April 2000
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NEWSLETTER |
Hi Everyone,
I hope your weather has been as beautiful as ours is in Florida. The temperatures have been wonderful with low humidity, which makes Florida very desirable this time of year. It won’t last long though! Next month it will get pretty hot with higher humidity. This time of year I always get enthused about the garden and flowers. I get such joy from the beauty of fresh, garden and silk flowers arranged casually or formally for our homes and highly recommend their use in your homes for color and personality, which brings me to this month’s subject.
As most of you know, I have been very busy working on the wedding of my only daughter on April 1, 2000. There is so much to do and not enough time as always. However, her upcoming marriage and setting up of her home brought about the inspiration for this month’s topic and project. Jennifer chose a patterned fabric of blues, purples and yellows for her key/inspiration item and is having a few throw pillows made from it. My aunt and uncle gave her a used sofa and club chair in blue & white ticking which is very versatile. By adding the key fabric accent pillows she will be able to decorate in her favorite colors and provide the springboard for the additional decorating. Jennifer’s fiancé’s aunt and uncle is giving them an antique dining table that belonged to his grandfather. With this thought, I imagined a floral arrangement in coordinating colors for their new table. So you will find in the pictures, Jennifer’s key fabric and the silk flowers for her arrangement. I will take you through the main steps of creating an arrangement for your home. Please understand that I am not a professional floral designer, but I know enough to share with you the basics and encourage you to make one for yourself. I want you to see how effective a simple floral arrangement is in adding color and balance to your décor. I hope you enjoy this project and will gain the confidence needed to add flower arrangements to your home too.
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FLOWERS AND FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS: |
Very few things are as decorative and beautiful as flowers in the home. Of course fresh flowers, when they’re available, would be wonderful anywhere. Although, this is not always a practical option. Today’s, silk or artificial flowers look very real, and also are beautiful!
The typical locations for floral arrangements are on the dining table, coffee table, dressers, and bathroom vanities, but certainly not exclusive to just these areas. If you are using one large, powerful arrangement in any given room, do not add a second one in the same room. Instead, use foliage, or small flowering plants as needed.
Flower arrangements should be kept in sync with the color scheme of the room. They allow you to mix all the shades and values your working with, creating a wonderful accent to the décor. Over and above the key floral arrangements in my design projects, I like to use smaller doses of mixed flowers in teapots, watering cans, jars, colored bottles, clay pots or just about anything. I’m not suggesting we use all of these in the same room, but spread out around the house where appropriate, it’s an effective way to add color touches throughout, keeping continuity and color balance in your home. When mixing flowers for arrangements, stay true to nature. For instance: fall mums do not bloom during the same time in the season, as do tulips. There would be other flower choices, which would be preferable to mix. Try changing your arrangements with the seasons, if you can afford to have a few made up.
You can save money on silk flower arrangements by selecting individual stems and creating your own arrangement. The tips I have taught you about color, balance and scale in decorating your home all apply in making a floral arrangement too. This months project should help you, along with fabulous books available on flower arranging. You might want to check them out, or take a class offered at craft stores. If you don’t want to do this, ask around, sometimes silk- floral suppliers will arrange, for the cost of the flowers used.
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WHERE SHOULD I USE GREENERY? |
The answer is everywhere! Greenery and trees can do more to fill an empty space for you’re decorating dollar than any other product I’m aware of. Trees will fill a corner, giving life and balance to the walls. Adding an uplight on the tree will evoke mood, ambiance and drama. Use uplights in your more formal areas such as, living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, for the above effect. It’s a marvelous look!
The height of tree used, is determined by the height of your ceilings. If your ceilings are 8 ft. tall, use 6-7 ft. trees. If you have high flat or vaulted ceilings, a minimum of 7-8 ft. usually looks best. Consider the shape and color of the tree, for the location you may want to place it in. For Example: If your placing a tree in a corner behind your husbands favorite reading chair, choose one that the branches are directed upward or clear the chair. I don’t think he would appreciate palm fronds tickling his cheek.)
Artificial trees are available in all different price ranges, the workmanship and quantity of branches and leaves usually are the dictating factor for the price. Your budget will be the deciding factor, more than the quality. The container, a real or fake tree is sitting in, can be bold and decorative, or plain and basic. The tree location should indicate which to use. Don’t waste your money on a beautiful pot, which will be hidden by furniture. However, if the tree is in a location that the container, will be a decorative asset, then by all means, use one if you desire.
Ivy and foliage plants, can be used everywhere. End tables, night stands, pot/plant ledges, bookcases, dressers, sofa tables, eterges, bakers- racks, coffee tables, hanging baskets and just about any other place you can imagine. Again, the money spent on an ivy spray is minimal, compared to the coverage and interests it provides. If your home is short of the proper sized accessories, spend a little money on some greenery. It will go much further than the same amount of money spent on object accessories. Use color foliage plants, in some rooms for a subtle color suggestion. Don’t over do this and use color foliage everywhere, mix them with solid and variegated greens throughout your home.
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SHOULD I USE LIVE PLANTS OR ATRIFICIAN? |
All of the ideas and tips, I’ve described in the previous paragraphs, will apply to artificial and live plants, with one big exception. Plants that need to be placed in a location that offers no natural lighting will make it very difficult to keep it healthy and alive. If you would prefer to use live plants, consider them in a site, which will be conducive to their survival, while using artificial plants in locations, where lighting and watering will be very difficult or impossible. A good example would be on the plant/pot ledges in newer homes. The height alone makes live plant maintenance impossible. Ultimately, its your choice, there is not a right or wrong. However, a brown, sick plant does not achieve the goal of accessorizing with greenery.
HAPPY DECORATING
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