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May 11, 1922 



The Florists' Review 



29 



WAYS WITH WINDOWS 



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MAKING THE WINDOW WORK. 



Things Done and Overdone. 



Time was, perhaps, when all a florist 

 had to do was to hand flowers and plants 

 over the counter and collect the cash. 

 In those days the demand was spon- 

 taneous; no pulling for business was re- 

 quired and the front window, if there 

 happened to be one, could be used for a 

 storeroom, if necessary. Let the past 

 rest. We live in the present and for 

 the future; we know that business does 

 not come so easily, and that it must be 

 angled for and pulled in. As proved, 

 one of the best baits for the angling is 

 the display window. The window has 

 come to be a powerful weapon in the 

 hands of enterprising tradesmen. Like 

 all great forces, it must be handled cor- 

 rectly to get the maximum results. 



It can be said that the purpose of the 

 window is to stimulate the senses of 

 passers-by. They can be overstimulated. 

 And mixing colors, heedless of the sim- 

 ple rules of artistry, is just about as 

 disastrous as mixing alcoholic drinks. 

 To gain the best results, all the colors 

 should best be kept distinct. More- 

 over, too many colors have been recog- 

 nized as a hindrance to beauty in an as- 

 semblage of plants, flowers and baskets. 



Harmony "Too Perfect." 



The arrangement in a window follows 

 along the lines of arrangement in a sin- 

 gle basket, where harmony can be over- 

 done. There can be too much harmony 

 — if the phrase is permissible, "too 

 perfect" harmony. By this is implied 

 that distinct coloring in a window will 

 catch the eye more quickly than colors 

 which lack the sprightly. For instance, 

 if there is a combination of light pastel, 

 the proper "pep" can be obtained by in- 

 troducing a hard color. Thus, yellow 

 tulips, light blue hyacinths, lily of the 

 valley and violets go charmingly to- 

 gether. 



In the minds of many there is no 

 question that too rigid economy in 

 making up a window is an absolute mis- 

 take. Good material, which is naturally 

 high-priced, shows up to better advan- 

 tage. As an instance, in the windows 

 illustrated on this page and the next, 

 silk curtains are used, quite expensive. 

 But they give a rich effect and stand out 

 well. In the same sense one might have 

 baskets in the window for which bows 

 are necessary. Cheap material in the 

 ribbon will cause the bows to sag in a 

 slovenly way, whereas they should stand 

 out neatly and prominently. As Frank 

 D. Pelicano, of San Francisco, a recog- 

 nized master at window decorations, has 

 said, "some designers can work to much 

 better advantage on account of good 

 materials. The people talk when they 

 see something clever and desirable. 

 Printed matter is not always striking, 

 whereas windows can alwavs be made 

 80. " 



The Error of "Too Much." 



Florists realize that they must fall in 

 line with the principles of commercial 

 decorators in other businesses. Effec- 

 tiveness through originality is the point 

 sought by decorators in commercial 



houses, such as sporting goods places, 

 department stores, etc. There is, how- 

 ever, a danger of getting too original, 

 departing from simple rules of beauty, 

 and making a muddle of things. Many 

 florists get too much into the window 

 and this is particularly noticeable where 

 there is limited space. Too much mix- 

 ture of stock in the window is just as 

 great a mistake as too much mixture in 

 colors. Aq overabundance and wild mix- 

 ture is confusing to the passer-by. On 

 the other hand, if there is but one ob- 

 ject of beauty that is striking, it will 

 attract the eye pleasingly. In the illus- 

 trations on this page and the next the 

 kneeling Venus in white marble serves 

 as the primary attraction and you will 

 note that there is no semblance of 

 crowdedness. The Venus is the star ac- 

 tress, surrounded by a harmonious cast 

 of well chosen plants in boxes and cut 

 flowers. The regularity of lines in the 

 window shown and the balance of one 

 side of the window with the other adds 

 to the pleasure of looking at the display. 



Adding Life with Light. 



The proper means of lighting the dis- 

 play window requires study, and each 

 individual window has its own advan- 

 tages and disadvantages. Frank D. 

 Pelicano has said that flowers are like 

 diamonds and are alive with color, es- 

 l)ecially when a dark setting brings out 

 their liveliness; well chosen portieres 

 can supply such a setting. Artificial 

 light is preferable, according to Mr. 

 Pelicano, but natural light is good 

 enough if it can be obtained. Light 

 portieres, gathered at both sides so they 

 will not take much light, finish off some 

 windows in wonderful style. Mr. 

 Pelicano has suggested that in a window 



white woodwork would be preferable to 

 cream-colored in gaining lighting ef- 

 fects. 



Portieres make the handiest back- 

 ground, perhaps, because appropriately 

 colored ones can be hung at the different 

 seasons. This practice is carried out by 

 Joseph Harris & Bro., of Shamokin, Pa., 

 who know how to accomplish results, as 

 is exemplified in the illustrations shown. 

 P'or Easter this firm uses purple curtains 

 as a background; for spring displays 

 green-colored hangings are used and 

 for Christmas full red is the color. Other 

 colors are employed for intermediate oc- 

 casions. These portieres are rich-look- 

 ing and, since they are fine-textured, 

 have the practical advantage of protect- 

 ing rooms behind the display from the 

 ])owerful flood of light that would break 

 through ordinary loose-woven fabric. 



A good salesman deserves proper 

 treatment and these windows are splen- 

 <lid salesmen. Give them the attention 

 tliey deserve. 



THE WINDOW AT SHAMOKIN, PA. 



The striking views of a display win- 

 dow "before" and "after," shown on 

 the preceding page and this, were taken 

 at the store of Joseph Harris & Bro., of 

 Shamokin, Pa. 



Concerning the windows the company 

 says, with modest brevity: "The col- 

 umns and woodwork in the window are 

 painted white, with a floor of white 

 tile, mottled with green. The figure is 

 the 'Crouching Venus,' of white mar- 

 ble. The curtains in the background 

 are changed according to season — -pur- 

 ple for Easter; green for spring; orange 

 for fall; red for Christmas, with special 

 colors for intermediate occasions. These 



Vhcn a Proper Setting Is Provided Effective Window Displays Are Easily Made. 



