Green shoots of hope
Wild and expressive, floral motifs offer an endless source of inspiration for your interiors. These spaces are blooming with fresh ideas for you to pick from, whether you’re inclined towards nostalgia, a fan of the classics, a bohemian at heart or all about the mix.
Gently worn
An eclectic mix of vintage-inspired fabrics will take on a fresh, pretty energy when set against a crisp white backdrop in the company of contemporary and rustic furnishings, multiple fresh flower displays, framed botanical artworks and whimsical decorative details.
Style notes
To keep faded florals on the right side of contemporary, take a bold approach and layer an assortment of colours and prints that are connected by a botanical theme and harmonious colour palette.
A romantic assortment of country posies have been displayed en masse and in vases of different sizes and colours, establishing a mood that is effortless and unpretentious.
A fresh backdrop acts as a canvas, allowing you to play with proportion, colour, form and pattern. Texture is another way to convey character: rough with smooth, reflective glass with scuffed wood, hand-crafted with mass-produced and flea market finds with organic, natural ephemera.
Create interest through small details. The scatter cushions on the armchairs, for example, feature a similar exotic print but are subtly different thanks to green and red piping.
Great idea
Photocopy floral fabric onto paper stock and use it in various craft and customisation projects: above, for example, a vintage book of poetry (on the metal stool in the foreground) has been covered in floral printed paper.
The dark arts
A dramatic, colour-washed feature wall can carry off an equally dramatic installation of flowers, statement vases and artworks. Flowers, which by their very nature are little objects of opulence, are displayed in customised vintage vessels that have been stacked and affixed together to form an old-new object.
Style notes
Jewel tones provide pops of eye-catching colour.
A wall-mounted shelf is the ideal landing spot for an out-of-the-ordinary floral display — this one is a salvage yard find and has masses of character.
Pressed flowers and leaf fronds, as well as bird nests, have been spray-painted white once flattened and dried, then attached to heavyweight paper using artist’s adhesive. Finally, they are framed — minus the glass — as intriguing artworks.
Great idea
The brush-stroke distressed feature wall above is a satisfying weekend project. Pick a contrasting colour to your existing wall (which should ideally be neutral white) and using a rolling brush, start by painting the top section of the wall as you would when applying a solid coat of paint. As you approach a ¼ of the way down, start working in a lighter hand with the roller until you have light, imperfect strokes that have a smudged, chalky finish.
Magic realism
It may be impermanent, but this living painting will make a stunning installation for a special seasonal gathering at home, a wedding celebration or a fashion or design event.
Style notes
Find an old, ornate frame and paint it the colour of your choice.
Stretch a piece of sturdy neutral fabric tautly across the back of the frame and use a staple gun to attach it.
Source a floral image and paste it onto the back of your self-made fabric canvas.
Using an art knife, carefully cut out the top half of the glued on picture and fabric, then fold it down so it looks as if it is spilling out of the bottom of the frame.
Attach a large piece of Oasis floral foam to a tray with strong glue, then mount the tray onto the wall. Position your frame over the Oasis – the Oasis should be sticking through the ‘opening’ of your homemade canvas.
Begin to form your floral arrangement by placing flowers in the Oasis and work until it appears that the ‘painting’ and flowers are one for a mind-twisting effect.
Great idea
The Rjiksmuseum and The British Library are two great public domain sites where you will find free-to-use work by the Old Masters and more contemporary imagery as well as scientific sketches, paintings and illustrations that you can have professionally printed.
Press play
The hobby of flower pressing gets a modern update as does the idea of layering artworks. And who wouldn’t swoon for an azure blue velvet sofa to hold it all together...
Style notes
This installation on a pine-clad wall was created by pressing flowers and leaves, spray-painting them white, sticking onto artist’s quality paper and displaying in simple, contemporary frames – some overlapping for an informal effect.
These are juxtaposed with a vintage painting in an unusual mahogany frame.
A real posy of white flowers in a ceramic wall-mounted vase creates a sense of layering while a vase, typically designated to a table top, is displayed playfully on the floor.
A velvet-upholstered French sofa and scatter cushions introduce a sense of opulence.
A floral rug, printed or woven, is a strong focus in a room and a brilliant way to establish a botanical theme while injecting pattern and colour.
Don’t allow a floral theme to drag your home into the past: add contemporary furniture and objects to express modernity: in this case a footstool upholstered in chunky tweed and two contemporary side tables in glossy black and natural wood that echo the timber on the wall.
Great idea
Discover the lost art of flower pressing. Choose your flora making sure it’s dry. Place between two sheets of plain parchment or wax (sandwich) paper and put these face down in the middle of a coffee table book. Weigh the book down and leave for a week to 10 days – longer if possible. Spray paint the dried foliage and flowers white once dried and attached to paper using artist’s adhesive, then frame for a dramatic display. Don’t saturate your dried flowers with paint – spray them lightly to allow some of their colour to still show through.
Darling buds
This bohemian bedroom is defined by a playful mix of prints, statement walls, quirky flea-market finds, classic pieces and a sophisticated colour palette interjected with vibrant pops of colour.
Style notes
Wall spaces given over to florals is a style game-changer. In this instance the imagery has been hand-painted, the mural having been inspired by interior brand de Gournay’s chinoiserie wallpapers.
Tiger and leopard print is the new black and works brilliantly in adding a fashionable edge to a space.
Take a design-forward approach by layering your floral prints: think traditional renderings married with quaint country blooms as well as more abstract, painterly prints.
A beautiful kimono or tunic left on display becomes a design piece in itself, adding vibrancy and pattern to the room setting.
The floral theme is continued through small visual details: the flea-market oil painting on top of the wardrobe and the ornate mirror frame have a thematic connection to the textiles and wall mural.
Great idea
Your walls are the perfect canvas to express your passion for flowers and you don’t need a bespoke mural to do it. Options include a single wallpapered statement wall; printed wall panels (we love the selection from Rebel Walls); large-scale prints made up of botanical and floral imagery (the Rjiksmuseum and The British Library archives have a vast array of free downloadable imagery); or scouring second-hand book shops for lucky finds featuring floral and botanical drawings and paintings; and covering an entire wall, collage-style, for a customised installation.
Words: Mandy Allen
Production: Sven Alberding
Photographs: Greg Cox/ Bureaux, Warren Heath/ Bureaux