Panic Room

There is no underestimating the excitement of working on a new project with someone you have worked with before. Except....when they say they want a newly decorated space using yellow. Then, if you're me, there is a moment of oh, no....please anything but that color.  Instead I casually say great, we could begin by looking at it combined with gray. No. Okay, how about aqua because it's fresh and hip (like she is, not to mention I'm really comfortable with that color). No, not feeling it. Thus, the pangs of anxiety began creeping in.

When our meeting wraps up, I jump into my car. I am going to need help. I take a deep breath, reapply my lipstick, devour my emergency stash, barely minding the grossly substandard ingredients.

Now say the words construction, remodel, renovation, demolition and I am completely enthusiastic and calm. I know my way around this scenario. I feel confident and excited. I know it makes no sense to most, and I can not explain it except to say I have not been in a relationship with yellow since I said goodbye to my yellow and white daisy bedspread when I was about ten.

 As an adult, I can only assume when French Country decorating became very popular, I decided the pairing of yellow and blue was something I disliked. Granted, I've realized over time that it had more to do with the saturated nature of the colors and bold patterns which they accompanied. But even with this understanding, the combination went into my archives labeled as colors I don't like. I also never wear yellow.

I've started the arduous process of searching out fabrics, paint samples, possibly wallpaper in that foreign land called yellow. Oh, these are really pretty and I love houndstooth...but what else to combine it with?

Again, anxiety. So I reached for more fortification. And, by now my fingers are too sticky to do anything, including wrap the little gift on my desk intended to humor a friend.

 I succeeded in making myself completely nauseous and have vowed never to combine anxiety with too much sugar.  I am beginning to get excited about the possibilities of delving into uncharted territory, because there on my desk, seemingly out of nowhere, looks like just the inspiration I needed.

Images courtesy of A&A, Google, Williams-Somoma