Romantic Faux Floral Arrangement
The rain and soft sunshine of early spring are upon us here in California, where the first blossoms of a new season are beginning to form. Now is the perfect time to update our decor with some pretty new floral designs. Since it is still a little early for many varieties of fresh flowers to become available, I decided to create a faux arrangement instead.
I love the Romantic style of vintage-inspired decor and have had this pink metal urn for several years now sitting in my studio filled with scotch tape and other unworthy items. It is a vintage-looking piece, very ornate with a stamped gold border that beckoned to be filled with a profusion of blooms in a soft Victorian palette. Pinks and purples seemed fitting, as they highlight the delicate, old-fashioned European style of the container.
To design this arrangement I began by selecting flowers in a range of pinks, lavenders and plums with a few green and white blooms for accents. To evoke a loose and organic garden style, I chose a variety of different shapes and sizes of flowers then arranged them freely without floral foam which made the piece less fussy and more natural.
It is extremely important to choose only high quality flowers if you want a realistic look. Below, a few close-up images of the flowers I used show the detail and construction of these materials. Notice the silk floral petals are often more than one color and textured.
I selected lavender peonies and light pink ranunculus combined with antique white lisianthus to form the core of the arrangement then inserted deep plum peonies for dramatic effect.
For gesture and movement I finished the piece with willow branches, burnt pink larkspur and a few sprigs of white chamomile flowers. These pieces add spontaneity to the design as they appear unplanned and natural.
The overall mood of the piece turned out to be very unstructured and richly textured with a vintage Romantic style. It reflects the transition between winter and spring...
