Why Fake Flowers?
You buy fake flowers because they last longer than fresh ones. Right?
Even though we don't sell fake flowers at our shop, there are so many beautiful ones on the market. I even, gasp, have some at my house.
But let's face it. There are good fake flowers and bad ones.
By the way, I call them fake flowers, because that's what they are.
Some call them artificial. Others refer to them as silk, though most of them aren't. You can call them faux flowers if that makes you happy. And folks in the industry get a kick out of calling them permanent botanicals.
But no matter what you call them, there's no reason for them to look fake anymore.
10 Tips To Fool People With Fake Flowers
Research fresh flowers. Before you can buy good-looking fake flowers you need to know what real ones look like. Visit a florist or look at images of real flowers online. Be sure to check out the leaves. Each flower has its own leaf shape. Makers of fake flowers blow it on this point all the time.
Image: Pottery Barn
Choose flowers in realistic colors. Look for fake flowers in natural colors. There are no black lilies or roses in nature. No neon blue flowers either. If you're creating flower arrangements for a cutting edge special event, then go ahead and play with color. But if you want those unrealistic colors to match your sofa they will make your space look tacky. Period.
Invest in good quality fake flowers. Realistic fake flowers aren't cheap. But they will look a thousand times better than cheaper ones for years to come.
Image: Pottery Barn
Buy great looking inexpensive fake flowers. If you can't afford expensive ones, buy those that look like them. Visit a store that sells high-end fake flowers and study them out. What makes them look real? Notice that they are never shiny. How do they display them? Pottery Barn is a good place to get great ideas on how to incorporate flowers into your space.
Avoid weird details. Some fake roses have plastic water droplets on them. You can just peel these off. Others have little baby's breath type growths. Remove these too. Flower manufacturers think these things make the fake flowers look prettier. They're wrong.
Image: Silky Flower Store
Beware of super thick stems. Bunches of fake flowers are wired individually then enclosed in thick plastic to create one giant stem. You get lots of flowers for the price of one. Hide those stems in a vase you can't see through.
Divide and multiply. Just because your fake flowers may come in a bunch doesn't mean they have to stay that way. Separate bunches of fake flowers into different vases. Use wire cutters to cut the stems. if you use your good scissors they won't be good anymore. An inexpensive pair of wire cutters should do the job. Learn how to make flower pens out of fake flowers here.
Image: Diane James
Go monochromatic. Find one flower you like. Buy lots of them in the same color. Place them in a clear glass vase with the stems arranged in an orderly design.
Limit your color palette. Decide on a color scheme. To achieve an elegant look, don't use more than 3 colors. Those colors should relate well to each other. If one flower is mostly pink, but has a hint of green and white use those colors to complement the first flower. Using 25,000 different colors will make your fake flower arrangement look fake and all over the place. Focus on a few colors for the best result.
Dust them. If you don't keep dust off your fake flowers they will look a lot like fake flowers. Real flowers don't get dusty! Unless you're one of those who bring your fresh flowers home. Put them in a vase and allow them to die in place without a single bit of care.
Bonus Tip
Just add water. Some people add water to their fake flower arrangements in clear vases to give the illusion that they are real.
At Fly Me To The Moon Florists, we have the opposite problem. People have the illusion that our real flowers are fake. What can I do?
What tips do you have for working with permanent botanicals fake flowers?
Mimi
Image: Floral Home Decor
