Flower Arrangement

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Using Antique Furniture to Add Personality

Whether you’re planning to refurbish your reception area, restaurant or staff meeting rooms, it’s important to make the space attractive, workable and memorable. One of the best ways this can be done is by introducing a few interesting pieces of antique furniture. This can help create an intriguing combination of contemporary and vintage designs, using textures, shapes and styles.

Say Goodbye to Bland

Much of today’s modern furniture is practical but can sometimes be bland. However, you can greatly enhance them with the inclusion of a few special pieces of antique furniture. These additions will introduce a sense of warmth and grandeur. Antique furniture oozes history and character and its style portrays the high levels of craftsmanship of the past.

Remember, a few carefully chosen pieces are all you need to transform an area and give it personality. Interior designers advise that the ratio of antique to contemporary furnishings is 20% old and 80% new. If you want to emphasise the furniture styles perfectly, it’s best to choose a neutral colour for the walls such as ivory or silver grey.

You may consider a large wooden antique coffee table for a reception area. Include a couple of antique armchairs with beautifully turned legs. If the armchairs need reupholstering, the fabric can be chosen in your company colours to complement the company logo. The rest of the seating can be in a modern design as the two styles will blend remarkably well. Have both the modern and antique upholstery in similar tones to unite. To combat the antique furniture looking heavy – opt for lighter colours.

Other pieces of furniture that can look good are:

Antique wall clocks, ornate gilt-edged mirrors and large period paintings.
An antique cloak rack or umbrella stands which can be a fun and quirky additions too.
Shelves with a series of interesting antique curios on display can add interest.
Vintage textiles can be used to add warmth to a room, including beautiful hand-knotted Persian rugs which make spectacular wall hangings.

5 Clever Antique Additions

In restaurants, vintage oak writing desks and dressers can look stylish and be used for storage.
Lighting is the easy way to introduce other antiques and traditionally styled brass lanterns. Tiffany lamps and sparkling crystal chandeliers can all be used to create lovely lighting effects.
If there is room, you can always create a ‘talking point’ by having an old postbox or telephone box on display in one corner – the latter can be cleverly converted into a wine fridge!
Give cloakrooms a warm antique character with the introduction of a round antique pub table. Decorate it with a plant arrangement, a basket with small rolled hand towels and a couple of period prints hung on the wall above.

If you cannot find the piece of furniture that you have in mind in your local antique shops, don’t forget to look in furniture auction rooms and charity furniture warehouses as both of these are like treasure troves. There are various craftsmen around the country that make brand new furniture in traditional styles too.

Using Plants to Develop the Theme

It is fun to complement antique furniture with plant displays that mirror that particular period. If you have Victorian furniture, it is fun to accentuate the character with the addition of some of the ‘parlour plants’ that the Victorians loved! These included all types of palms, various ferns, fragrant jasmine and potted citrus trees. In Victorian homes, the palms and ferns were often sizeable so this is the ideal way to create interest and decorate an empty corner. You can fill porcelain washing bowl and matching pitchers with house plants. You can also do the same with an old teapot and a pretty maidenhair fern. For easy care plants, choose top quality faux plants as they look incredibly realistic but require nothing more than a regular dust.

The clever introduction of antique furniture will definitely enhance your commercial space, introducing warmth and character that your customers will both notice and appreciate.

Five tips to keep in mind when buying artificial plants

A display of lush indoor plants can really add character, style and atmosphere to a wide variety of corporate spaces and restaurant interiors. Artificial plants (faux plants) are so realistic these days that they really do look like the ‘real’ thing. They are so cleverly made that it can be very hard to differentiate them from live plants. Using artificial plants takes all the hard work and stress out of caring for plants and ensures that they always look in tip-top condition.

Those ‘in the know’ have a variety of tricks that they use to ensure that their artificial plant arrangements always look stunning….

1. Design the perfect arrangement

Before you buy a selection of artificial plants, think about where you are going to place the display and for what purpose. Beautiful artificial displays can add elegance, colour and a sense of luxury to a room, whereas carefully placed planters can have a practical use too as they can be used as room dividers and to help create intimacy between tables in restaurants and coffee shops.

2. Say it with flowers…

The style of your chosen plant arrangements can say a great deal about your company and really help with your branding and image. When a customer comes into the building a smart room with an eye-catching plant arrangement will speak volumes. This can have a very positive impact on your customers – making them keen to invest in your product or service. If your company logo/ branding features a particular colour such as red, it can be very effective to incorporate the colour with artificial flowers in a plant display.

Lily Arrangement

3. Buy top quality plants

Choose really good quality artificial plants that look really realistic. The best have thin wires in their stems and branches that can be gently moved into place to make them look natural. The leaves on the plant should be in several different shades just like in nature – and in varying sizes with some tightly closed buds too. Make your arrangement look interesting using plants of various heights and incorporating different leaf shapes and colour.

4. True of faux?

The perfect way to ensure that your artificial plants look realistic is to plant them in soil! You can buy very realistic looking artificial moss too. Another popular trick is to make arrangements using a mixture of live and artificial plants. The live plants can be low maintenance easy growing plants, whilst the artificial ones can be replicas of more sensitive varieties as this minimises the chance of them failing to thrive! The most important point to remember is to regularly dust the artificial plants.

5. Consider the seasons

Carefully select your plants as seasonal varieties will look out of place if you have them on show at the wrong time of the year – and will be spotted by an eagle-eyed gardener! It can be fun to have an arrangement of plants that are available all year through with different seasonal plant/ flowers as the focus and these can be easily swapped throughout the year. A number of your regular customers will notice the changes and appreciate them.

The beauty of using artificial plants and flowers is that they can be cleaned and then carefully packed away to be brought out at the same time next year.

Floresy Products, Seasonal

Summer Solstice – Connecting with nature

Throughout human history, we have always recognised the summer solstice. Ancient civilisations the world over have celebrated it as the longest day or shortest shadow of the year. Described as both midsummer and the start of summer it is widely associated with the fertility of the earth and therefore feminine power.

In ancient China, the summer solstice would celebrate the feminine yin (while the masculine yang gets his moment at the Winter Solstice).
The Sioux people of North America honoured the sun in their rituals at this time of year, including the symbolic connecting earth and heaven by felling and raising a large tree.
Across pagan Europe, people would dance and light ritual bonfires to represent the power of the sun at its peak.

Pagan rituals were largely wiped out by Christianity spreading across Europe. However, in some instances, the practices live on in the Christian traditions of that region. For example, in Scandinavia, St John the Baptist is celebrated on 24th June and includes both traditional midsummer celebrations and Christian symbolism.

Connecting with nature

Today, the solstice – or Litha or Epona – is still widely celebrated and fertility remains a dominant theme. We acknowledge feminine power with Mother Nature in full bloom during the summer months. After all, the land is bountiful and the food is plentiful during the year’s most active growing season.

Through movements such as neo-paganism and New Age ways of thinking, the summer solstice is also about reconnecting with nature. The awareness of our impact on the environment, being outdoors, respecting our environment and each other are all key aspects of modern-day midsummer celebrations. Creativity, community and self-expression, through dancing and music, are as integral to our worship today as they have always been.

And, of course, the most notable celebration of the summer solstice is the large gathering of people at Stonehenge, UK.

Flowers of Summer Solstice Celebrations

Some flowers have particular importance for the summer solstice. Here are some of the key blooms:

Flower garlands

Nothing represents summer like flowers! Any flowers are suitable choices for displays that celebrate the summer. They are popular choices for decorating homes, commercial or communal spaces. Plus flowers are a favourite choice for headdresses by revellers celebrating the solstice.

Secret Garden – Silk Peony Wreath makes the perfect table centrepiece for a summer-time celebration

This long garland can easily adorn a reception desk, the head table at a wedding or above a mantlepiece

These beautiful flower garlands from Floresy are perfect for any summer celebration. You can use them to decorate a table as shown in the images but also on a fire surround or mantle, across the front of a shelf or reception desk – you can even fix the garland to the wall.

Oak Tree

Oak is particularly symbolic. Trees are often the focus of worship and oak represents strength and endurance. It also represents a doorway and so, in the context of the solstice, crossing the threshold into the second part of the year where Summer’s abundance gives way to Winter’s frugality.

Floresy offers a bespoke large tree design service. You can have your very own artificial oak tree tailor-made to fit your requirements.

Mistletoe

More often associated with the Winter Solstice, mistletoe is still important to the summer festival because of its strong potency when found on oak trees. Mistletoe has associations with fertility and when cut from an oak tree, represents the powerful oak tree losing its strength as the seasons begin to wane.

Herbs

Early pagan cultures believed that herbs were at their most potent during the summer hence their association with the summer solstice. This sweet collection of potted artificial herbs from Floresy are a great choice to add a touch of nature to any setting. Herbs represent health and fresh, quality food. A great choice for a spa or restaurant.

Small potted artificial herbs by Floresy. Herbs represent health, traditional remedies and fresh ingredients.

Floresy has over 150 artificial flowers, trees and plant products ready to decorate your business or home. Being artificial means you can easily store them out of season, ready for the next opportunity for display. What not browse our online shop to find your perfect artificial plant solution?

Floresy Products, Trends

Houseplant trend continues with IKEA display at Chelsea

The houseplant trend continues as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show hosted IKEA’s home office display at this year’s show. The stand in the Discovery area of the Pavillion was a collaboration between IKEA and Indoor Garden Design.

Chelsea flower show houseplants ikea display

Houseplants galore at IKEA’s home office display at this year Chelsea flower show. Photograph: IKEA

The display is entitled “Plant Works” is set in an open-plan home office that includes a desk and meeting area. The objective is to show how we can create healthier and greener environments for our workspaces and not just our homes.

Naturally, the design is scandi-fantastic with clean lines, crisp whites and cool greys all allowing ‘green’ to dominate. The room is open and informal that creates a relaxed and creative atmosphere. Every conceivable space is used for planting: the desktops and surfaces display a collection of small potted ficus and Sansevieria. There are floor-standing plants of differing sizes including palms, ferns and cacti. The wall-mounted floating shelves house variegated-leaved alocasia and neat rows of phalaenopsis orchids and Bromeliaceae. One of IKEA’s peg-board style storage solutions has miniature plants stuffed into little pockets and pots. Plants are hanging from the ceiling and they are even under the wire-framed side tables.

Houseplant trend continues with this orchid arrangement in moss. Photograph: IKEA

Small succulent houseplant in white ceramic pot

No space is too small, no plant is too small. Photograph: IKEA

This is the second collaboration at Chelsea for IKEA and Indoor Garden Design. In 2017, their display was called ‘At home with plants’ and showcased how to use plants in bedrooms, living rooms and in bathrooms. The display featured many houseplants still riding high on this ‘outdoors indoors’ trend such as the monstera deliciosa and beautiful peace lily or Spathiphyllum. This year’s ‘Plant Works’ continues what IKEA and Indoor Garden Design started in 2017.

Plants for living not just living rooms

Plant Works isn’t only about plants. It also contained information on the science behind how plants help boost our productivity and well-being. The scheme is really a champion of biophilic design and how it’s application creates a healthy and happy space for humans to exist in.

As the millennial generation becomes the dominant demographic in the workforce, so too do we see an increase in their work-environment preferences. Open, collaborative spaces, communal areas and desks and workstations that baulk tradition. But we are also seeing an increase in freelancers and the self-employed who’s homes are also their workplaces.

So the lines between work and living are blurred – or should that read ‘softened’ by some well-placed foliage?

Get the look

As the houseplant trend continues so does Floresy’s offerings of high-quality artificial house plants. Faux plants are a great option for office areas as their greenery adds productivity and creativity whilst their super-low-maintenance keeps your overheads down too. So consider choosing artificial office plants for your workstation as well.

Miniature high-quality ficus bonsai by Floresy

artificial plant floor-standing cycas palm

Artificial Cycas Palm Plant 100 cm by Floresy

Bespoke green sansevieria in a grey planter by Floresy

Artificial death valley cactus succulent by Floresy

Artificial orchids by Floresy

The above modern orchid arrangement will add peace and class to your setting. Perfect for a reception desk or other client-facing areas.

These succulents arranged in moss in white pots are perfect for a desktop, restaurant table or even the corporate bathrooms.

Mixed artificial succulents in moss by Floresy

For more information on our extensive range of products for both indoors and outdoors, please visit our shop.

Floresy Products, Interior Styles

Cyclamen in Rustic Interior Design

Rustic interior design styles are characterised by an eclectic look where natural textures dominate. The organic beauty of wood, usually unpainted and often untreated, is used throughout on the floor, walls and in the furniture. Natural fibres such as cotton, linen and hemp, worn leather, wicker and earthenware compliment the wood. Unique handcrafted items from reclaimed materials show age and wear. Distressed pieces are repurposed or made good. Plump upholstery and generous cushions, embroidered table linen and handwoven rugs combine to create warmth, comfort and a homely quality.

Rustic Chalet Interior Design Style

There are many variations of rustic styles including English cottage, beach house and log cabin. The Rustic Chalet is a take on the login cabin look with a more European twist than it’s North American counterpart.

Think of a rustic chalet and you think of an alpine lodge, set among the trees and overlooking an Austrian village or French ski resort. They are cosy and warm. Open fires in the winter and large glass verticals making the most of the summer sun. A rustic chalet is likely to be open plan and unapologetically constructed from pine. Large brick or stone built fire-pits are focal points around which ample sofas are arranged. They offer a snug place to curl up with a hot chocolate after a hard day on the slopes.

But rustic doesn’t have to mean backwards or old-fashioned. Open plan living is a modern concept that resonates with the single-room living structures first built during the Stone Age. Add built-in kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows and 4K HDR TVs and your rustic chalet becomes a modern social space. The warmth and character of old meets the convenient and technology-ready future.

Rustic Chalet – Cyclamen Arrangements

Cyclamen are winter- and spring-flowering plants native to countries of the Mediterranean basin. Their delightful flowers range in colour from white through pinks and into purples. They often have variegated leaves. And due to their compact nature, they do very well in pots either indoors or outdoors. Despite their association with funerals, their meaning is really that of sorrowful departure. Such as leaving behind your beautiful alpine cabin at the end of your skiing holiday. But they also make good leaving present for someone who is retiring.

Floresy offers three made-to-order flower arrangement featuring cyclamen: cyclamen in a handmade casing, cyclamen mass in a pot of stone and cyclamen in a quadrat.

Cyclamen in a handmade casing

Cyclamen in a Handmade Casing is a sweet and charming arrangement with those all-important finishing handmade touches. It is no surprise that this is one of our most popular compositions. It would fit in perfectly, and add a splash of colour, in any modern rustic interior. This arrangement would sit well in a traditional English pub or a friendly B&B that offers all the comforts of home. As cyclamen is often winter-flowering, this display would also be a welcome sight at the reception desk of any hotel during the festive season.

Cyclamen mass in a stone pot

The Rustic Chalet – Cyclamen Mass is a larger display than the handmade casing. Instead, it features textured brown stoneware. Because of its compact and neat design makes a perfect table centrepiece for any rustic setting. The cyclamen mass is available in three sizes.

Cyclamen Quadrat

The Cyclamen Quadrat uses the same stoneware but larger still and square version. This arrangement is big enough to be floor standing so you can use it to define a doorway the floor or on a pot stand to add extra height or impact. The winter berries, fern fronds and dried moss spill over the top of the pot softening its angular edges. This display comes in three heights, each featuring white cyclamen in bloom.

All these displays are available to buy from Floresy and meet with our high standard of design and production. We also offer a bespoke design service to fit all of your interior and exterior design needs. You can contact us here or call us on 0208 0770891 for more information.

Ideas

Fantastic Foliage Ideas

Plants have an important role to play in interiors. They help create a harmonious atmosphere that is relaxing and reminds us that we are part of nature. In a commercial setting, they add a homely touch to an otherwise functional space. But it is their very colour that achieves so much of this atmosphere. Green is a particularly soothing colour. So the fantastic foliage of plants is what makes them such an important addition to any setting. Greenery is on trend so let’s explore some of the many exciting leaf shapes and patterns plants have to offer.

Fantastic foliage ideas

Feathery ferns

Ferns in glass containers on a desk and hanging from the ceiling

Ferns in glass terrariums helps to show off their fantastic foliage

Ferns are an ancient plant that predates the dinosaurs. They come in a variety of leaf shapes from the incredibly light fronds of the maidenhair ferns to robust, drought- and shade- tolerant plants we associate with dense woodland.

The fronds of a fern are usually a playful mess, spilling out in random spreads. Because each frond is made up of multiple smaller leaves, ferns are great for allowing light to pass through them. You can also set them against a coloured wall for glimpses of the colour behind. Equally, they do well in pots with a contrasting colour or finish to the fronds.

Ferns make great hanging plants as shown in the terrariums of Vosegesparis’ blog article. But they are also great pot plants on a desk or plant stand. You can group ferns together or with other plants: combine ferns with mossy woodland plants to create a dense magical forest; or add them to a sub-tropical scheme evocative of humid jungles.

split leaf philodendron have fantastic foliage

Splendid waxy green leaves of a split leaf philodendron

Waxy leaves

If a plant has a waxy leaf it usually means that it comes from drier climates where it has to conserve water. The waxy surface helps the plant to retain water in otherwise dry or hot conditions. A great variety of plants have this feature including the philodendron. Not to be confused with the monstera or cheese plants, philodendrons have large glossy leaves. They range from heart-like to spearhead in shape and are sometimes split-leaved (such as the variety picture as described in the best houseplant article from linternaute.com).

Anthuriums offer great waxy leaf foliage too. This red anthurium from Floresy features dark green glossy leaves with striking red veins running throughout each leaf.

Waxy and glossy leaved-plants add a rich and vibrant lushness to a scheme. Their shiny leaves are also quite tactile and invite people to stroke their smooth and generously sized leaves.

Anthurium by Floresy has large, tactile waxy leaves.

Variegated leaves

Zebra grasses look like porcupine quills

Variegation in leaves is when the leaf has more than on colour. Sometimes this is in the form of stripes like this zebra grass, which looks almost like porcupine quills arranged in a pot. Zebra grasses are a variety of miscanthus and can grow very large in dense clumps. Zebra grasses are from Eastern Asia and are very popular garden plants in Japan.

The variegation in leaves can also be a colour gradient from the centre of the leaf radiating outwards. Generally two-tone, colours include white and all shades of green plus a few less expected colours such as pinks and reds. Variegated white-green leaf of this Floresy artificial ficus tree shows this very typical variegation pattern. The darker green leaves have white edges that soften its overall shape. If you compare the variegated leaf with a solid leaf variety you can see the difference in the overall size impression it gives.

: As this plant has a solid leaf colour, this classic dark green ficus tree has denser-looking foliage.

: The variegated leaf of this white green ficus has a lighter, and less dense look despite being the same size.

Crazy leaf shapes

Sansevieria plant in brown pots on patio

Sansevieria or snakes tongue work well as indoor or outdoor plants (image from Pinterest)

Sansevieria is also known as snakes tongue or mother-in-law’s tongue. It is a popular plant for its upright spiky leaves. The leaves tick all the boxes: they have an interesting shape, they’re variegated and they are stripy! They are a commonly used architectural plant for indoors and outdoors, in residential and commercial settings. Floresy offers both a yellow-green sansevieria variety and a darker green leafed variety with a subtle stripe.

Spiky-leaved plants are popular because the structure of the plant has such contrast with more typical leaf-shaped leaves. Other spiky plant choices include yuccas, grasses and the softer but spiky-shaped leaves of palm trees. The kentia palm is a very popular tree for interiors, especially for the urban jungle trend.

Bonkers tillandsia is a family of evergreen plants that includes air plants. Their minimal root system means they can grow in the thinnest of soils and on other plants. These thinner leaf varieties come from wetter climates than their bigger-leaved cousins. All varieties can absorb water and nutrient through their leaves so can appear to literally survive on air. This display idea from Rodale’s Organic Life has a collection of air plants erected on wires above some equally beautiful pebbles.

Tillandsia air plants are displayed on wires above rocks.

The best thing about including plants with fantastic foliage into your decor is the huge variety of texture they add. Combine different types of plants with different leaf shapes and colours to create a fabulous display of fantastic foliage.

Seasonal, Trends

Frankfurt Christmasworld Trends 2016-2017 – design by Modern Nature

“The Clearest way into the universe is through the forest wilderness”

The theme for the Frankfurt Christmasworld international trade show 2015, was ’Ice hotel’. Exhibitors and visitors alike were wowed by the winter scene made rich and bountiful by all the wonderful displays. The setting may have been crisp and translucent because of the cold and frosty elements but in reality, the ambience was of happiness, surprise and abundance.

Frankfurt Christmasworld adopted the growing trend for returning to nature and using natural materials but with their own twist on it. The scene was certainly that of a forest brimming with all things that mother nature could provide. But this is forest a magical forest full of grottoes and fairy tales. Workshops, crafts and forest creatures that might be more than they appear. The only thing missing was the elves. Childhood memories were evoked and imagination fuelled by so many offerings and stalls ripe for exploration. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little magic.

Copper adds a decadent accent

Despite the icy theme, it isn’t a dark forest of hibernating through the winter – it’s a contemporary forest full of life. The colours are warm and luxurious and surprisingly intense. The greens stretch from a dark pine to vibrant leaf green. The browns start rich and deep then burst through into rusts and coppers.

Copper is a theme seen through many of the designer stalls at Frankfurt Christmasworld 2015. The combination of copper and gold add decadence and opulence to the rustic textures of wood, leather and hessian. It’s a modern natural look perfect for Christmas and also for hoteliers and restauranteurs looking for a homely style that doesn’t compromise on luxury. A touch of glamour goes a long way. In contrast, more means more when it comes to the flowers.

The arrangements are big, plentiful and everywhere! Colourful blooms are set against on-trend greys and the theme of copper and golds are reflected in the choice of flowers. And it’s an easy-to-follow look that you can create in your own home. In the kitchen, in the living room and even in your bathroom. Large plants will make you feel as if you were in the tropics whilst many smaller pots clustered together will add colour and tranquillity. Here is what is trendy at the moment:

Let Floresy design your next exhibition stand

Floresy offers a bespoke design service to help you create beautiful and sleek themes for your exhibition. We can advise you on the most efficient spatial layout of your booth. Even in the smallest of spaces, we can provide innovative solutions to help you stand out.

Whether you already have a completed design and need ideas and inspiration about how to include greenery into space, or if you need the space designed from the beginning, we can provide you with unique and creative solutions.

Take a look at our dedicated services and products to the Exhibitions page for more information.