Haven at Home – How to Decorate with Faux Flowers

Have you ever wondered how artificial flowers compared to real – side by side?

And with those realistic artificial flowers- 

how do you decorate with them?

The past week,  I have gotten a lot of messages from many of you asking me to share some ideas for some ways to add beauty and we are tackling both of these questions today.

But when you can’t enjoy fresh-

a faux arrangement can give you the same feeling in your home.

But… a common question- Do artificial flowers REALLY look real? 

Today I am showing you a comparison from a recent project I did 

that was all about just that.  

Showing the comparison of Real florals vs artificial florals

and how to decorate your home with faux flowers.

When things are feeling so strange and unsettled out there- 

I think anything to do with flowers is a good distraction

and the flower market and wandering aisles of fresh flowers definitely

 can make you feel invigorated.

But what about fake flowers.

 Can they give you that same feeling and look you are after when you can’t get to the flower market for fresh?

They have gotten a pretty bad reputation over the years- and I will admit that I am pretty particular when it comes to incorporating faux. They have to look real or I am not playing.

I have been pleasantly surprised by quite a few that DO look real at first glance-

 so I was interested to see side by side how they held up to my real favorites.

Last month,  

I took several Balsam Hill arrangements and recreated them with fresh flowers.

The first one is the Pastel Spring Floral arrangement full of some of my favorites- 

ranunculus, peonies, hellebore and tulips.

One of these is not like the other… one is faux and one is real flowers.

Same with these. 

One is freshly created-  and one will last all year long.

But why ‘go faux’ if I love fresh so much?

Well I definitely do love fresh flowers and am a big believer in having 

fresh flowers in the house all.the.time.

Flowers help create a mood, add a pop of color with vibrant blooms or touch of quiet with subtle blooms- and they just make the room feel so wonderful.

But even our current situation with limited shopping and fresh availability aside- 

 I have heard from many of you over the years that it is frustrating when you can’t find the same availability of flowers easily everywhere.

So faux in some of your favorite hard to find flowers might be perfect for you.

And on that same note-

 our local flower market is closed currently as well with the shelter orders in place in the SF Bay Area.  So I am decorating with the fresh in the house that are not wilted yet

and bringing out the faux spring wreaths and arrangements I have on hand.

Even if real flowers are your favorite thing – when you are not able to shop the flower market

and the rooms feel empty- these can help make your home feel like it is full of spring sunshine.

A few ideas for incorporating:

Use a faux arrangement and mix in fresh clippings from your yard.

Use single flowers on a mantel to warm up the room

And here are a few for the road – 

7 ideas for decorating with faux flowers

And back to those comparison flowers-

did you decide which is real and which is faux?

The large arrangement in the round glass is faux.

The mason jar arrangement is real.

This one is the Nantucket Hydrangea arrangement from Balsam Hill

and the one on the floor is real flowers.

This was such a fun comparison because I was able to source all the flowers that Balsam Hill had used for their arrangements and was able to recreate them quite closely.

(before the flower market closed) 

And if you have greens available in your yard- 

you can add them right to any arrangement or wreath for a fresh touch and scent.

Here is a quick video showing how to put one arrangement together:

I also recreated and compared 3 other floral arrangements as well and shared some tips and detailed photos in my post at the Balsam Hill Blog

Stay tuned for a few suggestions for staying busy in the house including:

Decorating with what you have on hand 

What I am reading, listening to and working on while at home

The Greenhouse Garden makeover

and a challenge that I am hoping we can all join in on

As well, I am thinking of opening up a Facebook group where we can all connect with each other  and chat lighthearted decor and pretty and fun stuff- and if you need  support and help with something or just someone to chat with virtually- you can bring that too- we are all in this together! 

I would love to jump in and plan to be on there a certain day a week for a bit for a time when we can all chat live from the safety of our homes-

 and talk book groups, decor projects, entertaining (at home!) 

and even just sit down and let’s talk about anything you need a helping hand with. 

And if you have any ideas- would love to hear those too.

Stay well all.

* I work with Balsam Hill but all opinions are my own