Learn to arrange, with confidence, balance and ease
How to Style Faux Flowers
Beautiful flower arranging doesn't need to feel complicated. With a few simple principles and a little practice, you can create arrangements that feel natural, effortless, and professionally styled.
Wheather you're styling a kitchen island, bedside table, or statement hallway console, these are the exact principles I use when designing arrangements at The Suffolk Nest.
The Three Building Blocks
-
1. Foliage
Your Foundation
Foliage creates shape, movement, and structure. Think of it as the framework your flowers will sit within.
Examples: Eucalyptus, Olive, Fern, Grasses
-
2. Focal Flowers
Your statement blooms.
These are the flowers that draw the eye and give your arrangement its personality.
Examples: Peonies, Hydrangeas, Tulips, Roses, Dahlias
-
3. Filler Flowers
Your softening layer.
Filler flowers add texture, movement, and help everything feel softer and more natural.
Examples: Waxflower, Sweetpea, Blossom, White Willow
Before you start arranging
Your vase sets the tone for the entire arrangement. When choosing a vase think about:
- Scale within the room
- Where it will be styled
- The width of the neck opening
- Colour, texture, and finish
A wider neck vase opening will naturally require more stems to create fullness.
As a starting point, your arrangement should be approximately:
- 1.5x the height of your vase
- 3x width of your vase
Before placing anything into your vase:
- Fluff out the petals and foliage
- Seperate and bend out the side shoots
- Gently bend the stems to create movement and a natural shape
This is one of the most effective ways to make faux flowers feel incredibly realistic.
How to Arrange your Flowers
-
Step 1: Start with Foliage
Begin by building your base.
- Bend the stems to the right height so that they're in proprtion to your vase. Remember: it should be approximatley 1.5x the height of your vase
- Cross the stems in the vase to create support
- Focus on building a light, natural foliage foundation
At this stage, your arrangement should be light, textural and full of movement, with plenty of space for the remainder of your flowers.
-
Step 2: Add Statement Blooms
Now add your focal flowers. The trick with these is:
- Vary the heights
- Vary the angles they face
- Avoid summetry
- Give them space to breathe
-
Step 3: Layer in Filler Flowers
This is where the magic happens.
Add these to:
- Fill visual gaps
- Break up the focal flowers
- Add movement and texture
This will help your arrangement feel effortless and natural.
-
Step 4: Step Back & Refine
Step back and ask yourself:
- Are there any gaps?
- Does it feel balanced?
- Are the proportions right?
- Are the flowers and vase working well together?
Often, the smallest adjustments make the biggest difference.
Why Faux Flowers are so Special?
One of the biggest advantages with faux flowers is their flexibility. Unlike fresh flowers, faux can be bent, reshapesd, and repositioned in many different arrangements again and again.
OUR STEMS
Explore our Faux Flowers
