Brighten up your home this winter with a different floral approach

The appetite for dried flowers appears to be as strong as ever this winter, with people not only buying them but also trying to perfect the process themselves. Great to see people’s DIY spirit is alive and kicking!

But if you’re looking for something a little longer-lasting, then you could do a lot worse than considering a faux flower arrangement to help cheer up your home in these long winter months.

We spoke with Miami based interior stylist Janet Coon who works on a range of floral techniques and considers faux flowers an integral part of the mix.

“While it’s still winter and our gardens are not yet in bloom, a faux floral arrangement is a great way to freshen up the home,” says Janet.

“Fresh flowers are beautiful, but you can still create that ‘wow’ factor that brightens your space, with a faux arrangement done correctly. Choose a colour scheme or go for your favourite  type of flower and build from there. Add some faux greens and find a vessel that coordinates with your decor. Your room will be instantly refreshed, and you can enjoy the look and feel for a number of years to come.”

Well, that’s our weekend sorted! Check out some of Janet’s tips below for making your own arrangements.

1. Group your flowers according to colour and type. If they come as bunches, you can separate them into individual flowers.

2. Use floral foam or floral tape to make a criss-cross pattern across the top of your vase. This allows you to section out your flowers and helps you to keep your arrangement even, all the way around.

3. For a size guide, hold the stem upside down against your vase and trim with wire cutters where needed. You can bend the stem to the right size instead if you'd like to place the flowers in different size vases in the future.

4. Use a mix of different heights and colours in each section to make the arrangement look more natural. To give your flowers a very real effect, slightly bend those around the edge so they appear to be drooping.

5. Once you've added flowers to each section, you can decorate with some greenery. If your fake greenery looks slightly less credible, you can always embellish your arrangement with some live plants if you have any. If you're using a glass vase, some water will give it a nice added touch ;).

6. Finally, check your flower display all the way around to make sure it looks full from all angles.

There you have it. A stunning display to uplift any home. For more inspiring lifestyle and home design ideas from Janet Coon, check out her awesome blog.