Contemporary Floral Arrangements…Inspiration

By PepperJack Interiors

 

A bit about flower arrangements my dear readers.  Those of you familiar with my work know that I love to blend traditional and contemporary, old and new, and this remains true with flowers as well.   I’ll think carefully before designing a flower treatment — fresh, dried or silk — as the lines and structure of the arrangement are as important as the colors and stems.    More often than not, however, my tastes gravitate toward the contemporary arrangements.  Even when I’m preparing traditional interiors.

That lovely, very untraditional floral arrangement in the first picture was in Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley.  I loved these arrangements  in the kitchen of this castle. as well. The curator told me that all the flowers and vegetables used in the castle arrangements are grown on the castle grounds.

Away from France and castle living……

Modern floral design theory stems from the Japanese flower arrangement, also known as “ikebana” or “living flowers”.  The theory is to look at the entire plant and not just the bloom, such as the stem and leaves. The line, shape and area around the flower are also considered when placing the flower in the container.

The simplicity of style transcends an Asian motif and can blend in any setting.

These floral arrangements generally use one to two types of flowers rather than the multitude we find blended in traditional flower arrangements. The limited number of stem types allows us to appreciate the beauty of that single flower. No color riot here, but they are quite impactful.

I love to use modern containers with clean lines or rounded edges that compliment the flora. With the example above, the glass container allows us to see the beauty in the long stem of these flowers and leaves.

Yes, I truly would put these all in very traditional settings.  I couldn’t grab a good enough pic during my stay to share with you, but all of these arrangements above were typical of those that graced the tables of the Plaza Hotel in NYC during my stay there a couple of years ago. (So much luxury!)  I loved walking into the grand, gilded, traditional hotel lobby and being greeted by something so unexpected.

I’ve been remiss in sharing my recent inspirations with you: Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles in June (a fun talk with Jeff Lewis and his crew), Detroit also in June (the Detroit Art Institute is one of the best art museums I’ve visited); and just back from Seattle and Vancouver BC (downtime with my beautiful daughters and visiting family).  Lots of inspiration to write about and my good intentions are to do so.  PepperJack design business is brisk and I feel a bit like the I’m spinning plates on sticks just enough to keep them spinning!

Inspiration is at the heart of my luxury design services. What’s inspiring you?   
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Published on August 7, 2013