Happy Summer! For me, the happiest days involve large amounts of tropical greenery and blooms. Since I’m not taking a vacation this year, the magic has to happen through floral arrangements. Let’s just say my ‘80s Deco vases have gotten some good use! When I first started the blog seven (yes, 7!) years ago, I began collecting these decadent receptacles, and all too often they live behind cabinet doors. This summer it’s all about putting them on display!
If I want to fill a group of vases on a budget, I rely on three magic ingredients:
- affordable fresh flowers from the market/grocery store
- clippings from my yard
- faux flowers
Lilies and iris are two of my favorite fresh flowers to purchase for my ’80s Deco vases. I’ve also gotten into the habit of clipping a few leaves from my parents’ abundant fan palm plants (there are MANY palm leaves in front of their house). Greenery from my backyard also finds its way inside. And when it comes to faux flowers, I stick with selections that mimic real flowers that look fake. Did you follow that?! Here’s what I mean: some real flowers are so stunning that they seem perfect. Proteas (shown above) and orchids (shown at the top of the post) are two that come to mind! So the fake version of these flowers look kinda real, and I can keep them on hand whenever I need them for future arrangements!
When it comes to arranging flowers, here are some of my favorite strategies:
- keeping it simple with just one type of flower
- mixing it up with greenery of different heights
- going super sculptural and dramatic
As you can see from the two photos above, filling a vase completely with iris or lilies can make a big statement. But so can combining branches, tropical leaves and blooms in an asymmetrical arrangement. In other words, have fun with it!
Now that I’ve shared, I’d really like to know…what are your favorite flowers and leaves to display in ’80s Deco vases? Leave a comment below!
The egg shaped vase with palm is amazing.
On another note, I recently stumbled across the first season of The Real World from 1991. The loft they stay at in SOHO is just begging to have a story written on it from Mirror80.
Wow… very pretty, The first one looks just like one of those airbrush posters so popular in the «Decade of Decadence». I’m going to play around with my image editor to flatten the colours and add the airbrush texture to make a «Summer Greetings» card and invite everyone to visit your blog
(and stop criticising the 80s just because…)