apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

An artichoke sat on our kitchen windowsill for months, some years ago. At first, it was ugly and disgusting and kinda gooey — and guests would say "ick." Then it slowly dried out, changed color, became something else altogether. I've now had it for ten years. I think it's rather beautiful.

This and the essays that follow it are taken from Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance, a book by Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes. Check back at Design Observer for more in the future.