For everything…

May 22, 2016

there is a season. Now that we’re nearing the end of May, the time for tulips is coming to a close. There could not have been a more perfect simplequietmodern finale than these Parrot tulips…my hands down favorite…in my favorite tulip color.

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What’s moving  in to take their place through the summer months will be equally simple…a single (maybe two ) Monstera  dropped into a glass cylinder. Cost effective at less than ten dollars a piece, this one has been going strong for over a month. Fresh…modern…sculptural. I can see this being my “go to” until Fall.

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Photos:gp

 

Life in Black and White

February 15, 2016

When these February mornings look like a black and white photograph, some color is in order.  A little pink will warm things up…particularly if that pink is expressed in tulips. Simply arrange in hand, tie up with a piece of jute cord and lean in a simple glass cylinder vase, simplequietmodern style.

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Photos: gp

 

 

never boils. The same can be applied to getting your orchid plants to bloom . There is plenty of information out there…if you can Google, you can drown in it. Or, you can do what I do and extract the few simple points that are pertinent and don’t over complicate things. Some good indirect light, a light watering using the ice-cube technique once a week, some cooler nighttime temperatures, a bit of air movement and patience…that’s it. And when you least expect it…the best surprise ever. I’m serious. It doesn’t get any more simplequietmodern than that.

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Slowly awakening

March 2, 2013

Once I’ve made it through January and February I can breathe a little easier. There may still be a bit of Winter to deal with, but once March rolls in we can see the promise of Spring…like the light at the end of Winter’s long dark tunnel. Even before we get into the forcing of flowery branches we have the option of bringing indoors the earliest signs of the earth waking back up. Bits of moss and lichen seem the first to emerge as the snow melts off, bright spears of dogwood follow, reminding us that yes, things will be green again. And, their appeal could not be more simplequietmodern. If you are lucky enough to gather them locally, great. If not, Terrain offers both of these branch selections, harvested from the Pacific Northwest, by post.lichenmoss_24900409_001_g_terrnmosslichen_24900409_001_d_terrCopy of Lichenvase_24900409_001_a_terrCopy of yeldogwd_27805530_001_b_terrn http://www.shopterrain.com/stems-branches/

If you’re lucky,

October 18, 2012

while out for a country ” color tour”  this month you might just happen upon some of these. What appears at first glance to be the remnants of a tennis ball “spill” along the roadside turns out to be one of my Fall fovorites…the Osage Orange. I look forward each year to collecting them for use as a seasonal decoration, filling bowls or vases with their bright chartreuse color and appealing texture. In a temperate interior they  can easily last for 2-3 months providing not only a great burst of color but naturally repelling spiders in the process.

Summer Rocks

August 26, 2012

And, that is the inspiration for this simple “assembled” floral display…a found object…a rock. Well, that and the white-hot sunlight that August brings and lush green lawns.  What could be more refreshing on a hot hot day than crisp white and the cooling effect of  mossy green? interpreted in Ornithogalum and Dianthus barbatus cultivar…simply arranged in an assortment of clear and frosted glass cylinders, this grouping can stand alone on your dining or coffee table any day of the week or, with a little further augmentation, create a quiet, elegant presentation for some occasion more special. Perhaps grouping the parts on a white lacquer tray or natural log slice, adding more egg rock or river stones and some simple votive candlelight to compliment the star-shaped blooms?  Any way you rock it you’ve got simplequietmodern that lasts and lasts ( these flowers in the photo are in week 3) and won’t break the bank.