Every so often you come across a product that makes your day. Those gems are worth sharing.
Some clients recently asked about subway tile for a backsplash. Mark, the general contractor on the job, mentioned the tile one of his other clients is using in her bathroom. We stopped at her house (this was a few weeks back; we’re working from home now) to pick up a sample. I was taken by the glaze, but even more by the name of the color: “Par Avion.” It really is the color of the ultra-thin airmail paper we used in the ’70s.
Crossville Tile’s “Par Avion“
When I looked up the website for further information to send to our current clients I found that all the glazes in the “Handwritten” line have writerly names — “Ink Well,” “Pen Pal, and “Post Card,” to name another three. Part of me winces at the preciousness of the branding, but in this era of touchpads, keyboards, and voice-recognition software, it’s nice to be reminded about the culture of paper and pens.
Making Things Work 
I feel like walking the line between when to be precious about something and when to just get it done is one of the ultimate steps before a person gets in to “master” territory
Maybe when you stop having to think, “am I being too precious about x or y step,” and just know intuitively where you draw your own line you’ve made a crucial breakthrough
This is barely a coherent thought but oh well!
Your mention of subway tiles reminds me of an article I wrote many years ago. It might pass a few minutes in these lockdown days. It’s here:
https://martynoliver.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/a-very-british-museum-jackfield-tile-museum-ironbridge/
By the way, I still have a pad of that airmail paper. I love it.
What an amazing museum! The traderoom image is to die for.
They missed a trick: love letter would be better as billet doux!
I love it!
You periodically hold forth on the issues of career sustainability. I can’t seem to post links but do a search on columbia journalism review: “a survival guide to international freelancing”.
Thanks for recommending the piece. I just scanned it. I would recommend it to those who freelance in any line of work.