Fresh Flowers Enhance Interior Design
With the holidays in full force, it’s likely you’re welcoming friends and family to your home more than ever right now. You’ve probably done extra cleaning and belabored the menu, but have you thought about flowers and how they can complement your interiors and add a thoughtful touch?
Robyn Zandt, an interior designer and our resident stylist at JH Interior Design, said flowers bring in a natural element and create a welcoming environment. “Flowers and plants help soften the hard edges of a space,” she said. “And they give people a little peaceful beauty.”
Robyn has a fashion design and textiles degree and her early career included floral design. She said the elements of design are the same whether you’re talking about fashion, interiors or floral. You want to think about color, texture, layers, symmetry or asymmetry, repetition and more.”
“You never want floral to compete or clash with the interiors,” Julie Hockney, president and lead designer, said about incorporating flowers into her designs. “To me it’s all about coordinating with the space or balancing what it may be lacking. I’ll do something that’s taller for a huge flat island or maybe bring in an existing accent color and repeat it with the floral.”
And you want to think about function. “If you’re doing a dining piece, it needs to be lower so people can see around it,” Julie said.
Likewise, you want to be considerate of the containers that hold your flowers. “I think any vessel that’s interesting can be used,” Julie said. “But it needs to make sense in the design. It should repeat a finish you have already used and most importantly it should be watertight.”
Think about flowers in both formal arrangements for tables or buffets and loose stems in a vase for a powder room or near the kitchen sink. They can also serve a duo purpose—both as decoration and as a take-away for guests. When entertaining, Julie recommends using both larger and smaller containers and sprinkling them with votive candles around the table or buffet. “You can turn a table scape into parting gifts,” she said. “Have several smaller pieces people can take with them.”
Of course, JH Interior Design’s sister company Bouquet can assist. Call your interior designer and she can work with a floral designer to create a custom look that complements your space. Or call Bouquet directly and tell them what you’re imagining. Floral touches are the natural accessories that help to finish interior design. They also add a touch to tell your guests you gave extra thought to make a special environment for them.