APBIL 18, 1912. 



The Weddy Florists' Review. 



9 



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THE RETAlt 



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FLORIST 



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CONVENTIONAL DESIGNING. 



Tlie Good and Bad In It. 



Much is heard these days of conven- 

 tional and conventionalized designing. 

 Just what is meant by these terms, 

 and are they correctly used or misap- 

 plied with reference to floral design- 

 ing? In the commonest use of the word 

 the meaning is the usually accepted, es- 

 tablished, traditional, from which we 

 get the idea of set and formal. In this 

 sense our floral designs made upon 

 frames are to be classed as conven- 

 tional. Besides, any one style by which 

 one or all of these' are executed is to 

 be classed as conventionalized. 



It is not the purpose of this article 

 to discuss at length whether conven- 

 tional work is of the highest grade, for 

 that is scarcely practical, since it is 

 upon us. But the purpose is to discuss 

 and, if possible, to discover, that type 

 of conventional wor^ which may be 

 termed classic or representative, with 

 a view to the elimination of the inferior. 

 However, whether any product of the 

 present era shall attain to a classic must 

 he determined mainly by the future, 

 but it may be our privilege to crystal- 

 lize the best yet produced and bring 

 it into general use. 



The So-Oalled Loose Style. 



It looks as if the best thought of 

 the period were turning away from the 

 present conventionalized style of design 

 work. The more advanced designers are 

 insisting upon clear outlines, more dis- 

 tinct color plan and better finished 

 work, and it will probably follow that 

 those whose ambition does not lead 

 them in that direction will be driven 

 to some better efforts by an enlightened 

 public opinion. 



Make what you make. If a style 

 which obscures the distinctness of form 

 of the design attempted had any artistic 

 merit of itself, if it were adding any 

 grace, daintiness or fine lines to the 

 form of the piece instead of increasing 

 its heaviness, all kinds of apologies for 

 its continued use might be offered. 

 "Well, it is loose," a chorus of some- 

 bodies is ready to suggest. Yes, it is 

 loose; so is a half -shed snake-skin. As 

 to the additional size it gives to a piece, 

 that is fast getting to be a nuisance 

 at funerals. The number of designs 

 and their exaggerated size are pleas for 

 smaller and choicer pieces. There is 

 danger that if a campaign of education 

 is not soon started by salesmen toward 

 this end, the reaction will be toward 

 no flowers at all for funerals. 



The Solid Style. 



Another conventional style, which 

 preceded the loose one and is still hold- 

 ing its own with the best designers, is 

 the solid style. But it still keeps its 

 hold in the formal design only, its le- 

 gitimate place, being ousted from the 

 basket, the hand bouquet and the cen- 

 terpiece. It is the most fetching style 



of legitimate design that has gained 

 favor. It is practical, speedy and mod- 

 erate. It is true that it takes more 

 flowers. But use a smaller frame and 

 talk quality to the customer. It takes 

 more flowers t^or construction, but few 

 for decorating. Sometimes no more than 

 a group of ferns, a bunch of violets or 

 a dozen roses will be needed. 



A caution right here is in order. Do 

 not use this style on small designs, or 

 you will have meal sacks in place of 

 floral designs. Small designs do not 

 pay, anyhow, unless you use the foliage 

 background construction. 



With a Foliage Background. 



This third style — the style with a fo- 

 liage background — has a reasonable and 

 natural right to a long existence. Make 

 the outline and body of the design of 

 foliage, either the kind which belongs 

 to the flowers to be used for the orna- 

 mental part or another foliage which 

 harmonizes therewith. Then use a more 

 elaborate and pretentious trim. 



Talk about price! Here is where you 



gold or silver cord. Choose a flower 

 of brilliant or decided color. 



A Few Examples. 



Here are a few examples of what 

 such combinations might produce: 



A broken column of Rex begonia; 

 leaves overlaid with a drape of silver 

 net; dot the drape with small pink 

 roses; let it hang loosely from the break 

 to the base; catch in place at the 

 base with a group of long-stemmed pink 

 roses. 



A harp of variegated green and white 

 coleus; strings gilded; a large cluster 

 of yellow roses and marguerites on the 

 front base. 



A wreath of alternantheras with En- 

 chantress carnations and mignonette; 

 use rather long sprays of alternantheras 

 and lay them on top and sides alike, 

 till frame and moss are covered; wrap 

 with gold cord to keep the sprays in 

 place; make a light spray of the carna- 

 tions and lay it on the side of the 

 wreath, securing it in place with fern 

 pins; leave the stems where they are, 

 and firing a few twists of the gold 

 cord across them and tie. 



One's Own Ideas. 



A designer with ideas of his own will 

 conventionalize some one specially pleas- 

 ing and graceful form among a num- 

 ber of its variations, as an Irish harp, 

 an oriental harp, a .true anchor or 

 a casket cross. A fine example of 

 the last mentioned design, made by 

 Chas. A. Samuelson, Chicago, was illus- 

 trated in The Review of February 29, 

 page 13. 



A Comer in the New Store of W. L. Rock Flower G). 



can make good with the "size" cus- 

 tomer, who refuses to be comforted 

 with quality. Make use of noticeable 

 foliage, such as Rex begonia, coleus, 

 vinca, colored geranium, croton, maple. 

 Tricolor amaranthus, farfugium, Cen- 

 taurea gymnocarpa, alternanthera, au- 

 tumn leaves, etc. Some of them are 

 soft, to be sure, but stem after a good 

 soak and, if necessary, spray afterward. 

 If difficulty occurs in keeping them in 

 place, overlap. Emphasize the color, if 

 it seems a little dull, with a drape of 

 gold, silver or bronze net or a tie of 



Any design which represents an ob- 

 ject should be treated in the way which 

 shall best develop its shape and outline. 

 Besides the designs already mentioned, 

 there may be included in this class such 

 designs as the following: Lodge and 

 society emblems, globe, crescent, scroll, 

 wheel, bell, urn, book, crown, clock, 

 sickle, heart, pillow, star, ladder. 



Other phases of conventional design- 

 ing — its adaptability to decorating and 

 the combination of the conventional and 

 strictly natural — will be treated in la- 

 ter articles. G. B. 



