Products

BILLY BUTTONS bunched and used as a feature of dried botanical wreaths are emblematic of STUDIO174 style.  I have chosen this limited palette of plants to work with because they are attractive to me. The aesthetic qualities of plants that grow in the bush are often widely under-appreciated because they are seen as wild and disorderly, but I find the abstract wiry or linear qualities of stems and flowers of bush and grassland plants an opportunity to appreciate the subtle textures and patterns within the Tasmanian and Australian landscape. The loose and wiry characteristics of tiny Calocephalus and the tangled white Leucophyta branchlets are attractive foliage forms that contrast well with the yellow spherical Billy Button flowers.  The linear and textural qualities of sedges, tufts and grasses are a way of showing that ordinary plants can be beautiful.  The plant material that I choose for the different designs dry well and have excellent longevity.  Images of individual products can be seen on the PRODUCTS page, and more information about the different plants used can be found on the PLANTS page. 

Billy Buttons (Craspedia globosa) and the rare and endangered Lemon Beauty-heads (Calocephalus citreus) are cultivated specifically for drying as cut flowers.  All other plants are seasonally wild picked within our Mount Rumney bush property or from local environs.  Each wreath is hand made and is a means of showing off the individual characteristics of native plants, particularly local Tasmanian flora.

Care Instructions

The sun can bleach and fade the natural colour of plants, so they are best kept out of direct sunlight and in a dry, airy space.  Moist atmospheres will encourage the growth of moulds.  Dried flowers are more brittle than fresh plants and need to be handled with care.  As dried flowers will last indefinitely, dust will gather over time.  Gently blow the dust off or move a duster over the flowers without touching them directly.  While wreaths can be an object for seasonal display, they have decorative attributes that can be enjoyed all year round.  When not on display a wreath should be stored in a cool, dry place and protected from gathering dust.  

Display

The colour of a wall and the type of light falling on a surface will significantly contribute to the appearance of a hanging wreath.   The changing light conditions during the day, the angle of the light, the direction from which it comes and whether it is natural or artificial will make a dramatic difference to its appearance.  Just changing the position can change the way a wreath looks.  Shadows can create quite dramatic effects.  Some examples can be seen on the Gallery page.