Whether you're a floral designer updating a client's home or an event stylist preparing for a corporate gala, faux florals allow you to create showstopping displays efficiently and cost-effectively.
But not all faux flowers are created equal. That's why it pays to invest in high-quality, realistic faux blooms and botanicals from a reputable supplier.
Explore these tips for selecting and incorporating faux florals that will have your clients, guests, and event attendees convinced your displays are made up of only the freshest, natural materials.
The biggest challenge with faux florals is making sure they mimic natural florals seamlessly. And taking a few extra minutes before incorporating your faux florals and greenery can make the difference between a faux look and a display that fools your client into thinking you used live botanicals.
So, what's the secret?
When your faux florals arrive, make sure to give them time and attention before adding them to your display. Fluffing petals, bending wires to resemble realistic stems, and massaging the leaves so that they don't sit flat and rigid all add a realistic element to your faux florals.
Your florals likely require some hands-on customization before they'll work for your design. That might mean cutting stems into smaller clusters or snipping extra leaves off your stems. Embrace imperfection; a missing petal, leaf, or stamen here and there adds realism.
At times, it may be necessary to use bindwire, floral putty, or tape to hold clustered stems in shape. (Remember: Visible mechanics can ruin convincing natural asymmetry, so make sure to keep this work hidden from plain sight.)
Even exceptional faux florals benefit from thoughtful placement and strategic pairings. When incorporating faux botanicals:
The weakness of faux foliage lies in the artificial joints and seams on the backsides of the leaves. With this in mind, angle the backs of your leaves away from direct sight lines.
You also want to avoid simply plopping stems into a vase at 90-degree angles. Instead, position your clusters at slightly different angles, with individual stems tilting left, right, or center to avoid rigid uniformity. This helps create an organic, dynamic look.
The combination of live florals with faux greenery can make your faux pieces indistinguishable from the real thing. When paired strategically, the eye has trouble detecting where real ends and faux begins.
When combining natural and faux elements:
The thoughtful combination of faux and natural botanicals enables you to conserve budget, reinforce sparse living arrangements, and build the backbone and volume needed for professional displays.
Today's plastic-stemmed options are easy to repurpose and use across numerous displays. Ensure to look for these options over paper stems, which can lead to exposed wires that can ruse, especially if used with live botanicals.
For next-level realism and texture, weave in natural, dried blooms, grasses, and greenery, which brings imperfect asymmetry and unique textures to your display. Our Natural Botanicals collection makes it easy to order your faux and dried materials together.
It's not unusual to scour the shelves of Target, Ikea, or your local craft spot for last-minute floral décor — especially while on a tight timeline. But did you know that you can order the realistic florals you're looking for without long lead times?
Many of our products can be shipped out within 24 hours and arrive within a few days. Best of all? Your order will give you quality blooms and longer-lasting materials that you can use for multiple client projects. Plus, your products will be backed by a warranty and be easier to use (e.g., bendable wires and more realistic leaves and petals that require less finessing).
We stand by our products, which is why they come with a seasonal warranty. If you find that your product quickly discolors, has inaccurate coloring, breaks upon receiving it, has the covering peel away from the wire, or any other issues you may have faced with products from other floral companies, our customer service team will help you replace your item quickly and without hassle.