Flowers to Banish the Winter Blues – How to Bring Colour into Your Home

There’s so much more to do with flowers in your home other than putting a bouquet in a vase. Flowers offer a welcome burst of colour when the weather outside is dull and dreary. Picking a theme to reflect you, your interests and your home is the first step to creating a colour splash in your home, and then decorating accordingly is the key to creating the perfect flower display that fits in with your home.

Vintage Flower Theme

From Shabby Chic to Chocolate Box Cottage, your vintage theme can work in any environment. Easy to create using simple flowers, anything goes for a base for your flower arrangement – A vintage vase is the obvious choice but jam jars, old vintage tin pots, can make it look rustic too even using crockery such as teapots, soup tureens and anything that you can find. A single large bloom such as Hydrangea, sitting in a sugar bowl for example is very effective. Any quirky vintage object that can contain water is the best for a vintage themed display. Choosing simple old fashioned flowers that smack of summertime is the best way forward. Daisies, in all sizes and colours, white gypsophila, lisianthus, pink, yellow, cream shades of rose and Sea Holly also adds a touch to a rustic type of vintage display. Vintage jars and bottles in various shapes and sizes with a single stem in each, when grouped together are very effective as does a wicker basket. Everyday objects – especially if they are old themselves make quite a talking point when adorned with vintage flowers. You can even go a little out of the ordinary here and make a hanging display with an unusual object like a wellington boot for example. Depending on your vintage item that you would like your flowers to sit in then you only need to remember the rule of choosing simple blooms to enhance the theme.

Contemporary Flower Theme

Purples and dark reds look very bold when set against a plain backdrop.  A simple vase filled with dark purple tulips will stand out in a minimalist setting. Tall vases with a strong stem are very simple yet effective and in a dramatic hue such as a single calla lily in a deep red look amazing.  Clean lines and smooth surfaces are required to complete the look, metallic vases, frosted glass or tall clear glass all offer a contemporary look. The Contemporary theme doesn’t just stop at flowers a plant such as an orchid, offers a simple yet stylish twist on a houseplant. Just remember if you are going for a tall display you need to have the space to carry it off. A large open space will compliment this look best.

Seasonal Flower Themes

• Winter Flowers
  Winter bouquets with red roses, white lilies and incorporating red hypericum berries adds a very wintery feel. Lots of greenery in a display will reflect the season too, as the trees are bereft of leaves, evergreens in your display will keep your arrangement fresh and reminder that the landscape does have some colour over the winter months. For seasonal displays the vessel you choose to put them in isn’t as important as with the other types of display but red gerbera will add a friendly look to a winter bouquet. A simple all white display can provide a wintry feel to your flowers, tea lights and feathers in an arrangement can soften the look and provide a cosier feel to it for the winter months.
• Spring Flowers
  Spring time heralds a new wave of flowers and they are in abundance this season, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus are all traditionally associated with spring. The scent these flowers produce is something that smacks of the fine weather approaching, hyacinths in particular have a very overpowering scent so be wary when using these plants in any display as they may overpower a room.
• Summer Flowers
  Nothing says summer more than sunflowers themselves, adding them to your display gives instant brightness or simply place them in a vase on their own. They look striking when mixed with reds and blue hues. Summer is a time for bright colours and letting the sunshine into your home. Sweet peas, lavender are very humble looking flowers but very pretty and summery all the same. And full of summertime scents, an instant mood lifter. This season you are free to mix as many colours you like as bright and cheerful is the key to this theme. Think sunny days, flower meadows and where you like to spend most of your time in the summer months. Avoid over structuring your arrangement as the freedom of these displays offer a playfulness that is often associated with the summer months.
• Autumn Flowers
  Bright oranges and yellows deliver an autumnal feel as thoughts turn to harvests and winter time. Your autumn display can feature items associated with harvest time too, pumpkins, leaves, apples and nuts can all be added to really compliment the warm tones of the flowers. This display can also look like rustic if set in a basket.

When deciding on your theme remember the colours you use will reflect it. Pinks, blues and lavender are calming, yellow, peach tones and pinks are romantic and reds and oranges create a more sensual feel. Think carefully about where you want to place these flowers as this will impact the theme you are wishing to create. They need to work with the space they are in and also you don’t want your efforts to go unnoticed, don’t put them in a room you rarely visit, a hallway, kitchen, bedroom – think about where you spend most of your time and where in the room they will go. Big displays go best in open spaces so they don’t dwarf a room or they will end up feeling more threatening than calming. But don’t be scared to experiment – the whole idea is to create a floral display that is all about you and your home and the best person to do that is you.