Color, Emotion, And Focus: Choosing Flowers For Arrangements
Posted on: 16 June 2015
Flower arranging can seem intimidating – there are so many colors, shapes, and sizes of flowers out there to choose from. Whether you're arranging your flowers yourself or giving direction to a professional, though, it helps to have a little background on how flowers and colors can create different effects.
Focal Arrangements
Making a flower arrangement into the focus of a room's décor generally involves a combination of size and visual interest; smaller arrangements, no matter how beautiful, do not have the same impact. Because of this, they are a little more limited in what types of flowers are used. Taller flowers like lilies, cherry blossoms, or delphiniums work best; however, flowers you think of as "short" may only be cut that way for regular vases, so check for long-stem varieties before writing any flower off.
In order to keep the flowers as the point of interest, the vase should be kept simple. Single colors and uncomplicated shapes are good, as are clear vases. If you will be keeping the same color of flowers in the vase, consider choosing a different shade of the same color for the vase. A paler or darker shade works very well to accentuate the flowers; don't choose a brighter shade, or the flowers will be overshadowed by the vase.
Focal Vases
If, on the other hand, you want a stunning vase to be the focus and the flowers to complement it, you'll want to make your floral arrangement attractive but unassuming. Choosing a single color of flower – or even a single type of flower – helps keep things simple. Flowers with small blooms and more greenery also help. Some people even display no blooms at all, such as in twig and branch arrangements.
Calming Colors
Flower arrangements don't have to be focal; however, it's more common to use them to enhance a room rather than stand on their own. When it comes to choosing colors for smaller flower arrangements, consider whether you want them to seem soothing and calming or whether you're looking for bold and striking.
For calm arrangements, you want colors that are close to each other on the color wheel – think of how similar red, orange, and yellow look, or blue and purple. Using different shades of the same color also works well. Stay away from brighter colors and choose darker or pastel colors instead. For example, while red may not seem like a soothing color, turning it into a pastel pink makes it fit with a calm arrangement.
Striking Colors
If you're looking for a brighter and more energetic arrangement, it makes sense to choose brighter and more vivid colors. Using multiple colors together, rather than different shades of the same color, is also good. To choose multiple colors, look for colors that are across from each other on the color wheel – called complementary colors. Blue and orange, for instance, are complementary colors, as are yellow and purple. One of the reasons red flowers look so energetic is that they are bright and also are the complementary color of their green foliage.
A business like Fasan Florist can help you put together arrangements that best fit your home and needs.
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