Photo: Steven Krause

 

With inspirations as varied as a dark purple ink from the seventeenth century and Oscar Wilde, Jane Schub’s nail lacquer collection is certainly deserving of its name—StrangeBeautiful Library of Color. “I wanted to create something to display, like little paintings,” says the Rhode Island School of Design–trained illustrator of the sets, which are housed in clear Lucite boxes. Each volume consists of just eight shades, none of which have names, but the colors are so complex and “off-kilter” (muted pistachio gray, warm dulce de leche brown), they speak for themselves.