Fred Machetanz, a famous Alaskan painter stated that, “when you gaze on a bright white ground it is like looking through colour rather than at it – like looking through stained glass”. I thought about this as I saw tables full of white on white and everything plain. It is tempting to go for a clean look but is it really just playing safe? In a world that is upside down at the moment across politics, economics, health and just plain good old fashioned manners, are we seeking security and what we thought we knew? Just this weekend, I bought old white embossed linen for a friend who has had an eclectic life and who blends modern with ancient. By chance, her initials were the same and in a lovely moment of synchronicity, the past became the present and an exchange had meaning. Perhaps this is what we are really looking for. Recreating vague memories that probably didn’t exist and a desire for simplicity and calm.
