2015 Trends for decorating with plants and flowers

Yesterday I showed you the first part of a Trend luncheon I attended, organized by The joy of plants (Dutch websites: Mooi wat bloemen doen & Mooi wat planten doen), an initiative by The Flower Council of Holland. Today, I would like to talk about what I learnt that afternoon: the trends for decorating with plants and flowers for 2015. Aafje Nijman, trendwatcher at Bureau Nijman + Van Haasteren, shared with us the most prominent societal trends and currents that are also influencing how we decorate and style with plants and flowers. The florists and decorators from The Wunderkammer together with Klimprodukties visualized the trends for us. So let’s delve into those trends so you can copy the look at home.

Lightweight

In 2015 there are 4 currents in society that translate into 3 trends we see in interior decorating, but also in food styling and fashion. The over arching element that is reflected in all trends is light. Luminaries, reflections of light, but also lightness in weight are translated into design and styling. The 4 societal values or currents are: Review, Brutal reality, Higher perspective, and New truth. (Read more about these values here)

How does light translate into flower and house plant styling? In 2015 we’ll see that flower bouquets and plants are displayed in a much lighter manner. Instead of a full and opulent bouquet it is now okay to just style a few stems or loosely arrange them, and make it more transparent. Hanging flowers and plants, a bouquet standing up right on a plate instead of in a vase, plants and flowers under a bell jar or in a terrarium, and levitating plants and flowers on pedestals or in macrame hangers are the new way to go.

Eco Luxe

The trend that resonated most with me is the Eco Luxe trend that derives from the societal value ‘review’. We are reviewing and refocusing what’s important in life, and are redefining status. Status moves from ownership of things to ownership of knowledge, innovation and eco-friendly solutions. The solution is a combination of luxury with nature and natural, recycled materials. Soft and metallic materials are combined with wild flowers or large leaf jungle plants, like the above picture where a lush jungle plant is combined with a golden coloured pot. But also vice versa: a luxe flower combined with a raw planter e.g an amaryllis hanging with a raw copper pipe, or orchids in a concrete vase. The eco-luxe trend is also noticeable in the colour scheme of pots: copper, brass and gold for luxury, grey and green for nature, black and okra yellow for fierceness. 

Unexpected wild

The unexpected wild trend finds its foundation in the societal value called ‘Brutal reality’. It embraces simplicity, normality, and reality, and celebrates nostalgic values and self-sufficiency. You recognize this prevalent value in the hipster scene e.g. being offline, the living room style coffee shops, slow and raw food, super foods, growing your own vegetables and herbs, knitting your own sweater, or males growing their beard again. It’s back to basics. The brutal reality value defines itself in decorating with plants and flowers by using raw and rough materials like concrete, wood, earth ware, metal, and terracotta planters. The colour scheme is natural with blue, grey and green and you’ll see a lot of dip-dye, paint brush textures and robust patterns. The house plants are green without or with restricted blooms like cacti, succulents and ferns, often hanging or elevated on a pedestal. Floral arrangements are wild, or simple with big leafs and not too styled. Everything looks robust and simple.

The Happy Life

Another prevalent trend is the happy life that derives from the values ‘New truth’ and ‘Higher perspective’. The new truth current is all about a new reality, disrupting the status quo, energy, three-dimensional shapes, experimenting, DIY, exploring and playfulness. One should redefine reality and function and there are no boundaries. The higher perspective value in society is a result of the globalizing tendencies in which we like to participate, share, and exchange. Everything is mixed and matched, and we like to have things and designs with multiple functionalities. But above all, things should be airy and fun.

Life is a party and you should celebrate it daily. The trends translate into a brightly coloured scheme with recycled and practical materials like paper, coloured glass and paper mache. Water bottles are recycled into vases and adorned with yarn. Paper muffin cups function as mini planters. The shapes are futuristic and the patterns playful, think of stripes, dots, and confetti. We also see a lot of ombre and either candy or pastel colours. As for the flowers and plants, this trend promotes blooming plants with small flowers, and colorful lush flower bouquets with pastel or vibrant colours. 

Having read and seen this, what is your style and to what trend do you relate most?

About Post Author