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Fabric and flowers are all you need to make your house a home. Speaking for myself, I never need a reason to buy fresh flowers. They are simply so amazing to have around the house. Fake flowers don’t come close to having the fresh kind around but they are beautiful too and they will remain in very good condition if you care for them properly.
The process of creating your own space is very rewarding. These are a few touches which give it that little bit extra, whilst still trying to be practical.
Decorating Your Bedroom
Let’s talk framing your rooms. Go the extra mile with your curtains, bed skirts, slipcovers, or any fabric that flirts with the ground in your home, literally adding a few extra inches is all that stands between you and a much more relaxed (and yet smartly styled) feel.
Many of the trends now are towards minimalism, so that bit of extra fabric is what will make the whole look a tad more cozy and homey rather than bare.
Our Tips
1. Use a quality fabric
Whether you go with something silkier (like organza), more structured (like velvet), or airy (like linen), the pooling effect will show off its structure – so cheap fabric will read that way.
2. Don’t do it everywhere
This look can give off a messy feel if you overdo it, so don’t pool more than one fabric or furnishing in a room. Metal or wood pieces on furniture legs will keep the overall appearance cleaner.
3. Aim for an added 1 to 3 extra inches
Going even more overboard (adding six whole inches, let’s say) will look extra – maybe overly – romantic, and at that length you might be fluffing and futzing with them, to get them to way the way you like rather than admiring them.
4. Skip other frills
Adding trim along the bottom, pleating, or adding ruffles will take this look from casual to fruffy very quick. A simple panel, doubling over or puffing up, is more elegant than any bells and whistles could be.
5. Customize
In the literal sense, it’s going to be easier to get this effect if you have an upholsterer create a custom panel length – though alternatively, you could let out a standard curtain lengths hem a few inches to make it work.
6. Don’t limit pooling to curtains
Think beyond curtains and bed skirts: Slip covers, tablecloths, and shower curtains (the washable, don’t-mind-getting-wet variety) could all be barely pooled, too.
Decorating Your Home With Flowers
How to choose your flowers
Pick a colour sequence of no more than three colours
It’s easy to get carried away while browsing a flower shop – but making something beautiful is easier when your flowers match each other. In the winter go for colours such as purple and orange; white, green and blue and red or else pick one block colour and go wild – whole bouquets of white – or rather choose one variety of flower – baby’s breath for example.
If you’re making multiple bouquets, pick a base flower
Look out for an inexpensive, filler flower in a neutral colour – and then stretch it throughout all of your arrangements. This allows you to buy in bulk – and to have fun picking special items for each separate bouquet. Think of the delicate white Limonium – simply small and elegant.
Be wary of the flowers on sale
They’re on sale for a reason; the store is trying to move them quickly. If you’re looking for your flowers to last up to a week, it’s best to buy them full-price. If you’re looking for them for the night then go for it though they might need a little help to stay up straight.
Keep in mind that big flowers stretch the farthest
If you’re on a budget, go for a larger type of flower. They take up more space in a bouquet, so you can buy less of them. Bigger flowers are also easier to work with and look especially gorgeous standing solo too.
Think about timing
Some flowers, like roses and tulips, benefit from a night in water. If you’re building a bouquet for the same day, it’s important to keep this in mind.
Work on symmetry
When you’re starting arrangements, it’s easiest to make things beautiful by working in symmetry. Putting a pink flower on the left? Put another on the right. Is there a big flower towards the front? Try framing the bouquet with them.
Test for height
Each flower should get two snips: one to test the height, and one to determine the height. This allows room for error – the first snip should allow for a second cut, so that you don’t accidentally cut flowers too short.
How To Take Care Of Your Flowers
Change your water every day
If you have time, wash the vase with soap and water, and add a tiny bit of bleach to each new change of water (this will kill the bacteria). Each time you put your flowers in new water, you should give the stems a fresh cut too.
Do a mid-week check-in. These are living plants, after all — they’re going to morph as they get older. Take some time to prune your bouquet as the week goes on.
Decorating Your Home With Gorgeous Wreaths
Wreaths are not necessarily for just Easter and Christmas periods. Many people like to use them to brighten up the place. A fresh, lush, green spring wreath is such a welcome and inviting addition to any home.
Using the first of delicate new spring growth, mixed with the dry weathered branches of winter and the foliage of fall, a perfect harmony between old and new is formed. New leaves and blossoms don’t tend to hold up particularly well due to their fragile nature, so in your wreath try to include some small test tubes with a bit of water to keep the flowers as fresh as can be.
How to Make a Wreath
- Using a moss base, attach your roll of wire by toeing it to the wreath frame. Form small bunches of twigs and the drier foliage and place onto the moss. Wrap your wire just around the stems, until it is fully secure on the base.
- Continue to layer the bunches, making sure each time that it is securely stuck to the wire. Do this until the wreath is completely covered.
- Tape a thick wire, or a stick, to a plastic test tube of water. Poke through the foliage and press the stick (with the test tube attached) firmly into the moss. The more delicate spring blooms and blossoms can now be placed inside the test tube(s). Just a few stems in each. Continue to fill out the wreath with the spring blooms.
- Final touches can include feathers, dandelion clocks, ribbons and other seasonal treasures to complete the look.
To Fake It, or Not To?
Seasons change, but your florals don’t have to. If you pick them well your flowers will last you many years. Add that bit of water so that people won’t even realise they’re fake.
Just make sure you’re buying high-quality and realistic flowers.
They need little maintenance, but do dust and vacuum them. Give them a wash from time-to-time and let them dry outside.
When buying flowers keep in mind sustainability, ethical sourcing. Think about the flower supply chain – where are the flowers coming from and how do they reach your store? Look for internationally recognised standard marks that are inspected by independent assessors so that they ensure standards are maintained. Also see that the growers are committed to reduce on their use of natural resources, energy use and non-organic fertilizers and pesticides, year after year.
