Why fake flowers are now back in bloom
They don’t cost a fortune and look more real than ever, says Jessica Salter
ONCE considered a total faux pas, faux flowers are taking centre stage at the chicest homes and most glamorous of dinner parties.
OKA, the high- end interiors brand, says demand for artificial plants is up nearly a quarter on last year, while the retailer Audenza says its sales have risen 50 per cent.
Because while we might shudder to think of bright- coloured, plastic- stemmed monstrosities from the Seventies, the latest incarnations of artificial blooms are now almost impossible to tell from the real thing: OKA’s silk-mix hydrangea, hops and peony bunch is so realistic that it comes with a discreet tag warning you not to water it.
The advantages are huge: they are everlasting, you can make up fantasy bouquets that cut across seasons, and they are, of course, anti-allergy.
Plus, they have a historical place on our table, as Sonya Patel Ellis, author of The Botanical Bible ( abotanicalworld.com), explains. ‘Artificial flowers started in China. During the Tang dynasty, they were made from silk velvet and would take days to make and were a symbol of luxury.’
As trading routes opened up, the popularity of silk flowers drifted over to Europe, first to Italy. By the 14th century, the French were masters at silk floral replicas. ‘There’s a great story I read that Marie Antoinette was given a silk rosebud that was so lifelike that she actually fainted,’ Ellis says.
In England, the craze for artificial flowers took off with the Victorians; according to the Museum of London, the 1891 census reported 4,011 silk flower-makers.
Spring was the most popular time for fake flowers, when the London ‘ season’ started, and women were being presented at court and society events that followed. The archives show that flower making was an arduous job.
The fabric would first be hammered out with a heavy tool to cut the petals; then dyed and left to dry, before being pressed into moulds to imprint any veins and other detailing, and later shaped over a spirit lamp. The flower would then have to be assembled from the individual petals with twisted wires and covered with paper or silk.
The popularity of fake flowers waned over the last century. After World War II, they started to be made from polyethylene, which was developed during the war, until the market was saturated in the mid-Seventies with plastic plants. However, Sarah Garforth, floral brand manager at The Recipe ( therecipeflowers.com), t an artificial flower importer based in Yorkshire, says that the popularity of real potted plants then increased. Now faux is back — and in a big way. ‘There are a number of factors,’ Garforth explains. ‘Modern faux flowers look incredibly realistic, fresh flowers are getting more and more expensive and thanks to the social media effect, we want our houses to look polished and styled all the time. A bunch of beautifully selected artificial flowers transforms a room, without the expense of refreshing your vase of cut flowers.’
FABRIC PETALS
LUCINDA WATERHOUSE, co-founder of OKA, agrees that the realism of artificial flowers is key to their popularity. OKA’s selection, made from a silk and synthetic mix, feature large blooming faux hydrangeas, delicately layered ranunculus, and peonies bursting with life.
Waterhouse says that while they are easy to style, there are some tips to keep them looking their best.
‘To create the perfect faux flower arrangement, choose three to four different stems that complement each other in colour and shape, layering these up as you go and adding plenty of foliage for volume.’ And to make them appear more life-like, ‘cut the stems down to size and bend to create a natural shape’.
PAPER POSIES
LESS hyper real, but more a work of art are hand- crafted crepe paper flowers, such as the ones crafted by Bee Watson from Wild Hive, who studies live flora and foliage in detail before making her templates. ‘I love the challenge of working with crepe paper to make the flowers as life-like as possible,’ she says.
Try her delicate anemone posies (£58.50, wildhive.co.uk).
Likewise, Krittika Kaewmamuang, founder of Posy & Pot, sells paper flowers online handcrafted by women in Thailand. Try the Paper Flower Burgundy Peony; (£16.50, posyandpot.com).
SPRIGS OF ‘FAUXLIAGE’
IF YOU’RE less about the flowers and more about greenery, then chic sprigs of ‘fauxliage’ is the way to decorate.
Cox & Cox’s best- selling Three Faux Blush Tipped Eucalyptus Sprays are made from wire, plastic and polyester (£50,
coxandcox.co.uk) or for single sprigs, go for Peony Artificial Eucalyptus, Burgundy (£8, johnlewis.com), or pussy willow (£5.95, therecipeflowers.com).
‘Plants are akin to a neutral — they work in any style of decor, to add texture and interest to the scheme without being overpowering,’ says Hollie Brooks cofounder and director of Audenza. ‘But, of course, real plants are an awful lot of upkeep. So faux give the same stunning effect, with no hassle or limitations.’