Palette: Peter Rabbit

For Quinn’s first Christmas, we wanted to buy him a keepsake. Something he might treasure for years to come, and hopefully share with his own children someday. We searched and searched for the perfect gift. Nothing silver or engraved. No special dishes or trinkets. A book would be perfect.

And then I found it. The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter. It’s a huge, linen bound, hardcover, with gold page edges. A hearty, yet elegant find which, even at the age of seven, Quinn finds difficult to handle on his own. Not often pulled from the bookshelf—due likely to its intimidating size—though once immersed, we all simply devour the stories of Peter, Squirrel Nutkin, and all the mice, moles, foxes, toads and other sweet creatures who are so lovingly portrayed, and brought to life, by the astounding Beatrix Potter.

Both Andrew and I grew up listening to, and reading, Beatrix Potter books. Do you remember them? They were tiny—just perfect for little hands. And her illustrations would coax you into the perfect, lush worlds—and lives—of the animals who lived there.

These colours remind me of FiestaWare dishes and Helen Dardik’s funky illustrations. Would be a lot of fun in a child’s room, or in a tropical decor.

“Peter Rabbit”: Pantone 5493, 377, 611, 7413

Pantone is a colour system used primarily by graphics professionals and offset printers. As always, if you’d like to know paint equivalents for these colours, simply post a comment with your request, and I will be oh-so-happy to oblige!