Simple Orange

With Project Runway running in the background and everyone sound asleep in my home, I set out to write the next blog entry that hopefully is more inspiring than this episode is turning out to be. My initial plan was to post some photos of a more neutral garden-inspired wedding I just did, but I think I'm going to switch gears and post something with a little more vibrancy to match the graphic detailing of the fabrics shown on the show. (Does that mean I was a little inspired?). It's actually quite fitting since this simple design was inspired by the Living with Flowers book I last blogged about. I better get going since the show is about over and I am literally moving an inch an hour!

I utilized numerous stems of orange ranunculus and a few chocolate ti leaves that I had leftover from a class I just taught. It was such a natural pairing against the dark brown hue of the sticks I had collected last month and stored in my garage. (Against my loving husband's protests, my garage has become a bottomless pit for design materials I hope to one day use in designing). In my opinion, the ranunculus are so visually interesting since they have natural variation and every single stem is completely unique. Without doing much, the arrangement effortlessly has depth, interest and style.


I completed the story by creating a matching bridal bouquet consisting of the same ranunculus collared with the chocolate ti leaves. Isn't it ironic how simplicity can speak volumes?
Maybe if I clear my garage, my husband might agree to marry me all over again, so I can have these exact flowers for our second wedding!

PS. Thank you everyone for asking about my sickness. I'm much better now, even though I figured out that I'm allergic...to flowers! Nothing that a little Claritin can't fix!

Inspiration Found in the Dewey Decimal System

Having Art Directed and worked alongside some of the most amazing wedding and AIFD floral designers in the country, it is rare for me to be completely "awed" by too many designs. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate and love alot of designers' work, but it is not the "knock your socks off," "earth shattering," "light at the end of the tunnel," inspiring feel that I itch for.

That is why, I was pleasantly surprised when I made a trip to the local library in search of spider and dinosaur books for my son and came across a beautiful book called "Living with Flowers" by Nico De Swert. I must admit, I wasn't expecting much since the first ten books I picked up in the floral section all looked as if they were published before I was born, maybe even just after the advent of printing (such an exaggeration, but nonetheless, very outdated). De Swert's book captured me immediately through the use of such dynamic photographs (by Wendell T. Webber) of his work. What I admire most about his designs is their simplicity. It is so easy to make a striking arrangement with hundreds of roses, but it takes a real artistic eye to make something equally as inspiring with 15 stems of oriental poppies and some glass vases.


His use of clean lines is quite impressive and he allows each petal the room to breathe, creating alot of great movement.


I only displayed a couple of his most simplistic designs since those are probably more in line with event work. He does have more intricate, architectural designs in the book that might "wow" you a bit more, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. It is definitely a book worth having so that inspiration is just an arm length away.