In the 1990s, the American home has taken its place in the national spotlight. Baby boomers, empty nesters, cocooning couples, and telecommuters are spending more time and moneycreating a comfortable home environment that makes a personal statement.
"Just as people have their own personalities, so do their homes," says Denise Lee, floral and trend consultant for the Society of American Florists (SAF). "Open up any home magazine," Lee explains, "and you'll see how professionals create a personality for a room and bring it to life with special touches like flowers." According to Lee, most homes fall into five popular styles. The guide below shows how flowers can complement and enhance these styles.
- Classic Traditional: Classic furnishings, antiques, and elegant fabrics call for a mixture of flowers such as roses, gladiola, iris, carnations, lilies, or snapdragons in crystal, brass, silver, or porcelain containers.
- Casual Easy Living: For this "stress-busting" decor of natural woods with neutral linen and cotton fabrics, try a basket of flowering and green plants (like cyclamen, kalanchoe, pothos, and ivy) or flowers (such as sunflowers, daisies, hydrangea, delphinium, and tulips) casually arranged in a clear glass vase.
- Modern Contemporary: A sleek and chic interior with clean lines and smooth surfaces is the perfect setting for bold and exotic flowers like anthuriums, heliconia, callas, or orchids in frosted glass, decorative pottery, and metallic containers.
- Victorian: Fragrant roses, peonies, lavender, gardenias, and freesia in crystal or silver containers are right at home amidst the velvet, satin, and lace textures that are hallmarks of the Victorian aesthetic.
- American Country: Displaying a motif of quilts, galvanized metal bowls, and wooden crates, blooming plants in woven baskets or simple vases of mixed spring flowers (like yarrow, wild roses, scabiosa, and heather) complement this homespun decor.
Tips from the Pros
If you're not sure what your home's personality is, Lee suggests choosing one or two colors in a room and having floral arrangements made to match. Or have your florist design flowers for a favorite vase or container.
She also encourages consumers who want additional advice to go to those who know flowers best. "Talk to your florist. Together, you already have all you need to brighten your home: your own personal style and their knowledge of how to express it in flowers.
Source: NAPSI
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