How to make your home bloom, plus 5 tips for the perfect floral display: from choosing seasonal blossoms and the best vase, to creating stunning arrangements and ensuring sustainability
Flowers are a versatile design tool for transforming and enhancing home interiors, and among the simplest way of bringing life and beauty into your living space
Flowers have always been considered an important element in interior design and continue to bloom in various forms across the home, from prints and patterns on furniture and textiles to art on the wall. Whether you want to create a look that’s cool and contemporary or traditional and elegant, florals lend themselves to a multitude of different styles and tastes, making them the ultimate design tool.
“Flowers, like the way you dress, can make a personal style statement. They’re also an accessible way to update an interior space or bring newness,” says Alison Whittle, founder and director of Libertine Flowers at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
“In addition to their aesthetic appearance, the aromas they release can completely change the ambience of a room. Flowers can elevate our mood, reduce stress and even allow us to sleep better,” she says.
Creating a floral display in your home can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Over the years, florists have offered up a plethora of unique styles to emulate, from the avant-garde to the extravagant. Modernists will love the centuries-old Japanese art of ikebana, which prizes aesthetics along with balance, harmony and understated elegance.
Single-stem arrangements are making a comeback and are the epitome of minimalist chic. Foraged florals have also been trending in celebrity homes, highlighting wild seasonal varieties that look as though they’ve been plucked from your back garden.
Identifying the perfect space for your blooms is the first step, as this can affect the size and type of arrangement. Basics such as natural lighting should also be considered to ensure that your flowers look vibrant and stay fresh for as long as possible.
“It’s best to identify what you want in the size and shape of the flower arrangement. Where is it going in the space? Do you have a vase you want to use? What will fit best in that vase? And is there a colour palette you want to use to highlight that space?” says Michael Woodcock, co-founder of Pretend Plants & Flowers in Los Angeles, whose celebrity clients include Chloë Sevigny.
