I was working with a photographer shooting a recently completed design project. Everything looked pristine and camera-ready. He mentioned to me while he was shooting that he would never shoot a room without flowers in it.
Luckily, we had beautifully arranged cut flowers in the room, but I understood his thought process. The difference is noticeable if you’ve seen a room photographed without any flowers in it. That uninhabited space needs something to make it breathe, to make the room come to life. I make it a rule to always have fresh cut flowers for every photo shoot, even bathrooms.
Florals are on my mind a lot lately, first because I was sent an impressive 8 X 10-foot wall of hand-made silk peonies to use as a backdrop on a recent segment on the Marilyn Denis Show on CTV.
Secondly, through most of the winter I’ve been working with The Sunshine Bouquet Company, who supply many of the major grocery chains throughout North America with fresh cut florals. The floral wall arrived from the Flower Wall Company in five large boxes, each containing multiple panels already covered in carefully crafted, silk peonies.
It was easy to assemble with panels designed to click together to create a fantastic focal wall. Celebrities have led the charge in using this unique design feature in a variety of floral species and colours for décor in baby girl’s rooms or as a gorgeous backdrop for weddings.
It photographed so well in our “growing up girl’s bedroom” segment that the prop stylist asked to reuse it on the Valentine’s day show. I was a little taken aback at how great its impact was on the set, but flowers and colour have that affect, they make everything come to life.
In fact, how many times have you walked past the floral section in the grocery store, enjoyed the sight of the bright colours and spontaneously picked up a bouquet.
Flowers are instantly satisfying and appreciated. Yet how many of us will treat ourselves to flowers just because? The floral industry sells natural beauty and pure happiness. What an amazing field to work in! (Pun intended).
It’s also a billion-dollar industry that is working hard to keep up with a changing marketplace. As millennials continue to influence trends, we see less over-sized arrangements and more whimsical, hand-made bouquets.
Single-stem flowers with a wisp of greenery can make as much of a statement as a armful of flowers. As trends from Europe continue their influence, the North American market is eager to embrace not just new trends in florals, but also in the containers in which they are placed.
The floral industry is now, more than ever connected to changing colour trends that generally start in fabric and fashion and work their way to interior design and accessories.
If your home reflects a trend, like modern country or mid-century modern, there’s a floral arrangement for that. In fact, it’s easy and less expensive to stay on trend with florals and containers than changing your furniture and accessories.
If you love the rose gold trend but can’t afford a new watch, buy a vase in this latest colour and add some soft pastel florals and greenery to capture the look for less.
Florals should never be considered a luxury, they should be part of your life, every day. They are such a versatile feature that can be changed weekly, inexpensively and easily.
It’s just a short trip to the store for instant beauty and happiness. Remember that the next time you walk by the floral section at the grocery store or a floral retailer.
