Flowers are a core design element in any room. They add a pop of sometimes necessary colour, and a natural freshness, bringing the outdoors in.
More and more, quality dried flowers are becoming readily available. Using them is a very economic way to change the look of a room. It's much easier to change a flower bouquet or arrangement, than to change a chair or paint colour.
Another way to bring freshness into a room's design is through branch and blooming branch bouquets. This decor option likens itself to more of a local, or seasonal approach to flowers. Branch bouquets ground a space, bringing the outdoors inside.
The above two flower trends, dried florals and branch bouquets, are not only growing in home decor popularity, but are also becoming trendy in holiday decor and gifts.
Flowers are synonymous with Valentine’s Day. Images of roses, bouquets and other exotic flowers are everywhere. In fact, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for florists, nurseries and flower shops. Sadly, it’s actually the worst time of year to have a flower-centred holiday, as February is still deepest darkest winter in many parts of North America. Seasonally Valentine’s Day occurs when much of the flower stock purchased in North America is not grown locally. The environmental footprint of Valentine’s Day is astronomical. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE fresh flowers. The “pop” of colour that fresh flowers bring during the greyest of winter days brings a smile to my face, and joy to my heart. However, I am becoming more aware of supporting as many local flower farmers as I can (Floret - Washington, US @floretflowers, River & Sea from Delta @riverandseaflowers, etc.) and purchasing seasonal florals. The field to vase movement is becoming quite strong. I try to be as intentional as I can about the food I buy – field to table, grown seasonally and locally, now I'm trying to be intentional about the flowers I'm purchasing also.
So, it makes sense as we become more conscious of our environmental footprint, that different options for flowers and decor are trending. Here are two or my favourite flower trends:
Branch Bouquets
Image (above) by Terrain website, shopterrain.com
As I said above, I am noticing more and more home décor is moving toward natural, earthy elements like branches and grasses in vases. This trend started with outdoor, modern landscapes and has now moved inside. Fresh branches are being used as statement pieces on tables, islands, mantels and in giant floor vases. They add good height and are no longer the “accent” to a main arrangement or planter, they are the star. Athena Calderone of @eyeswoon, arranges a gorgeous statement branch bouquet on her kitchen island. The branches, which replace pendant lights, change seasonally and become a natural focal point of the space.
Image (above) by Athena Calderone's kitchen, from @eyeswoon on Instagram
For the past few years, I have been using branch bouquets to bring fresh spring elements into my home. I love the hint of colour early flowering branches, such as quince branches (salmon & pink colours, image below) and blooming forsythia (yellow) add to late winter.
Branch bouquets are long lasting statement pieces. If you change the water and trim the stems regularly, branches can last for up to 2-3 weeks, or in the winter, stems such as eucalyptus will eventually dry, maintaining their colour. That’s double to triple the life of a fresh flower bouquet. Also, florists and flower markets are now starting to stock a variety of branch options, as many are grown locally (the late winter/early spring bloomers), or are forced to bloom in greenhouses nearby.
Image (above): Valentines Branch Bouquet of early blooming Ginestra and local Pussy Willows
Dried Flower Bouquets & Arrangements
Image above by Of The Flowers Florist, @oftheflowers on Instagram via Style At Home
Many florist shops are starting to display and sell an increasing variety of dried flowers, grasses and branches, as well as fresh flowers. Whether as a gift, or as an arrangement for home decor, dried flowers are definitely having a moment! The plus side of dried flowers is that if kept out of harms way, they can last forever!
Dried flowers tend to have soft, natural tones from the drying process. They blend well into most decor styles and compliment modern and neutral colour palettes amazingly well. Dried flower arrangements with a spray painted leaf or two, also make it easy to add soft metallic accents to a space (image above).
Image above also by Of The Flowers Florist, @oftheflowers on Instagram via Style At Home
Dried flower arrangements also tend to have great texture (grasses, thistles, ferns - jagged leaves, etc.) and are easier to hold their shape, while fresh flowers naturally begin to droop after awhile.
Image above by Crate and Barrel website, www.crateandbarrel.ca
Dried arrangements also have great structure and height that immediately draws attention, inducing "ooh's" and "aah's" from guests. A vertical arrangement of grasses and leaves in a tall vase adds different visible heights to a room (Image above), in the same way a delicate bouquet of soft ferns and vibrant dried flowers adds softness and a chic style to a tablescape (image below my Boho Valentine's Day Tablescape here).
Aside from the growing awareness of the environmental footprint fresh flowers hold, dried flowers and branch bouquets have a lot to offer. I love fresh flowers and will continue to design space with them, but I will also look to dried flowers and branch bouquets as additional options. I hope they continue to trend in home decor for the long run.
Krista
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