DIY Florals

Let's start with a step-by-step guide for how to recreate your amazing DIY florals!

Step 1: Gather your supplies: a vase, clippers or sharp scissors, tape and flowers of course!

Step 2: Create a tape grid on top of your vase to hold your flowers steady. More tape will give you more control of the shape of the arrangement.

Step 3: Start with a base of greenery or a leafy stem. Eucalyptus or seeded eucalyptus are usually easy to find at a farmer's market or supermarket depending on your location. This will allow you to have a layering system with your other flowers and create a point of tension to hold them in place.

Step 4: Add one variation of flowers—I like to have a minimum of 3 different types to keep the arrangement interesting. In the first arrangement, I used an assortment of dry stems such as fern, pampas grass and silk anthuriums. 

Step 5: Add 2-3 stems of your second type of flower.

Step 6: Add 1-2 focal flowers in the center of your arrangement to draw attention there. These can be any type of detailed flower, such as poppies, anthuriums or protea, or whatever you have available!

Step 7: Make any finishing touches to cover any gaps or missing pieces inside the arrangement and make sure there is no tape showing!

More generally, what is your best advice for creating an arrangement that feels festive and sets the mood for holiday?

Two of my favorite tricks for making a festive holiday arrangement are scale and color. A large centerpiece can make a dinner table, mantle or any area in the home really special. If you can add in some seasonal colors, such as warm tones like burgundy, orange and yellow, you will really drive the holiday mood home. 

How do you approach holiday decor and what role does floral design play?

I like to think about what exactly is the feeling we want in the home and I want it to inform all of the decisions I make with design. Floral design can execute those feelings spot on. If I want it to feel very cozy, I can add some texture with a stem like pampas grass. If I want a very homey feeling, I can add some seasonal fruits. If I want it to feel very fun, I can add in some bright colors like pinks and blues. The options are endless with flowers.

What inspires your work?

I like to be inspired by my imagination. I think in the past flowers have played more of a traditional, one-dimensional role in people's lives and I like to see just how expressive I can be with flowers. How many feelings can we convey, how much joy can we bring to people, how can we surprise our customers? Making an effort to bring something fresh to such a classic industry gets me excited.

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

I'm a new mom so I am definitely looking forward to spending time with my family! I am so excited to see how the definition of holiday family time will change with my son, Ciel, and possibly have him get to meet some new family members in very small groups.