Everyone wants to have a beautifully decorated home, and there is no better way to achieve this than with creative arrangements of flowers. How could we ever possibly achieve this level of artistry ourselves, though? The skills necessary to decorate with a professional-level style must require professional training, we might think. Well, not necessarily. There are established rules in interior design just as there are in other industries. All you need to do is familiarize yourself with them.
The 10 principles of floral design
The 10 principles of floral design that you’ll need to learn before you head out to the flower shop are the following:
1. Balance
Any aesthetic project involves principles of balance. What this means is that you want to create your arrangements in such a way that there is equal weight on opposite sides of them. No display should give the appearance of falling over because this will detract from the satisfied feeling that viewers are meant to get when they look at it. Lopsided arrangements relay a sense of uneasiness.
2. Stability
In the same way that your arrangements should be balanced horizontally, they should also be balanced vertically. What this means is that there should be a clearly stable base to any given arrangement. Even if flowers are somehow put together in such a way as to magically balance them on a narrow base, this goes against the principles of aesthetics because, as with the principle of balance, it exudes a sense of instability.
3. Proportion
Overall, there should be a balanced sense of proportion to your arrangements. This does not mean that all flowers should be exactly the same size, but the different sizes should complement one another in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
4. Scale
In addition to the parameters of the arrangement itself, there is also a principle of scale regarding the relative size and placement of the arrangement to the place where it is put.
5. Orientation
Your arrangement should be placed correctly with regard to its most aesthetic side radially. In other words, the most beautiful flowers in any given bunch should not be facing a wall, but rather turned around to where they will be most visible.
6. Rhythm
Just as in musical rhythms, aesthetic rhythms involve a measured distribution of large, small, and different types of flowers within a given arrangement.
7. Dominance
If you want an arrangement to exude primarily one shade more than others, you should incorporate that shade in a disproportionately large amount in relation to the others. If you want to create a “red” look, for example, you should disperse large amounts of red throughout your arrangement with smaller amounts of complementary colors in between.
8. Contrast
Contrast refers to the varying shapes, textures, and sizes that go into your arrangements. There should be an adequate level of contrast to create an aesthetically balanced piece.
9. Focal point
There should also be a distinct focal point to any given arrangement. It should be in the center of the piece and is often in the lower half.
10. Visual weight
Visual weight refers to the proportion of light versus dark colors in any given arrangement. What your visual weight is will be determined by the mood you are trying to create.
Try out different combinations and see where you end up
If you’ve got a particular room that you want to decorate, try experimenting with different contrasting colors, types, and combinations to see which ones you like best. There isn’t one single flower arrangement that will suit any given room, so you should have fun with the process and see what moods your creations bring about.