Tips for Using Faux Florals & Greenery
We’re well into the spring season and with Mother’s Day around the corner, I’ve had flowers, gardening, plants, and greenery on the brain! This time of year, I love filling our home with florals & greenery… of both the fresh variety and faux arrangements. I wanted to share my thoughts on faux florals, jot down some tips for styling them, and relay some helpful pointers for choosing ones that are highly convincing. The timing couldn’t be more perfect because we just got a new shipment of florals I picked out for the Tuesday Made shop, so I may have swiped a couple to keep for myself!
During the spring & summer months, I definitely love trimming fresh flowers and mixing them into our regular decor because it’s a fun and creative seasonal activity for me, but I have to say- there’s something really convenient about having everlasting arrangements in the mix as well. My biggest rule is this: if you’re going to go faux… make sure they’re convincing. Convincing in the way that your significant other tries to water them, friends ask where you bought your fresh blooms, and you can’t tell the difference by touching it. I promise they exist!
In our shop, I call them “everlasting arrangements” because they’re zero maintenance and will look great for years to come. That means no changing water, no taking precious time to put together arrangements, and no trip to the grocery store or backyard to forage. They just require styling and a little fluffing… but more on that later in the post!
A few years ago, I foraged a giant branch that only lasted a few days and I wondered why I went to the trouble to begin with. It ended up being a huge mess that stressed me out more than I enjoyed looking at it. During those especially busy seasons of life, faux is such a wonderful option to add color, texture, and an organic element to your home without the effort or mess that fresh flowers or branches bring. That was actually the reason I started using them. I always had a “I’ll NEVER use faux flowers or plants in our home” mentality… until I discovered the good ones.
Not all faux arrangements are created equally. Thanks to hours of endless research for our shop, I’ve learned a LOT about what makes a convincing and realistic arrangement. It usually boils down to the person creating it. Is it handmade? Is the maker a floral artist? What is it made of? The arrangements in our shop are all handcrafted by floral artists who carefully place each flower, stem, bloom, bud, and branch. They think about materials, composition, the vessel in which the arrangement lives, and all sorts of things to create a hyper realistic centerpiece. These are definitely not the faux florals from the 90’s or your local craft store. Take a closer look… you’ll notice textural differences and tiny details that really bring these pieces to life. It’s pretty amazing!
I’ll also say this- the price point reflects the amount of time it takes the floral artist to complete each arrangement, so for the high quality and super convincing ones, you can expect to pay more. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way when I began experimenting with faux florals in our home and testing options for the shop. The materials and time that go into a piece is noticeable. I started thinking of faux florals & greenery like art… it’s an investment for sculptural art, essentially. Ours are all made here in the USA by skilled artists and I opted to choose the best possible option for the shop (meaning the most realistic), even if it meant they would fall into a higher price point. If you’re going to go faux, make sure your arrangement doesn’t look fake. Fake is not a good look- especially during the spring & summer months when you have fresh comparisons nearby.
Quick detour… check out what might be my new “desk” chair above! I snagged that from Facebook Marketplace yesterday for $40. I’m going to try to put brass casters on the bottom (Peggi sent me a link for these, which I think are perfect!), so I can wheel around. If it doesn’t work, I’ll go back to the drawing board. Anyway, as I was styling my new branches, I thought I’d sneak the chair into the shot! It has a really nice shape. Alright- back to florals & greenery… isn’t that maple branch incredible?! The scale is really grand and I love the wispy, delicate look of the limbs and leaves.
I promised you some styling tips and faux floral pointers, so you can catch those below!
- Consider scale // Measure out how much space the arrangement will take up and brainstorm where it can live in multiple places throughout your home.
- Layer // Like any other decor, layer everlasting arrangements alongside other styling or functional objects to create an environment or vignette.
- Remember they require some fluffing // Often times arrangements don’t look amazing out of the box (thanks to shipping), but it only takes a few minutes of “fluffing” and bending to look alive again.
- Think about location // This is especially true for plants & greenery, but you should consider how the natural light floods into a room and place your plant or arrangement accordingly. For example, it’s more convincing if a potted planted lives near a window.
- Switch it up // Don’t be afraid to move your arrangement around. I’m constantly moving florals & greenery from room to room to switch things up and make them feel “fresh”. My favorite lilacs have pretty much lived everywhere in our house. Swap them seasonally to keep things new- or alternate rooms.
- Choose one with a good vessel // Make sure the vase or planter is a style you’ll love for years to come… that’s a big part of the arrangement design!
- Take good care of them // Care for arrangements like you would any other decor- regular dusting (I use air or a gentle cloth), store in a safe place when they’re not being used, etc.
These tips and pointers don’t just apply to faux florals… everlasting arrangements aren’t limited to flowers. This includes potted plants, greenery, florals, branches, moss, topiaries, etc. In fact, some of the other items are even more convincing than arrangements solely with flowers. Our topiaries, pictured above, are incredible because the dirt looks and feels real. They come in heavy, thick walled terracotta planters, and all of that adds to the charm, appeal, and hyper-realism.
Would you like to see some of my personal picks?
Use the numbered links below the collage to shop or be redirected… sorry- this one isn’t clickable!
01: white tulips // 02: maple branch // 03: boxwood topiary // 04: willow branch // 05: purple lilacs // 06: queen anne’s lace // 07: double fishtail palm // 08: olive tree // 09: magnolia bloom
These are a handful of my personal favorites we have in our shop right now, but if you want to see the entire selection- click here. I select my favorite ones to carry based on the season, what looks most realistic, the vessels, and how easily they can be styled. We’re constantly updating the floral & greenery section because we order in small batches. It also takes awhile for the floral artists to create these beautiful pieces (anywhere from 4-8 weeks), so it’s definitely one of those items I’m always thinking about styling longterm… an investment piece. If there is anything in particular or a specific type of flower or branch you’re looking for, let me know and I’ll see what I can find!
Would anyone be interested in a fun floral & greenery game? As things start to bloom and come into season, I thought it would be fun to play the comparison game. I could show you the faux option and the fresh option (alongside each other), and you could guess which is which. I’m actually pretty good at this since I’ve done a ton of research and have studied arrangements a lot lately, but Emmett is easily convinced and usually guesses wrong. Remember when I styled my glass hurricane seven ways? He thought the hydrangeas in the vase were from our shop (faux). They were fresh and he said that ours in the shop looked more convincing to him. Haha! I had a good laugh about that. He also tries to be helpful and water our everlasting arrangements, which as you might imagine- never ends well. I had to have the “thank you, but no thank you” chat with him.
Did this post put you in a cheerful spring & summer mood? I hope so! Flowers and greenery certainly make me happy at home. These also make the thoughtful gifts if you’re still brainstorming ideas for Mother’s Day! Drop any questions or thoughts you have for me below on faux versus fresh! Personally, I love and use both. I hope you’re having a good week so far.