What do you think of when you hear decorating with florals? Outdated, mauve and maroon cabbage rose wallpaper? Nauseating flowered prints in a bed and breakfast that makes you dizzy? Chartreuse and mustard daisies a la the 60’s? Let’s face it, when you hear florals, you think “grandma.” (Disclaimer: my gram has excellent taste and decorates with florals beautifully. It’s just an expression.)
You can burst into spring anytime of the year by incorporating floral design in your interiors in a fun, beautiful, modern way. Learn how to easily freshen up your interiors this spring with florals that will give a new connotation to this often misunderstood pattern. Choosing florals can be overwhelming. With infinite colors, sizes, and saturation, it can be challenging to figure out how to add this pattern into your existing design scheme. Use these simple rules to add radiance and cheer to your home.
Not Your Grandma’s Florals
Modernize
Keep your floral patterned furniture modern by pairing it with a modern, graphic rug or contemporary coffee table for an eclectic effect. Hold the matching ottoman, pillows, and ruffled drapes, please. You can play with scale and color of the print, which can make outdated flowers updated and joyful.
A vintage aesthetic done intentionally can actually have a modern feel, thanks to today’s vintage chic fashion trends. You can make vintage fresh and cool by purposefully choosing old-fashioned styles- think Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. For instance, a tiny, traditionally old-fashioned floral print on an accent chair can look sweet or quirky with the addition of other small vintage accessories.
Photo: Urban Outfitters
Accent
When using florals, you don’t need to go all out. Instead, think accent- use pillows or an accent wall in a similar color scheme to complement the existing room. Or for a cheery, fun vibe, use contrasting colors on a small space- think turquoise tufted bench with a rectangular strawberry, cream, and green printed floral pillow. You can draw flowery prints into other accent pieces, such as rugs lamp shades, or throw blankets.
Photo: Society Social
Hi, I'm Lindsay!
Writer. Mom. Wife. Teacher. I'm passionate about family, manners, and learning and fervently stand up for (and write about) what I believe in. I strive to make myself and the world around me better through blogging. Don't forget to never say no to tea, cookie dough, peonies, or kindness.
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Mix it Up
So, you have a beautiful, flowery Oriental rug in your living room- that means floral pillows are out, right? Wrong! Choose pillows in the same color family in a different print to blend in yet add interest, or, my favorite, mix in a different shaped, bolder color floral pillow for a fun statement. Matchy matchy is a thing of the past. Say it with me now- I do not have to match my patterns, I do not have to match my patterns…
Photo: Bluebellgray
Not Just for Women
Flowers doesn’t have to mean feminine- a floral design can lean more feminine or masculine depending on colors, scale, and placement. You can also think outside the flower- when choosing a wallpaper, look for a design that incorporates more woodsy, natural elements, such as branches and vines that incorporate flowers.
Photo: House and Garden UK