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In every area of life, we have the ordinary—the base…and then we have the extraordinary—the distinctive.
It could be in how we dress. For men, plain trousers, complementing shirt and then pop it with a colorful tie or blazer. For women, a beautiful dress, matching top and then pop it with jewelry.
For chefs, we know it’s all about presentation. We have the courses plated, but served dish will always have that special garnish to top it off.
And in interior design, it’s often a neutral base, complementary hues, and then that 10% pop of color.
The base is the workhorse. It substantially gets the job done. In dress, culinary plating, design and all things visual, the workhorse is the background.
And then comes the zebra — that unique element that distinctly stands out. It’s that pop that gets our attention. In a field of buckskin horses, what stands out? Where would your eye be drawn? To the zebra of course. That striped, dramatic and unique member of the horse family.
This concept applies to horticultural design as well — both interior and exterior.
We have our workhorse background plants, those that fill the space. These plants may have height and breadth, which provides an interesting texture and coverage, but they don’t provide that unique attraction.
They don’t provide that focal point; the spot your eye is drawn over any aspect of the background.
Then comes the attraction. The extraordinarily unique and dramatic specimens or floral elements. It’s the intended focal point. It’s the zebra.
This plant or arrangement is Intentionally selected to be that spot your eye is drawn. It may be a plant with distinctive and interesting branching habits, or it could be colorful flowering plants, those that capture draw attention. It could even be a unique decorative container or combination of other dramatic elements such as rock or cut class. But its purpose is clear — I am special, look at me!
We couldn’t design with all zebras, nor could we design with all workhorses. It would be too homogenous and not provide the intended visual interest.
So next time you’re dressing, cooking, painting, or designing with plants, consider the base and consider the dramatic—that place of interest, the focal point. And place a zebra or two.
