From Scandinavian to eclectic, here’s a mini guide on choosing the right type of flowers to suit your home’s interior design style!
Having a fresh bouquet of flowers at home is always a welcome sight. Apart from just elevating your home’s aesthetic, flowers are also beneficial to your health. According to a Harvard study, flowers can increase compassion and happiness levels, as well as relieve stress!
But, with so many types of flowers on the market, how do you choose the right ones for your home? We asked local floral boutique Charlotte Puxley Flowers for some advice and easy flower care tips, so you can wake up to something fresh every day.
Which is better - fresh flowers or dried ones?
CP: If someone is at home all day, fresh flowers are more suitable, because you’d be able to fully appreciate their beauty before they perish. They are perfect for the kitchen table, bedside table or coffee table.
On the other hand, dried flowers are pretty low-maintenance, so they are great for low-traffic areas, or in places you don’t want to maintain regularly, such as the guest room or entryway.
What floral arrangement best suits these interior design styles?
1. Scandinavian
For Scandinavian homes with a clean and simple aesthetic, opt for vibrant bouquets for a pop of colour.
CP: Against a more muted background, these bright blooms will instantly draw your eye to the space and highlight the architectural lines of the home. You can even use quirkier or more playful vases to tie the whole look together.
Explore: Which of These Home Design Styles is the Best Fit for You?
2. Colonial
To complement the masculine look of colonial spaces (think a black-and-white colour palette with plenty of dark wood elements), go for smaller bouquets.
CP: Since colonial homes tend to look more ‘manly’, we recommend using small bouquets. A collection of small, bottled flowers is always fun when displayed on a shelf or on a coffee table. We also suggest using Australian flowers (such as Telopea flowers) to parallel the masculine feel, as these tend to be nice and hardy.
3. (Modern) Farmhouse
A farmhouse home prioritises practicality in its design, and often evokes feelings of cosiness due to its use of warm wooden furniture. Emulate the charming look of farmhouse homes with fresh green florals.
CP: To echo the natural and organic style found in farmhouse abodes, go for flower arrangements that boldly embrace greens, which look like they were scooped up just moments ago from a garden.
4. Eclectic
Eclectic homes are typically a mish-mash of design styles and feature bold, vibrant colours (think coral red, emerald green and sapphire blue). Complement these cheery homes with equally bright bouquets.
CP: For an eclectic home, choose flowers that mirror the same bright and playful colour palette — this lends a more festive feel overall. Preserved or dyed flowers are often more vividly coloured, hence they work well in bringing these exciting colour schemes together.
5. Contemporary
If you’re a trendsetter and would like your home to reflect your stylish taste, your interior design style is likely contemporary. Currently, what’s in-trend are sleek, understated furnishings, like smooth, glossy surfaces and metallic accents. Tall and green bouquets fit perfectly into these homes.
CP: For trendy contemporary homes, greens are brilliant for bringing together the clean lines and simplicity of the apartment. There's a natural freshness to them that softens sharp silhouettes. Tall arrangements and green vases or bottles will work well in these spaces.
Explore: 10 Design Firms That Create Contemporary Homes in Singapore
What tips do you have for caring for different types of flowers?
CP: To ensure that your fresh flowers last longer, this is the most basic thing you have to do: change the water in the vase daily. This stops bacteria from gathering in the vases, which will help to extend their longevity. Secondly, you should cut the stems of your flowers so that they carry on ‘drinking’ water.
However, to have a full insight into how to arrange and care for your flowers, I suggest taking a floral workshop. This will show you what flowers to buy and how to look after them, which will ensure that you get the best out of them from the beginning.
For withered flowers, I suggest throwing them away with your biodegradable trash.
What are the most popular items in your store?
CP: The Kitchen Posie floral subscription is quite popular amongst a lot of our customers, due to its affordable price point. It’s also the perfect size for the kitchen countertop, coffee table or bedside table, which makes it really versatile.
Explore: Enjoy 20% off your first floral subscription!
Another crowd favourite is our Bold Subscription, which comes with a lovely tall ribbed vase and is more suited for a bigger space where the arrangement can take centre.
The beauty of home floral subscriptions is that our customers receive a surprise floral arrangement each time. We also choose what is best in the market on that day, and our customers really appreciate the freshness of these flowers.
Our Hungarian Pickle Vase collection for homes is one of our best-selling items. We find that they bring a lot of character into homes. Having vases that look great is important, because this way you won't have to hide them when they aren't in use!
Most homeowners place their flowers in the kitchen or on the coffee table. Personally, I like having flowers beside my bedside table — it’s always a treat to wake up to fresh flowers!
What should we take note of when buying flowers?
CP: There are some flowers that pose health hazards, but only a few in cut-flower markets pose serious health risks to humans. For those who are allergic to pollen or have asthma, there are some brilliant pollen-free flowers that still look really good — such as delphiniums, agapanthus, oncidium orchids, to name a few. If you have pets at home, avoid lilies at all costs as these are toxic to cats.
About Charlotte Puxley Flowers
At Charlotte Puxley Flowers, a large part of our creativity and inspiration stems from nature itself. We like to pride ourselves in consistently picking the best flowers from local markets, and always ensuring that no two bouquets are the same. We provide home and office floral subscription services — you can order them online via our website or over the phone and we will deliver them to your doorstep. We also provide tailor-made floral services for events.