Design Experts
Samantha Pynn’s Design Lesson: Blooming Decor.
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY, HGTV CANADA. ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY, KERRY KIRK (DINING ROOM); POTTERY BARN (GALLERY WALL)
DESIGN, Bailey Vermillion Interiors, baileyvermillioninteriors.com. Cristol tiered CHANDELIER, Visual Comfort, visualcomfort.com. Hedges SCONCES, The Urban Electric Company, urbanelectric.com. Meadow WALLPAPER in blue, Kelly Ventura, kellyventura.com.
Design Experts
Samantha Pynn’s Design Lesson: Blooming Decor.
Samantha Pynn shows us how to power our rooms with flowers, in small gestures and with big, bold statements.
What type of floral person are you?
Whether you are a big flower lover (like me) or you prefer blossoms in small doses, these tips and tricks will bring blooming beauty to your rooms – a topic especially timely for June!
Fearless Florals
There is something so happy making about a bold floral decorating choice. Flower-patterned floor or wall tiles can light up a room, while a botanical-print sofa adds instant romance. Then there’s the spectacular effect of a room papered in a bold flowery pattern. In this dining room (above) by Texas-based designers Sheri Bailey and Maggie Vermillion, the windswept floral wallpaper forges an enveloping connection to nature. When making a daring floral design decision, follow their lead and connect the flower pattern to everything in the room. Add elements that blend harmoniously. Here, it’s the walnut-stained dining table and antique buffet. Consider a showstopper like the glass chandelier, which is a striking modern foil to the inky blue meadow-themed pattern. Lastly, aim for balance: the soft white silk rug and sumptuous velvet upholstered chairs temper the pattern and create a space that guests won’t want to leave.
Mai blue floral PLATE, $11, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.ca.
Rosa CHANDELIER in aged brass, $3,465, Matteo Lighting, matteolighting.com.
Silhouette PRINT, $50, set of 3, HomeSense, homesense.ca.
Wave VASE, from $60, EQ3, eq3.com.
Geneva black wood SIDEBOARD, $3,699, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.ca.
Mix Master
If you love flowers but don’t want to feel overwhelmed by floral pattern, it’s helpful to think of your home like a garden. An English garden is relaxed, layered and filled with diverse blooms. When decorating, you’ll want to similarly vary scale, colour and texture. The trick is to mix bold prints with tone-on-tone shades, soft floral silhouettes and plenty of solids. Modern gardens, on the other hand, have a limited colour palette and the flowers are often planted en masse. Consider a blossomy duvet cover with matching shams; floral tea towels that reference the flowers on your dishes and table linens; or a grouping of floral artworks like these Kelly Ventura prints for Pottery Barn (below). Notice that although the prints are different, the tonal colours are all soft and the works are unified by their (mostly) pale oak frames.
Lemon Branch Resin SHADOW BOXES; Kelly Ventura PRINTS; CONSOLE TABLE; Pottery Barn, potterybarn.ca
Where Flowers Bloom
...so does hope. So said Lady Bird Johnson. If you love flowers but don’t want to commit to floral decor, there’s nothing better than the real thing. Flowers soften and animate a space; they can even promote a sense of well-being. Blossoming branches or greenery in a large vessel give height and a sculptural element to a room. I’m a fan of all one type of flower – tulips, peonies, ranunculus, anemones. They’re especially easy to arrange in a pitcher or opaque vase, where you don’t see unruly stems. These days, the trend is for loose arrangements that look like you cut a few blooms and greenery from your garden and threw them into a vase. To extend their longevity, start with greenery and long-lasting florals like carnations (they’re back) and replenish as needed.
Fresh Flower Tips
• Be bold when choosing vases – a bright or patterned ceramic will add wow factor.
• An easy way to arrange mixed flowers is to create a posy in your hand and place it in your favourite vessel.
• Vary the height of blooms in mixed arrangements.
• Change the water daily and remove foliage below
the waterline.
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