Remember when coloring outside the lines was ok?  when your ocean was purple and your sky was rose and your stars shined gold with too much glitter and glue?  That type of creativity was trend worthy.  Shame on those teacher’s for shaking their heads no, for imparting their limiting beliefs.  I love a number 2 pencil but it will never replace a box of Crayola Crayons.

I can get lost looking at little kids art projects because kids do the most unexpected things, and the unexpected surprises and delights.  Have you ever noticed,  when you experience something like that….you feel younger, lighter, better?  I’ve done the math, more of the unexpected please, more of the happy mistakes.  More lost so you can find your own surprising twists on the traditional.

Finding perfect in the imperfections.

One must not be afraid of the accidental or the unintentional – some of the best design details are just that.  As the “Manse” prepares to be jacked up, set gently down on a new foundation…it’s first for this centuries old gal, and get an interior reconfiguration and face lift, there is one detail I will miss and hope to convince the home’s owner to carry into the new design.  Whether it was laziness, or a simple oversight, the hinges were painted over in a crisp white.  When the door swings closed it reveals its original pink hue, it’s candy cane stripes.  It makes me smile and wish for that perky pop of paint on all my hardware.

Dare to color outside the lines.

While visiting my friend’s home in Marblehead last weekend I was reminded of her cleverness and that of her husband’s.  Don’t be too jealous, they are both brilliant Architects, so have loads of practice tapping into their inner child.  Remember what Malcolm Gladwell says – 10,000 hours, you too could get really good something, probably not as good as Brooke and Tom, but good!  So, what is this bit of cleverness?  They paint the edge of the door in a bright and bold pigment.  It’s beautiful.

Cheers to the unexpected.