PETAL POWER
Flowers are so much more than just blooming beauties in the garden. A simple walk down the street shows just how much florals influence home decor. By Glen Peloso
Accents and accessories
Accessories and accent furniture are rife with floral motifs. Ideally, the notion of a floral pattern should be implied, otherwise florals will feel juvenile if they are too much like the real deal. Flowers can be cute as a mirror or other accessory. A round mirror, for instance, already has the appropriate shape to represent a flower. For any accent or accessory, look for elements such as a scalloped edge, a leaf motif or a starburst shape. Essentially, the starburst shape is similar to a flower in bloom. Leaf motifs are often found in metals, such as gold and brass and imply they are the branches leading to a bloom.
Artwork
Art is another great medium for florals. There are so many ways in which art can depict flowers, from sketches of botanicals to classic paintings, to graffiti-like works. There is no right or wrong version of florals in art. Find your style and inject it into a room. Don’t forget the floor as a surface, though, and notice how traditional rugs carry a floral motif. Like art, area rugs come in a massive range of styles, from traditional to avant-garde, and are considered “art for the floor.” Ultimately, a floral floor covering will make a room feel warmer and more complete than a room without a floral element.
Go for faux
The techniques for making artificial flowers, or what I like to call “fauxlowers,” has improved so much you often have to touch them to be sure they’re not real. With the amount of time people spend away from home in the average week, artificial flowers are the perfect option, as are “fauxlawns,” where the grass no longer requires water or weekly cuttings. As a result, your home can have ever-blooms and a gorgeous green lawn through only the initial cost of the product, which can be as much as $20 for a single stem. However, deduct the cost of watering, maintenance and replacement and the fauxs are well priced.
Fabrics
Floral fabrics, through a combination of colour, can create the feeling of a beautiful summer garden. Such fabrics can work well in a variety of spaces, from a whimsical child’s room to a formal sitting room straight out of Downton
Florals in fabric have a history dating back to the 12th century in central Asia, where they were embroidered in silk and then later well-received in Europe and the Middle East. Now, a single oversized flower, a computer-generated image of a bloom, or an abstract version of a flower is on trend. Despite their already long history, you can expect floral fabrics to stick around for a long time.
Wall coverings
Wallpapers in floral patterns also have a long history, born of fabrics of the past. Originally, wall coverings were made of fabric because they provided fine details, but they also helped keep a room warm. Fabric walls were reserved for the wealthy, while less wealthy individuals could hire a painter to create scenery on the walls — this gave rise to wall coverings. Today, floral patterns are oversized. A single bloom might be one foot by one foot. In wall tattoos, a floral stem might take up three-quarters of a wall’s height and make a huge statement in the room. These images could be everything from photographic to an abstract. Glen Peloso is principal designer of Peloso Alexander Interiors, national design editor of Canadian Home Trends magazine and a design expert on the Marilyn Denis Show on CTV. Contact him at pelosoalexander.com, follow him on Twitter at @peloso1 or @glenandjamie, and on Facebook.