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Make a beautiful home with dried flowers
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Every one wants their house to look just the perfect, the one meticulously decked abode which everyone is appreciating about. Anything that makes a house look inviting and evokes a welcome is flowers.
Flowers in general and dried ones in particular look exquisitely beautiful when used for home decoration. Group together a few large blooms and tie them at the base with some nice pink satin ribbon (you can very well opt for any other colour that suits better other than pink). Make a subtle statement with a dual use of colours, you can preferably use some dried lavender and dried sunflowers, which will create a nice array of yellow and a light violet tinge.
Place the flowers in a vase or a glass and place anywhere you like. For example, you may place it on the work station and make it a little more exciting or place two similar ones on either side of the TV or a nice big dried flower arrangement at the entrance.
Now I am about to share with you one of my all time favorites. I always do this when ever I have my favorite blossoms ready after drying. Take a big, spacious, traditional urn or a terracotta jar, preferably an oval-shaped one. Now insert some long stemmed dried blossoms alongwith some dried wheat ales and other dried vines like ivy into the pot making a nice grouped array. If you want you can also add some dried fruits and vegetables as well and place it on the staircase landing. This thing looks great.
A nice collection of tiny vases with dried china roses and some baby breath also looks great on the freezer or the study table.
The main thing is with flowers be a little creative and think of different ways, anything that comes out will be good and nice, after all it is flowers you are using, and anyway they always look great.
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Who likes a dull home that looks all the same all throughout the year, season after season? But then coming up with inventive ideas every time is a little tough. But don’t worry, with the innovative tips we give you redefining the house with dried flower arrangements is no more an issue at all. Have a look and grab at the best.
- Let’s start with the dinner session. If you are planning a nice, cozy romantic dinner with your partner then it’s great to arrange for a classic lilac and roses accentuated with elegant satin ribbon. Place it at the center of the table and surround with some candles and enjoy the magic engrossing your senses.
- On the other hand if it’s a get-together with friends then it’s better to be a little more lively and colourful. In this case a collection ginger with bird of paradise will just be perfect.
- Again if it is an afternoon feast with extended family introduce a bright flowering plant, may be a daffodil or some irises. The purpose is to make the house more ready for the festive mood, what do you say?
- Next, from now on every time the guests come at your place give them a nice and different greeting than the last time. Take the help of dried flowers and blossoms; attach a small vase to your welcome wreath and insert a few fresh flower stems. Just watch the warm smile they give once they are about to enter.
Decorating the rooms with flowers is a great idea. As we had discussed earlier, houses have their unique personality. So first and foremost try to understand the particular aura and personality of your apartment and then start decorating it with flowers, dried or fresh, anything will do!
- First one the in-list of home décor trends is the idea to match the interior of your room with the latest floral trends. For example, monobotanic or monochromatic is just the hype right now. That means either incorporate arrangements made of just a single kind of flower or maintain one colour palette in all the arrangements to create unanimity.
- If that doesn’t appeal you much then you can try for a more fashionable look. Take our tips and see the magic. Group some vases together holding a few long stemmed flowers within. We would prefer a little more adventure and prefer to introduce nice china pieces or champagne glasses in place for vases to match the décor of the room.
- Grab some blossoms with soothing colours like some blues and turquoises for a nice tranquil feeling. Or even some orange and red would be great for a vibrant and sensual change into the entire atmosphere. Among some other nice colours would be some pinks and peaches and yellows and lavenders, enough to brighten up your home sweet home.
- Here’s the trade secret, if you have some traditional urns or antic teapots stored away somewhere in the attic, get them and place some dried flower arrangements within. They simply make fascinating sights with the casual edge of the dried flower arrangements crowning the effect and glorifying the corner.
So there you go, take the little tips and bring them into use and see what wonders flowers can do!!
The definition of architecture and interior decoration has undergone a huge evolution in the last decade ushering in completely novel designs and innovative ideas of a new vision of embellishing the HOME.
One of the zones that have undergone the most change is the kitchen. The once damp and dingy kitchen now has prominent windows, stretched out island and countertop spaces, inventive seating areas and open floor plans. In gist all these features signify the ushering in of the outdoor right into the kitchen making both cooking and hanging out much much much more interesting. But just that may not be enough all the times. Whether you have a spacious kitchen or little cozy one, fresh cut flowers are supposedly the best possible way of giving your kitchen that refreshing natural touch.
Select some fresh or dried flowers to decorate your kitchen on a daily basis but while you do that keep the designing of the kitchen interiors and your own personals style and taste for blossoms and aroma.
You may have a cottage style interior or a classic one, a mosaic or a modern or even the urban chic look but whatever it is these floral tips will fit in just anywhere and everywhere.
If you want a little bold look then go for some bright yellow and orange blossoms or some red and organza but don’t choose more than two colours at a time.
When placing some flowers on the kitchen table cut the stems to a height below the eye level and keep the entire bunch at the same height.
While arranging the flowers keep the scale and texture in mind. It will be nice idea to mix the large bloomed flowers with the smaller blooms. Like a combination of sunflowers and peonies with roses and poppies. When tinkling the texture part mix and match a few lisianthus or sweet pea with belles or delphinium.
If you prefer a simple yet elegant look then a monobotanic bunch of just roses or lilies in a can will look great beside the sink.
Finally if you have a little backyard garden or some plants on the terrace blend a few of the everyday humble flowers like carnations or daisies with roses to maintain a decent palette yet a grand look.
Alike individual human beings even individual houses have a unique personality of their own. Keeping that in mind there are basically 5 categories of home decorating personalities prevalent. And it is mesmerizing to find out how flowers can harmonize and augment and beauty and décor of an abode.
- First goes the Classic Traditional Category. This kind of an interior has proper ceremonial architecture with remarkable front doors. These also have large lobbies and individual decorated rooms with lush tapestries, draped generously with classic furnishings and antique fabrics of brocade elegance and silk and georgette. Such an interior calls for a floral arrangement which is a mixture of flowers like roses, iris, carnations and lilies and snapdragons and gladiola along with some dried fruit and foliage accents.
- Next is the Victorian Type. When it comes to Victorian the elements of concern are satin and laces, organza and chintz. The Victorian homes are characterized by a vibe of romance and daintiness. Hence soft tone prints and pastel colours are the more popular in Victorian Homes. So the apt flowers for such a set-up would be sweet-smelling flowers like roses, spray roses, peonies, lavender, gardenias, and freesia. All of these are light colored blossoms coming in pale peach, lavender, pink, yellow and cream. These shades help conjuring the eternal images of sensuality and romance. A glittering effect will be attained once you place these luscious blossoms in pristine silver or clear glass vases.
- Following is the American Country category. Though derived from quite a bohemian and self-invented type this category has become a trend in itself. In this kind of a décor the motifs include artifacts from the past, the most common being the traditional quilts, stilted crates and galvanized metal bowls. The American definition of comfort is that of ease and an inherent sense of welcoming. With all that as the purview the floral touch is that of simple vases with mixed spring flowers or woven baskets filled with wild roses and heather. Any of these could perfectly fit on a coffee desk or the kitchen table. Another very eventual aspect of the American Country category is an ensemble of blooming plants, herbs, wreath, cut flowers, and swags. All of these tend to create a beautiful farm-fresh look which transforms the décor to an extended level of appeal.
- Next category is called the Modern Contemporary. This primarily characterizes all those modern domiciles that have clean lines of form, a sleek and chic look and completely smooth floors and surfaces. The effect is accentuated with a touch of vibrant silks, graceful fabrics, glass and accent steels. A modern contemporary house as such needs to be decorated with gallant and exotic flowers like heliconia, callas and orchids. These strong-lined flowers compliment the large spaces of the rooms very well. An added topping to the vivid look will be flowers placed in large forested glass vases or metallic containers or even decorative pottery.
- Finally it’s the category of Casual Easy Living. Such domiciles as well as lifestyles cherish the simple pleasures of life. Furniture includes light pine, bleached oak, or natural wood cut outs. A lot of white-wash paint is also visible matched with linen and cotton fabrics.
The primary purpose of such homes is to bust stress and depression, so even the flowers you find in such homes should be like a nature’s balm and crate a balancing effect. What’s necessary is the right sync of blossoms and greens clustered in a basket or a clear glass vase. The preferable flowers are daisies, sunflowers and ivies.
Fall flower arrangements are just a great thing for decorating the otherwise dull looking home décor during the fall season. Instead of just being decorative they add a lot of modish changes to the everyday furniture spicing up the entire environment indoors.
They can also be considered as great pieces of gifts and presents, anybody and everybody who receives one is sure to love it, after all they are matchless and enticing. But for the time being, we will restrict ourselves to the home-decoration part only.
But then embellishing the house with fall flower arrangements doesn’t mean that you can just place them anywhere you feel like. There has to be a particular aesthetic sense working behind. For example, it is better to put them at places where the friends and family members can have a nice view of the adornments.
• To start with before anywhere place put a fall flower centerpiece on the luncheon table. But again a circular centerpiece is more apt for a round table whereas if the table I rectangular place a rather long and a little bigger centerpiece in the middle.
• For the living room table you can consider a fall bouquet. That will not only send the onlookers staring but also remind them of the fall and attract a lot of appreciation.
• Last but not the least; don’t forget to place a fall wreath on the front door. Welcome the guest with an aura of autumn by adding some acorn, wheat and pumpkin accents to the wreath.
Such fall flower arrangements can also be apt for Thanksgiving as well.
Easter and the accompanying spring time is one of the best times of the year. The world around seems to be beaming with vibrance, pomp and essence of festivity. So why not bring in the grandeur of the season into your abode with a little decoration with some pulsating blossoms and refining green foliage. Then not just you but even you “Home Sweet Home” will seem all set to welcome the auspicious season of festivity.
Spring is the time for renewals, beautiful flowers, delicate colours and squashy fabrics. Here are some great propositions of how you can freshen up the bedroom and living room a bit with some economical changes.
One of the brightest ideas is to incorporate some tulips, crocus, and iris which are capable of offering fresh colors of nature for your exclusive spring décorting. Can you think of anything better than fresh flowers that can speak up the ambience of spring? So make some unique floral arrangements which may include fresh flower wreaths, bouquets, topiaries or centerpieces.
While you are making the bouquets keep in mind the specific colour features as akin to the particular rooms you hope to place them in. Like if the bedroom paint is white instead of applying a mixed array of flowers in the bouquet you can keep it all white. The blossoms may be anything from poppy to roses. Place the similar blossoms in one container and wrap it with a satin or grosgrain white ribbon.
You can try and shift the corner furniture like a corner table or a stool and place a nice and huge topiary in place of it. A nice glass bowl filled with rose water, some floating blossoms and floating fragrant candles on the center table will look liberating.
Another very nice idea is to take a classic, footed, crystal bowl and fill it with an arrangement of lovely spring flowers, slices of fresh fruits, some decorating accessories. All that together will create an awesome mishmash of a fresh spring arrangement which will just deify the luncheon table or the coffee table or even the entrance.
Earlier we had completed with a note adorning the dinning room. This time let’s continue with the family room. Most of the family rooms have a fireplace, but these huge things are not much in use during the summers. So this place can be well utilized for decorative purposes. The hearth can be an apt place for posing a profuse show-up of seasonal flowers. A bunch of the same flower can be placed on the mantelpiece as well to enunciate the entire effect.
Now it’s time to focus on the kitchen. The kitchen most of the times in a mess, but after you had a reading of this article I am sure it wont all the same anymore. Place some nice terracotta pots and vases on the windowsill and place some herbs and vines like prim roses, kalanchoe, African violets, etc. Some other show pieces can be antique teapots, traditional urns, pitchers, tattered clay pots; all of which can go as charming vases casually placed with intricate flower arrangements. Do one thing, arrange the flowers in a jumbled up clustered look to give the impact of a freshly cut garden bouquet. The mixed ambience of the flowers will do it great to lighten up your dull kitchen to a large extent.
The next category on the chart is the bedroom; I know it’s your favorite! After a long day’s work at the office you obviously want to relax the fullest when finally it is time. A nice aromatic ambience with tea roses, lilacs, lilies and peonies all placed about in the room, in a little vase on the side table or on a stand at the corner will surely relax all your stress and bring about a tight sound sleep.
In case the guests come over for a night’s stay you can place a bud vase with a simple cluster of flowers hidden behind a clear bubble bowl filled with some potpourri. Believe me the guests are just going to love it. You can also leave some rose petals floating in the bath tub to give a pleasant and mesmerizing surprise.
Finally we are left with the study or the home office. This is generally a serious domain but you can give it a break with a tinge of nature. You can plant a money plant vine next to the fax machine or a nice topiary beside computer station, try it and you will realize how liberating it is!!
Here are some very simple and innovative ways you can use to decorate your home and give it an appealing novel look.
Let’s start with the entrance. This is a very significant part of the entire decoration procedure as the entrance is the grand introduction passage to your abode and you obviously know that the first impression is the last impression. In the first place you can attach some small vases filled with petite stems of fresh flowers accented on to a wreath and hang it on the front door to greet the guests. A large abundant bouquet arrangement may also be a great idea. Finally what you can do is create a focal point with a piece of an innovative artwork, anything shaped out of your sense of creativity and place it on the pedestal, drape it on with a garland of fresh or dried flowers whichever you prefer. If you have an entry table facing the main door then you can place a basket with a garden bouquet on it, which will be really gracious.
Next, comes the dinning room. People don’t just eat with their mouth but with their eyes as well. And only a mouth watering layout of relishing dishes on the table won’t be enough, like the icing on the cake a little decoration on the table and all around in the dinning room are also necessary. For an effortless yet chic decoration you can lay out a sequence of alternating crystal vases and candles on a designer framework runner. Now fill up the vases with fresh flowers and accentuate the effect with some foliage and greenery. This will help you create a refined ambience with the elegant combination of fragrant flowers and the soothing radiance of candle light. For the corners you can use fresh flower topiaries or single stand bouquets. Some of the blossoms you may use are carnations, lilies, daisies, Chrysanthemums, Monte Casino, etc.
After a filling lunch the guest will obviously head for the living room. For this part you can use a crystal vase or an ornamented antique bowl or may be a silver carafe if you have one. Now place a nice and big floral arrangement inside, this can be a combination of the various seasonal flowers. Place a crystal bowl filled with rose water or fragrant water on the center table and let a few blooms and candles float about in the liquid. Light the candles and enjoy the mesmerizing glowing effect.
We will continue from henceforth in the next article.
Making topiaries is a very delicate art of shaping plants, by cautious pruning and trimming and thereby making out of this world shapes or forms, as you desire. Plants directed for topiaries are generally grown and nurtured in containers and require a lot of care, recurrent pruning and careful shaping. It’s better to keep the topiaries in a protected place away from direct sunrays and wind. A shady patio that is lit by partial sunlight will be the perfect place for raising the topiaries. In case you notice that the topiary is drying up, don’t panic, just submerge the entire pot into water to re-hydrate the soil making it look alive and green again.
Some tips:
Maintain a moist soil on all your topiary plants. If you allow any drying out in between the watering sessions then plants like boxwood, ivy and other evergreen plants may wilt and turn brown at the edges of the leaves.
See that the stray branches and vines are tucked in well inside the form. If necessary do a little pruning or else the entire form may get destroyed.
Apply fertilizer to the plants during the budding season. But be careful; don’t over-fertilize the topiary plants, as excessive growth is to be prevented. Practice a slow release process applying the fertilizer often during the spring. That is all that most of the topiary plants require in general.
Don’t let the pot be submerged completely in the water. Standing water in the bowl below may cause root rot leading to some serious damage to the topiary. It is better to fill the bowl with gravel to keep the roots up and about, out of straight contact with water.