7 Tips for Timeless, Tasteful Permanent Florals

When it comes to fake plants and flowers, most people think of a faded, dusty ivy above their grandmother's kitchen cabinets, or a sad display of leggy stems that have been pushed to the back and forgotten about. We all want the look of fresh plants and flowers in our home or work environment, but the hassle and expense can be someone ridiculous. You CAN have the look with permanent florals and botanicals if you follow these tips...

Tip #1- If it doesn't look like you could pluck it out of your garden or could buy it from the market, don't waste your money! There's no need to settle for anything less with all of the resources we have today. Stay away from bright greens and over saturated florals- they just don't look real.

Tip #2- When designing florals, put the focus on an artful piece of driftwood or other natural element, rather than just all flowers. This will take the focus off of the actual plant, which will make the piece more believable.

The 2 pieces above were designed by me, and created by one of my fabulous vendors in Houston (For All Occasions).

Tip #3- Throw in a little bling. Add small detailing that make your piece unique and fun. 

The gold rocks in the pictures above add the perfect amount of metallic detailing to somewhat tone-on-tone pieces.

Tip #4- Use succulents, when possible, for the majority of your greenery. Also, spidery flowers also tend to look more real than petaled flowers. Succulents and cacti naturally have a rubbery look and texture, so they can be copied quite easily and successfully in the fake plant world!

Tip #5- Use other objects instead of florals to create the same effect. For example, different types of coral make quite a dramatic statement! The picture below is dressed as a floral arrangement, with a mood moss and rock base, but then a beautiful piece of white coral is the focal point, with airy fan coral floating above it! This makes quite a wonderful look.

Tip #6- Clustering single stems or grasses repetitively will give a believable, dramatic look. There is nothing quite more beautiful than a mound of your favorite flower. Short grasses can also be extremely cool looking when done in a straight row.You can mix the shades slightly for more depth, but keeping it all simple and the same usually results in the most stunning look. To make flowers look even more believable, stabilize stems in clear acrylic (you can buy at the craft store) and it will look like water.

This picture above was taken in one of the bathrooms I designed.

The grass installation above was done in an office space, dividing 2 sections of open workspaces. What a great feel this gives a space that would normally not have anything green!

Tip #7- Mix real and fake flowers for a very unique look! There are times when real flowers are more preferable, especially in table settings, so create a look you love with a mixture of both! The pictures below show several arrangements I've done with both! Can you guess which is real and which is not?? You won't be able to tell if you do it right!