Life

Pick of the bunch for summer style

There's nothing like a bouquet of blooms to raise a smile in the home. Gabrielle Fagan reveals how to have fun with florals

A GORGEOUS bouquet of blooms in a vase, lovingly placed on the kitchen table or windowsill, has to be the simplest way to instantly bring colour and warmth into a room.

But, while flowers don't need much help looking wonderful, getting creative with your floral displays can add a whole new dimension to the natural wonders.

Stylists Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring certainly think so. Though not trained floral designers, they "love to play and experiment" with flowers and are blooming with ideas for fun and interesting arrangements, which they're sharing in their new book, Decorate With Flowers: Creative Ideas For Flowers And Containers Around The Home.

It contains a hearty bunch of suggestions for use with flowers which the authors promise are "budget-friendly and easy to find", as well as ways to choose, make or jazz-up containers.

Here's a sneaky peak at some of the highlights, along with my suggestions for petal power buys.

BOTTLE CHANDELIER

A bottle chandelier can be made out of a wire loop, heavy-gauge florist wire, lighter-gauge florist wire, and vintage or interesting small glass bottles, suggest Becker and Shewring.

You will need to hang it securely from the ceiling with a hook. Use light wire to wrap around the necks of the bottles - this only works if there is a rim to hold the wire below it, then attach the other end of the wire to the loop frame. Attach bottles at varying lengths and space them evenly around the wire loop for balance. Use as little water as possible in the bottles and pop a flower or two in each one.

A cluster of small bottles could also be tied to the back of a chair, using light-gauge florist wire. Add blooms and ribbons for more pizzazz.

GET THE LOOK: Save pennies by collecting and reusing old glass bottles. Or, for an extra splash of colour, Next has a pretty set of Glass Bottles, £12 for 3.

A SIMPLE WREATH

Create a wreath using heavier-gauge floral wire to form a circle.

Make a series of small bouquets or bunches out of greenery, wrapping the stems of each bouquet together with floral tape.

The authors advise; start at the top of the circle and attach the first bouquet to the wire form with more floral tape. Then work down one side, overlapping the next bouquet to cover the wrapped stems of the one before. When you get towards the bottom, add a couple of focal flowers to your bouquets.

Once you reach the bottom of the circle, start at the top and work down the other side. If needed, fill in any holes by adding a bloom or two using wire.

GET THE LOOK: If you're not the crafty type, Bloom, specialists in faux flowers, has a Daisy Wreath, £12. There's also an abundance of faux wreaths at GT Decorations; Artificial Silk Flower Mini Rose Eucalyptus Gypso Wreath in Baby Pink, £8.

FLORAL FEAST

Al fresco table settings work best if they feature natural style floral arrangements. Try using jam jars and pop in a relaxed mix of flowers, which are loosely arranged. A good combination is fennel flower, cow parsley, chive blossom, Japanese anemone, eucalyptus, mint, and dahlia, but a small selection from your flower beds will work just as well, say Becker and Shewring.

Add sprigs of fresh rosemary to arrangements and then tie what's left to napkins with a piece of twine. Personalise jam jars with greetings for your guests. Wrap twine around the jar, handwrite your message on a basic tag and secure it with a small wooden clothes peg or tie it on.

GET THE LOOK: All out of blooms? No problem - a fake bunch can do the job.

BHS has some purse-friendly picks; Large Poppies In Bottle Vase, £25, or the delicate 3 Agapanthus In Vase, £25.

FLOWERS AFLOAT

Shallow, ceramic bowls are transformed into a must-try centrepiece when filled with fragrant blooms and herbs - "We love mint" say the authors. Wide flat flowers such as orchids, asters, gerbera daisies, gardenias and open roses won't sink as quickly as those with heavier centres, which can sink within an hour.

If there are no fresh blooms to hand, just pop dried straw flowers, sprinkle some glitter and add tea lights, wrapped with patterned washi tape, for a sparkling focal point.

GET THE LOOK: For double the floral factor, how about using a bowl that looks like a flower too? Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Gerbera Decorative Glass Bowl, currently reduced from £29 to £14, Very, could be paired with pale cream or white flower heads.

WALL FLOWERS

Wall flowers are generally thought of as the shy, retiring types at parties, but this floral arrangement will be bold and eye-catching. Decorate the wall beside a dining table or a bare space with fresh flowers, attached with washi tape which is usually safe for most surfaces and easy to use.

Companies such as papermash.co.uk have a good selection. This idea also works with faux flowers.

GET THE LOOK: As well as hanging flowers

directly onto walls, wall-attached vases are worth a look. Graham & Green has a delightful selection of Ceramic Animal Head Wall Vases, £35 each, available as a fox, bear or hare.

CAN-DO BUNCH

Flowers displayed in unusual containers always win compliments. Visit an Asian grocery store, suggest Becker and Shewring, for a little market style and look for canned fruits and teas, since they often have delightful colour and pattern-filled containers, which make great vases.

Empty the contents and then pop in a small glass inside to avoid rust or leaks.

Arrange smaller bouquets in shorter cylindrical vessels, like tins, by applying a looser dome-like effect. Keep focal flowers higher and gradually add filler flowers, with the lowest blooms resting their heads on the rim.

GET THE LOOK: There's delightful kitsch appeal to Graham & Green's vase selection. Try their Swan Vase With Gold Detailing, £39, and white porcelain Trunk Bud Vase, £12.95.

Next's Bright Blooms Cube vase, £24, is anything but square, and their Printed Glass Vase, £12, will sit pretty on any table. Or, coordinate your container with the sunset, with a deep orange Classic Glass Vase, £15, Very.

* Decorate With Flowers, by Holly Becker & Leslie Shewring, is published by Jacqui Small, £20. Available to readers for the special price of £16 (inc p&p), call 01903 828 503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote offer code APG173 with your name and address.

FLORAL SUPPLIES

BHS: www.bhs.co.uk Bloom: www.bloom.uk.com Graham & Green: www.grahamandgreen.co.uk GT Decorations: www.gtdecorations.com Next: www.next.co.uk Very: www.very.co.uk