Flowers have always been regarded as a luxury rather than a necessity
- Tulip bulbs were once prized as highly as gold - although, during various periods
in history, flowers have served more functions than simply to delight the nose and
the eye.
Before the advent of giant refrigerated flower trucks that ferry
flowers around the world regardless of season, you could tell exactly where you
were in the year by looking at a flower arrangement. The whites and yellows of spring
bulbs enlivened by fresh green hellebores gave way to pastel blossom arrangements
as spring slid into summer. The purple blues and various pinks of the early summer
months would be replaced by hotter oranges and reds at the end of the season. By
the autumn, the color came from foliage or late roses, and, of course, by midwinter, the slick green of holly with its inevitably red berry was all that was available.
Now the seasons overlap as never before and exotic newcomers
have been coaxed into the florist's shop. Flowers are a labor-intensive form of
decorating and ultimately, of course, short-lived. Like all festive embellishments,
flowers do not last beyond the period they have been contrived to celebrate and
so we are, thankfully, not given the opportunity to tire of them. Although there
has been an overwhelming movement towards simplicity in the floral arrangement in recent years the restrained decorum of a glass tank full of white tulips is, in the right
context, to die for - for more boisterous feasts there is no reason why you cannot
opt for something a little more chaotic, brimming with different colors and scents.
Even when the flowers have died, the flower heads can be dried as an emotional and an aesthetic reminder of the arrangement they came from and, therefore, the event they
celebrated.
OPULENT TABLE CENTRE
The traditional furniture and rich
greens of this dining room (left) call for a sculptural, deep-colored arrangement
of flowers to set the tone for a celebratory dinner party. The Oriental note established
by the window, shutters have inspired a casual allusion to Eastern arranging with
the contorted willow and blue-glazed, Oriental-inspired vase.
OUTDOOR LUNCH
The hard lines of the modern dining table
(far right) have been softened by an organza runner, which instantly lightens the
mood. Early summer flowers in pastel colors have been informally arranged in an
aluminum vase that alludes aesthetically to the garden. The effect is informal,
fun, and breezy, with herbs squeezed into the arrangement for extra scent.
DRIED FLOWERS
The bleak winter months can be enlivened
florally with a shallow bowl filled with the dried heads from a summer bouquet (left),
providing a touching but nevertheless beautiful reminder of things past. The scent
from the politely decaying blooms can be enhanced and prolonged by adding a few
drops of perfumed oil every now and again.
CHIC SIMPLICITY
In the picture on the right, the celebration
could be anything - Happy Wednesday. Thanks for helping me change the wheel on the
car or Happy Mother's Day. The fact that the glass tank of white tulips has been
placed, rather unusually, on a chair shows how special the thought behind the arrangement
is - the flowers have been moved as close to the bed as possible in order to delight
the lucky recipient immediately on awakening. It is a natural, informal look that
is worth the effort involved in contriving to look uncontrived.
flowers / containers
If you read women's magazines from the 1950s, you will discover
article after fascinating article about the
importance of having a sufficient quantity of the right kind
of vase. The truth these days, however, is that although we might have one or two
attractive vases, if we are in the mood to celebrate, the number of flower arrangements
could easily outnumber the designated containers.
Imagine a gorgeous, rich, dense bouquet of flowers in a gorgeous,
rich, densely embellished vase – but what does this really amount to? Answer: a
large, overblown lump of not quite art. As is so often the case, getting display
right means understanding the relationships between objects in order to achieve
the right balance. Of course, the Victorians believed that pattern and color should
be crammed into every corner and onto every available surface. Today, we like a
cooler, more balanced approach to display that often means either underplaying the
container of a rich bouquet or underplaying the arrangement in an ornate vase. As
a result, suitable receptacles for flowers can come from the most unlikely sources.
Milk bottles, old fishbowls, jam jars, and plastic pen tidies - they can all work
if the flowers are fresh and jaunty enough to delight the eye. Playing down the
vase element in a festive floral arrangement can be a highly effective way of
making celebratory flower displays coordinate more closely with today's more informal
interiors
PLASTIC PEN TIDY
It is somebody's birthday at the office
and there are no vases around, so what do you do? In the picture above, a plastic
pen tidy has been commandeered along with some antique inkwells to hold simple birthday
posies.
FESTIVE WELCOME
A variety of vessels has been pressed
into service to make a celebratory statement on this front doorstep. Fishbowls and
flowerpots mingled with vases and candles in glasses will make the arriving guests
confident that they have not only found the right party but that they will be truly
welcome within
GLASS BOTTLES
The serene and simple space of the kitchen
pictured far left would be overpowered by an overblown flower arrangement in a grand
vase, so two clouded glass bottles have been chosen instead. They provide the ideal
transparent green to tone with the grey-green foliage and dusty purple flower heads
of the sea holly.
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