is sooo outdated. Everybody knows this."
I will agree that glass, with any hint of brownish color, does conjur up telltale decades-old images of lemon yellow, avocado green and amber flowered chair coverings and large owl or fox shaped gold brooches.
But, with regards to styles and colors--one reason I love thrift-store shopping (I refuse to be fussy or proud and refer to it only as 'vintage' shopping) is because every color does have it's place. Some hues were never meant to be the star of any show. Some play better with others. Some are pleasing on their own. Amber, in my opinion, looks stunning in the right role--that probably not being how it was used 35 years ago.
Would I pick amber colored bridesmaid dresses? No. Would I like amber colored couches? Pretty sure not ever. Amber colored car? Amber colored walls or carpet? Probably not.
I do fear that it's the specific combination of glass with amber that really channels the years of 'Free Love' as was the kind term for fornication and other kinds of sin cooked up in Volkswagen buggies and wherever. Yes, colored glass does require bravery if you decide to befriend it, and expect to be expected to champion your decision. Even so, I will go ahead with this here plan and attempt to backup my kitchen-y purchases.
Our new townhome has many different colors running throughout it. Tan walls, a shiny metal staircasing, speckled granite countertops, black and metal appliances, bamboo flooring, etc...
I am a preacher of picking your neutrals. What I mean by that is... as an example, Nick is now well-schooled (by me of course) in picking accent colors for outfits. "No can wear black AND brown together." That's my rule. I can't tolerate blue jeans and black socks and brown shoes and a yellow shirt and blue jacket. I don't know if I could manage a second date with someone dressed that way, and thankfully Nick never hit that level. I never saw any mismatched socks (until much after the second date anyway) and that was about as bad as it got, or else my memories of his fashion choices have been altered by that thing called 'lurve.' But then again, this is a guy who has opinions on colored glass, so likely he paid attention...
As I see it, a person can be judged by the clothing they wear, and it's not enough if your threads are freshly laundered. Ouch, that sounds a bit harsh--perhaps add that to the list of perspectives I might need to fine-tune.
Our new house is challenging that notion. It's beautiful, and I am head-over-heals for this abode my hubby is working hard to provide for us. It is, however, full of many different accent colors. The granite countertops showcase every color of mineral. There's metal, black, and several shades of tan as I mentioned above. And, that's not even considering the furniture and rugs and what-not that we'll be adding to the mix!
We did not take a plate set with us on the move to Hong Kong. And once we arrived in our 700sf apartment with a pantry sized kitchen and realized that our work schedules wouldn't allow for much cooking, we decided to buy only the basics. Those plain white basics--which included 3 to 5 miscellaneous plates--have been what we've survived off of over the past three quarters of a year here in Seattle.
That whole reality opened up an opportunity to pick and buy a modest dish set to accompany our new kitchen. We are so excited to get out of this stinkin teeny place and into a 'real' home which we can call our own and fill with 'real' family stuff, like matching dishes.
I'm probably not alone in my thinking that $200 a placesetting China is overrated. But, I'd go even further and say that even seemingly more common Mikasa, or Pfaltzgraff sets are unnecessary. For me, Target fits the bill. The styles and colors please, and the prices--though likely reasonable--test the limits of my budget as it is.
Our new set is the Zanzibar line by Target. The plates are square and feature a black/brown base with 'animal-ish' amber/brown striping around the edge. I gotta tell ya, I don't know if there is a way to describe this set and have it not sound icky without proper pictures. Anything resembling tiger spots or stripes is immediately suspect as I see it. And in many kitchens these pieces would look downright gaudy.
But obviously I decided in favor of the Zanzibar line--and I should mention the hubby likes it too. The stripes are muted and I think the style will tie into our new space marvelously! But, being that it's stark I didn't feel clear glass would be a proper accent. And as far as bowls, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, ie Zanzibar and simple black.
It was also at Target that I found an amber glass serving bowl, perfect for a large salad. I thought it lovely and on sale for $12 I decided it was a go. It answered the question on how I would put together a working dish set without everything screaming Zanzibar. And after the bowl, I spotted tinted wine glasses at Marshall's as well as a set of black bowls (scaled in size) which also mix in nicely.
It's true that tint in wine glasses will interrupt the pure color of the drink from showing. And will Nick be able to properly swirl his red chianti watching it 'form legs' without the clear glass he's used to? I don't know, and that might be a fair arguement against colored stemware.
But, I promise to not throw away the 2 'regular' glasses we have and save them for his continued use; and for any visitors who simply refuse to mix amber with Columbia Crest merlot.
Wine drinkers lived through the color crazy '70s (or are responsible for it) and I think that given my promise to exercise more guardianship over bold colors that we're revisiting from that era, my new home will look absolutely fabulous. Yes, in part due to colored glass.
No comments:
Post a Comment