Thursday, October 1, 2015

Decorating Your Home with Fresh Flowers


Deep crimson, yellow ochre, dusky blues, and berry-bright orange-- these moody, jewel-tones have always been my favorite colors with which to decorate our home. Even when the rest of the world gravitates to white-washed pastels and farmhouse chic, I cling to the dramatic and the eclectic: bold patterns, mismatched textures, and funky colors. So of course, when fall rolls around, I'm thrilled! Finally the rest of the world dons it's autumnal hues-- my absolute favorite color palette.

One way that I love incorporating fall into our home decor is through the use of fall florals. Typically, when you think of using fresh flowers in your home decor, you probably think of it as a spring and summer accessory. But fall brings a plethora of floral options: succulents, pumpkins, sunflowers, wheat stems, dried hydrangeas, berries, dark roses, leafy branches, and of course the quintessential mum. Every year, I decorate our front stoop with mums and pumpkins. But I also love to incorporate fresh autumn flowers into our interior seasonal decor. There's just something about fresh flowers that cheers up a room.

Today, I wanted to share some ways that I've utilized flowers in our fall decor along with some inspiring ideas  from BloomNation.


Tip: Pick flowers that match your home's color theme. 

With its chocolate brown walls and broad leather couch, our living room is without a doubt the coziest room in the house. A common color thread throughout the room is yellow ochre. So when I saw yellow Craspedia (also called Billy Balls) at our local market, I had to buy them. They're so simple but just add a touch of whimsy to our decor. Plus, their bright mustard yellow color perfectly matches our color theme.


Tip: Choose flowers that will last a while, like sunflowers. 

The Craspedia in our living room have been in their vase for a little over a week. I regularly change the water-- I aim for once a day--and they still haven't lost their fluffiness or color. Some flowers, like tulips, are stunning but can wilt pretty quickly. You can always try placing your fresh flowers in the fridge overnight, but if you're like me, you may not have much room in there. Especially if you meal prep! So ask your local florist for flowers that will last a little longer in an arrangement. One of my long-lasting favorites for fall? Sunflowers.


Tip: Choose fluffy flowers that give you more bang for your buck.

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows that bigger, fluffier flowers are the way to go. You get more volume for less money because you're buying less stems. In our wedding, I purchased huge clumps of baby's breath, tied them with burlap ribbon, and put them into galvanized tin buckets for an inexpensive yet dramatic aisle decoration. Now, in my home, I love using hydrangeas because one or two stems create a voluminous bouquet for our dining room table.


Tip: Add texture through greenery, berries, or branches. 

Yesterday, my husband came home with a stunning fall bouquet: an eclectic mix of greenery, roses, sunflowers, and berries. While uniform bouquets can be beautiful, I love the textural interest that this bouquet had. I added two more branches to create vertical height alongside the soft greens and bold crimsons. In my opinion, textural elements like berries and branches really work well in fall decor because they evoke memories of long woodsy walks and campsites.



Tip: Don't be afraid to experiment. 

Not a huge fan of flowers? Or have allergies? Instead of a traditional bouquet, display a branch of changing leaves or even use wheat stems like the fall centerpiece we shared a few days ago.  You can even experiment with unique containers: a pumpkin, a bucket, or tea tins. Vintage or rustic containers really add to the fall flavor.

Need some inspiration? One of my favorite Instagram accounts and Pinterest boards is BloomNation, a community marketplace for discovering talented local florists. i started following them on Instagram @bloomnation awhile ago. Because, frankly, who doesn't love a feed full of stunning flowers? They give tidbits of flower arranging advice and can help you find a really unique florist in your area, just by typing in your zip code. In fact, all of the images posted today are from BloomNation, used with permission of course.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Images sources:  top image: mine // all other images:  BloomNation Pinterest board (used with permission)

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