ASB and ATH

[Detail: late-19th-century Indian sari. The Met's collection.]

Comments on the previous post motivated me to deviate from my usual pattern of reading only art-related nonfiction and finally delve into A.S. Byatt's Booker prize-winning Possession. I've had the book less than 24 hours but I'm already consumed with her use of green (the color, not the movement), ranging from the palest silver-greens to the richest emeralds. This painterly writing style and focus on verdant shades is discussed here, in a short 2004 BBC radio program.

Back in the design realm, Amelia T. Handegan communicates with color brilliantly too. In fact, her approach has also been described as painterly. With a skilled hand, she brings shimmering saris and other Indian textiles into restrained Lowcountry rooms (think turquoise silk at the foot of an otherwise dressed-down antique mahogany four-poster). And while she's best known for handling historical projects, she can definitely embrace Modern. At the end of March I'll be sharing a less expected Handegan room with bits of midcentury flair -- a project published in a soon-to-be-released book.