Fresh Flowers and Living Elements Are Where It's At

Ok ya'all this conversation is long overdue with the majority of you out there that own and decorate with silk or artificial greenery and flowers. It is what every great designer knows and what a lot of people don't. "Always use real or dried/preserved flowers or elements such as moss twigs, leaves, wood, branches, etc. It is all about bringing the outside in!! Your home is filled with life so why not add that to your decor. Now I am not saying "you must be one with nature" but you cannot deny the beautiful elements this world has to offer!!


Does this look familiar to you?


This is a little know addiction of many people out there and it is a little something I like to call "Plastic Jungle Fever" Yes it is real and I know many of you suffer from this addiction. But there is help and I am offering it today!! The problem is that many of us turn to model homes to follow and decorate after, the only problem with this is nobody lives in them, hence the artificial plant life.

I once had to convince a dear friend of this who was not really sold on why this was such a big deal. When I helped her decorate her kitchen niche, more specifically, an amazing vintage buffet that we had found, I only had her get dried whispy fern and moss balls. We paired this with only white dishes against antique tarnished silver pieces. The result was nothing short of "WOW" !!!

After she saw the result she was hooked and then looked to her kitchen niches way up high and wondered how she could start replacing her artificial greenery. No joke, this was all it took for her to realize that these elements packed a major punch in her design scheme. Check out her buffet below.

Now I know you must be thinking "oh crap, all I own is silk arrangements, what the hec do I do?" And not only that " how do I afford this?" Not to fret!! There is a couple of ways to go about doing this. Lets face it I don't know of a whole lot of people who have the money to spend day in and day out on fresh flowers. You don't have to to achieve this look. Most of these elements you can find in your own backyard!! You can take branches and arrange them in a vase, you can invest in a rose bush that will provide you with beautiful flowers. As I was growing up my grandmother had the most beautiful flower garden and she would often find her favorite rose of the day, cut it and then place it in a charming crystal goblet that was from her wedding and would place it in her kitchen window seal. So there it was... for all to admire and awe. I would sit and stare and the endless beauty of this one flower. My grandmother new the secret of what just one little flower could do. This one flower had presence and demanded the attention of all who entered that kitchen, this one little flower filled the entire room, and this one little flower brought so many smiles. Now granted not all of your elements will have this kind of meaning behind them, but it is just an example of how powerful these living elements can be in adding so much more to your home.

So to get started I recomend clearing out all of the artificial greenery and floral arrangements start fresh. It will force you to think outside the box on how to replace it. I will give you several examples so it can get your mind running:

For a fireplace: Topiaries are fantastic and well as candlesticks of various heights with moss balls or place all different jars with different leaves or flowers in them for an awesome affect.

For the kitchen: place fresh fruits and vegetables from the famers market or your own garden out in a bowl or stacked on cake stands. I love nothing more than looking and fresh herbs or a bowl of lemons in a kitchen. The aroma is amazing!!

For the living room or family room: I love using taller elements for these rooms for added height. Place brances in a vase with water. Or on a coffee table use lower elements such as moss balls cut branches ( see picture below).

Use a large cut branch that looks like a small tree and place it in a room. I have even taken these branches and hung them right on the wall for a couple of my clients and they hang crystals or vintage tags from them

These elements don't have to be complicatied in design nor do they have to fill every area of your home, in fact the more simple and sparing, the more of a statement they will make!!

The photos below are just a few of the ideas I mentioned above and a few of my favorite applications. Notice how none of these overpower the room, but yet they provide a vital accent that brings the room to life!! Enjoy!!