Inspired by beauty in all its forms, our installation at Galerie Betty Charles proves what’s possible with faux flowers. Discover how this unique piece came to life, from concept to execution, and how you can recreate it at home
This July, The Suffolk Nest was honoured to be invited by fellow Suffolk-based business owner Lucy Charles to collaborate on a bespoke floral installation in the windows of Galerie Betty Charles Modern & Contemporary. Nestled in the heart of Yoxford village, this wonderful gallery specialises in British and European art from 1860 to 1960, presented alongside a range of selected contemporary works.
From 4th July until 16th August 2025, the gallery is hosting an exhibition titled, “Ravishing! A Celebration of Beauty” presenting works by contemporary artists Naomi Munuo, Lucy Perry, and Lucy Corbett in conversation with Cedric Morris, Edward Seago, and Cecil Beaton. The exhibition highlights beauty in all its forms and we jumped at the chance to explore our own interpretation of the theme by taking over the gallery’s windowscape for the summer season.
It all started with a sketch. My concept for the installation took inspiration from the exhibition’s evocative theme and I set out to create a visual ode to botanical beauty using several of our signature faux flowers and foliage. In tribute to Cecil Beaton’s romantic aesthetic, I wanted to experiment with florals that are synonymous with love, in dreamy pastel hues. Curated with this in mind, the installation brings together some of my favourite faux flowers in our collection, including:
When it came to building the installation at Galerie Betty Charles, I started with a framework of contorted hazel. These distinctive branches not only provide a strong contrast to soft florals but also offer structure while guiding the eye upwards.
Once the hazel was in place, I started to add florals. To showcase each stem, I created tonal, seasonal groupings set in metal vessels. These were carefully arranged to ensure the different colours, textures, and heights all complemented each other perfectly.
Each grouping was anchored using chicken wire. This is one of my go-to bases as it’s sustainable and allows me to build reusable, foam-free floral designs. The finishing touch was a lush carpet of moss to conceal the wire, which grounded the installation and brought it life thanks to its verdant, meadow-like appearance.
I’m so proud of the finished piece and the way it blurs the lines between art and nature. I think it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the exhibition, speaking to themes of poetry, fantasy, and nature’s abundance.
To create your own mini installation at home, I recommend starting by choosing your flowers. Look for faux stems that share a similar colour palette but different textures, heights, and shapes. Replicating the way flowers grow naturally leads to simply stunning displays; think the refined beauty of white roses balanced with an abundant hydrangea and delicate lilac. And don’t forget to add a layer of carpet moss to the base of your vessel.
If you live locally or will be paying a visit to Suffolk this summer, we’d love for you to pay a visit to Galerie Betty Charles to explore the exhibition and see our installation in person.
