Floral Design On a Dime

Moving into a new space is so much fun!

Okay, who am I kidding? Even if you love the process of moving, there’s usually a point where you’re looking around like “when will this all end?” Unless, that is, you’ve hired assistance to pack and unpack every single box for you. If so, you more than likely relate to my opening sentiment. As for the packing and unpacking … that is not my forté.

But …

During a move, I continue to remind myself that transitioning into a new space is always “what you make it.” That is, the idea of having to pack and unpack is dreadful if you allow yourself to see it that way. This time around, all I could think about were a few key ideas that kept me giddy throughout the process, while truly enjoying the move:

It’s a new chapter and a fresh start! Treat it as such (gratitude, positive vibes, excitement).
There’s nothing wrong with just packing and moving first, THEN purging during your unpacking. We often get overwhelmed with deciding what we should keep, toss or donate. But it doesn’t all have to be done in one sweep. Be gentle with yourself and take the time you need to move and settle into your new space. Note: if you know from the jump that you don’t want/need it, don’t pack it. It could cost you more with the moving company (but you already knew that).
And finally … get excited early on by planning out your new space before the move. Once you’re in, combat feeling overhwhelmed during unpacking by tailoring each space and decorating it to reflect the energy you want in your home. This makes unpacking less of a drag and more exciting!

As I unpacked boxes daily, #3 was so much fun for me and such a game-changer. I found myself excited about the layout of my new space, the decor, the little details and the Feng shui. Yes, the Feng shui! “Feng shui is a Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it.” ( Merriam Webster ) Get you some!

Which leads me to why we’re here …

Flower Power

In addition to Feng shui, creating a fresh, stylish and functional home space is of paramount importance to me; and floral decor is just as important. Flowers just make me happy! Moreover, they add a soft and delightful touch to any space, whether it be your home, your office, an event, etc. I know that some flowers can be costly, but I firmly believe that you can “zhoosh” up your interior(s) with bundles that don’t break the bank. Here’s how I did just that with $15 of floral bouquets from Whole Foods (@wholefoods).

While Whole Foods has an awesome reputation for the best produce and a great floral selection, certain types of flowers can be a bit pricey. Nonetheless, I was determined to find some gorgeous stems at a reasonable price.

I picked up one (1)bouquet of tiger lilies for $8.99 and noticed a few bouquets of fuchsia tulips reduced to $6.00 (because of the petals on a few of the stems). My thoughts … they’re just flowers. Why not buy them at that price? So I added one (1) bouquets of tulips to my stash. Score!

After sorting through for more pink hues, I felt like these were just enough to get me started and headed back home to start the decorating (white wine and “New Edition” dance moves included).

Keep reading …

Kitchen & Living Room

As you enter a space, you should feel welcome and at-home. For me, nothing gets this done like a fresh bouquet of flowers … or a home-cooked meal (but that’s another blog post). It’s like an instant “hello” as you enter, a warm greeting, or as one of my favorite TV interior designers refers to as, “a way to soften up the lines and corners of a space.”

Duly noted.

For my living room, I mixed 1/2 of the tiger lily bouquet with 1/4 of the tulips, for a gorgeous combination that I used to adorn a sofa table (placed in my bay window).

I repeated this grouping for my second bouquet and placed it on the kitchen island (which lies right at the center of the space). The bonus: more tiger lily buds had yet to bloom, so these sweet bouquets are “the gift that keeps on giving!”

Bedroom (Vanity)

In my bedroom, I used the remaining 1/2 of the tulips to add some flair to a special little area. A modern take on a vanity and still “under construction,” this space houses all of my makeup and a few perfume fragrances. The tulips placed here, offer a fun and vibrant aesthetic to the clean lines of the IKEA Expedit storage cube used.

A modern take alright!

This vanity won’t be a sit-down experience like in the movies, as I hardly have time for makeup (much less sitting down to do so). Lol! Instead, I will stand, stop and smell the flowers each day, while I prep. I think a posh and glam vanity mirror is in the forecast!

Bathroom

So I couldn’t go without infusing some color into the bathroom … after a quick brainstorm, three (3) tulips were all I needed.

For this arrangement, I grabbed a few stems from the vanity bouquet and placed them into a short glass vase. As a filler, I used the tulips’s longer stem leaves to line the inner circumference of the vase and filled the center with the three tulips and a few leaves from the tiger lilies.

I like to keep the decor in my bathroom pretty simple so this was a cool way to brighten up the space without too much going on. To finish, I plan to stand a white floating glass frame up on the countertop just behind the mini floral arrangement. But for now, this will do.

Turned out pretty awesome, if you ask me. What do you think?