The Color Yellow

Growing up in Mexico City, we lived in a yellow house in the Santa Fe neighborhood. I remember the way the sun would hit its walls in the morning. Since then, I’ve always been drawn to the color yellow. It’s a color that reminds me of home.

Barragán and the Sacred Power of Yellow

A few years later, my mom introduced me to the work of Luis Barragán, the Mexican architect known for his use of color and light. She had worked under his apprentice while studying architecture in Mexico City.

Barragán understood how deeply color could shape a space, not just visually, but emotionally and spiritually. Yellow, for him, was often linked to the sacred. He believed that color was not an ornament but a form of expression, and that yellow held a unique capacity to evoke joy and introspection.

Rather than using stained glass, Barragán would often apply yellow paint directly onto frosted glass in tiny dots, almost like a pointillist painting. The result was a glowing, golden light that transformed rooms into places of quiet reflection.

Discovering Yellow Amate Paper

We first discovered yellow amate paper during a trip to Oaxaca. Our friend Karla, an artist working with handmade sculptural lamps, introduced us to the process behind how she infuses natural paper with local flowers and plants.

While working with her on a collaborative lamp for an exhibition, I noticed scraps of yellow paper in her studio. I asked if we could use them in our piece. As soon as she lit the lamp, I felt that same kind of glow I remembered from Barragán’s windows. It was soft, textured, and full of warmth. We knew we had found something special.

Amate Paper in Mexican Tradition

Amate paper has deep roots in Mexican tradition. It’s made from the bark of the jonote tree, soaked or boiled, and then laid out and pressed by hand. The Maya and Aztecs used it for writing and ceremonial purposes, and the paper’s name comes from the Nahuatl word amatl.

Its original tone is a deep brown, but artisans now bleach and dye it into a range of hues. The yellow version, in particular, creates a soft and calming light when illuminated—natural and understated, but full of presence.

From Oaxaca to the Dawn Chorus Series

After that first collaboration, I returned to Oaxaca and began searching for more of the yellow amate. I went from store to store with Karla, asking for handmade paper. Slowly, I pieced together three sheets, then ten, then thirty. Each artisan had their own approach and slightly different tone.

Karla even introduced me to a master papermaker who helped us experiment with different techniques to match the exact shade we were looking for. I brought the first batch of yellow paper back to LA in my carry-on and began building the first prototypes of what would become our Dawn Chorus series.

Light, Calm, and Stillness

The Dawn Chorus light boxes were built around that yellow paper. It became the central element, both technically and symbolically.

We launched the first light box at the Available Works fair in New York, hosted by Something Special Studios. After the positive reception, we came back to LA and decided to shape a full series around that yellow glow.

We’ve always been inspired by artists who explore the emotional possibilities of light. Whether it’s James Turrell’s color projections or Edward Hopper’s sunlight in empty rooms. Yellow, in particular, feels like a color that asks us to slow down.

As a studio, we hope to share some of that same feeling through our work: light that brings calm, joy, and stillness into everyday life.