There’s something important I need to discuss today.
Something more important than March Madness.
Something more important than whether or not we should all take up shoulder pads again.
Something more important than the leggings I shared that you all have been sending me thank you notes about.
Important I tell you, friends.
Important with a side of monumental and consequential sprinkled on top.
What is your opinion on faux flowers?
Do they make you happy?
Do they make you sad?
Are you team real or team faux?
I’m definitely on one team FOR SURE.
And the answer might surprise you.
Let’s start at the beginning—where this entire faux flower discussion got started.
I have some explaining to do.
Here’s my blue and white living room. You know how much I love blue and white. I may or may not have mentioned it 1,756,971 times.
But you know what I love even more than blue and white (especially with spring knocking at the door)?
I love little pops of pink and red and peach and coral.
They are my favorite colors to make blue and white pop.
I try to sprinkle hot pink and coral and red around the room.
Here’s my flower formula:
- one arrangement in the bay window
- one arrangement on the side table
- one arrangement on the table with the mirror
- one arrangement on the coffee table
I typically go to Trader Joe’s and purchase bundles of flowers and bring them home and divide them up into different vases and put them around the room. I choose peonies during peony season and hydrangeas when they have pink ones and Gerber daisies in the summer and other varieties of flowers in the red and pink and fuchsia families.
Sometimes I do go with purple.
But mostly pink or red is my flower go-to.
But here’s the challenge.
I bring home the flowers. I sort them and cut them and arrange them and put them out.
And then?
They look cute for a hot minute.
Maybe two hot minutes on a good day.
The flowers look pretty and fresh and lovely one minute—and then the petals start to wilt. The flowers droop. The leaves come tumbling down and drop all over the tables.
Sigh.
Then I make another trip to the grocery store and the process starts all over again.
So in 2023 I thought I’d try something different.
Instead of fresh flowers?
I thought I’d try faux.
Just between us? It has been a JOURNEY.
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a flower arrangment prince.
I ordered several different faux flowers (which looked NOTHING LIKE they did in the pictures).
It was so frustrating.
And then?
There are so many layers to the arrangement—eucalyptus and peonies and roses and daisies and the tiniest mini thistles. The arrangement looks so realistic—especially after you rearrange the flowers and fluff out the petals on the peonies.
I also thought a few of the flowers were a little too high, so I tucked them down into the arrangement. The entire arrangement is almost 16″ high and comes in the blue pot already arranged (and there’s a 10% coupon, too).
You can see the arrangement here.
(total aside: I shared these flowers on Instagram last week and they sold out. They’ve since restocked them, but if you click and they are sold out again hopefully they will be restocked soon.)
I returned the other faux flowers and ordered two more of these and placed them around the room.
But it looked a little too matchy, matchy for me.
So I ordered these peonies, too.
I was a little worried they wouldn’t look like the picture, but THEY delivered. I think what makes them look so realistic is that the greenery is just the right color and the blooms are different sizes and some of them are more open than others so they look SO REAL.
There are four different stems with about five flowers on each stem and they don’t come in a vase.
You can see the peony stems here.
And so now we come to the end of my faux flower tale.
It’s been a long and arduous journey.
The room is decorated for spring without drooping petals or fading blooms or scattered leaves.
So in 2023? I’m all about a flower that looks like I just cut and arranged it. I’m not going to listen to decorators or fancy designers. I love a good faux flower and I’m going to CELEBRATE IT.
Let’s GO.
But now?
I want to hear from you.
What do you think?
Are you team real? Or team faux?
Let’s discuss. 🙂
PS You can see the flower arrangement here and the peony bunches here.
PPS Also a GIANT shout out to Kathryn for telling me about these super realistic hydrangeas on Amazon. I just ordered and I’ll share them with you all when they come in.
You can see the hydrangeas here.
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Karianne, you must MUST try the Yalzone Met hydrangeas on Amazon. They look AND FEEL like the real thing. It’s mind blowing. I have them in blue and green and am ready to get pink now. My DIL couldn’t believe they weren’t the real thing! Absolutely the best faux flower I’ve ever purchased including all I’ve ordered from Afloral.
YOU ARE THE BEST! I just ordered two bunches! Thank you thank you thank you! I tried a couple of different hydrangeas and they looked so fake. So thankful for this recommendation!
I'm with you...faux is the way to go. Also, pink, White, and yellow flowers are my go-to colors. Faux flowers are so realistic now, I feel there's no reason to mess with real flowers. I have plenty outside in my gardens. Thank you for the inspiration.
i have a great faux floral resource on kentucky! the tulips are the ones you see in downtown Mckinney and every other decor store! I order their garland through the year to manage cash flow! i have an arrangement i bought at kroger and sadly the petals are in life support! happy day! laura
Hahahahaha! This made me laugh out loud! Sometimes my tulips are on life support the day after I buy them! LOL!
I have had many gardens and am now in an apartment with limited gardening spaces, except for a Tiny studio in my garage. I have Baskets of faux flowers on the top shelves and they are gorgeous, whether they are in the studio or in arrangements in my livingroom, etc. So happy with faux.
Did you know Michael’s also sells flowers like this also. Even better when they have a coupon. Thanks for sharing love fake also
Thank you so much for the tip!!!! I need to check them out!
I agree that faux is a winner since they look so real! And what a bonus for you to have mini thistles:)
Those flowers from Amazon are so pretty. I am so happy to hear I am not the only one breaking the rules. As you read stories from interior designers, they all say dont use faux plants. Well for me, I dont always listen well. Faux flowers are the best. I have found some gorgeous arrangements lately at home goods and I already own the peonies you suggested. But I dont stop at flowers, greenery too. I have a lot of live plants but sometimes you just have that place with no light. I am a fan of Greenery stems as well. Thank you for making realize its ok to be fake sometimes. Of course I'm talking about my flowers 🤗
Faux flowers! These are so pretty! I am always afraid of overdoing them. I have an arrangement in each bedroom, the entry, the dining table in my cute blue and white pots you showed us and an arrangement on the piano. But I love them. These peonies are gorgeous. One of my favorites but sadly I can’t grow them out here in west Texas. My sweet husband brings me fresh flowers each week or so that I put on the island in the kitchen. I find a 1/2 teaspoon of bleach helps them last longer. I’ve heard vodka will do the same but have not tried it. Thank you for sharing new sources for gorgeous flowers! I’m so ready for spring!
I am on board with faux flowers! Problem is I want everyone I see. The pink in your blue/white room are stunning.
I rarely buy real flowers anymore because of the expense and as you say, they last a hot week. I like both of these arrangements. You can also find some pretty ones from time to time at Target. Great idea.
Since I have cats who turn over any container that has water in it and chew on many live flowers, I have come to appreciate the fakes. They have come a long way from the hideous plastic flowers I remember when I was little. The cats leave the faux alone, the flowers don’t droop snd lose petals, snd I don’t need to worry about changing water. If I’m have company for dinner, though, I try to use real flowers even if it’s just a few blossoms tucked into fakes.
Yes! I agree! Real flowers are so pretty for dinner or for a party! But for every day I'm kind of sold on these!
Thank you Kari and, now, Kathryn!! Love the peonies but my question was going to be “What about a great faux hydrangea??” All the most important questions of the day answered in one fell swoop!! It will be 10 BELOW HERE AT 7000’ in the mountains of Colorado today….I’m ordering up SPRING’nn
Did you see Kathryn's comment? I TOTALLY just ordered them! I can't wait to show them to y'all!
I’m letting out all of my secrets today! YalZone Met also has gorgeous David Austin-esque roses in a deep pink and a lighter pink. Yup…I ordered them and they blew my mind, too. They are on another level of faux flowers. Again, they look and FEEL like the real thing. Really!
You are so funny! Love your blog!! The faux flower tip is a winner. I do a lot of faux green plants, when I find realistic ones. Thanks for making me feel ok with thst. Lol. I'm IN LOVE with your blue and white!!! I've admired your pair of ticking/stripped chairs since you originally posted them. Are they comfortable? We're building a new house..breaking ground in 3 weeks and I'm considering getting these. I don't want to buy furniture until I'm in the house and it tells me what it wants. Lol. I wished I could hire you as my decorator . But my budget doesn't allow a personal decorator..oh to be rich..what a concept!! Love you
They're in my Amazon cart right now.
I would always prefer live, but as you mentioned they are not practical for everyday decor. I just posted today experimenting with Sola Wood flowers for my daughter’s baby shower and was very happy with the outcome! Sorry I can’t post a pic here. Elainestone.net
Check out Magnolias out on Norfolk NE, they are on Facebook and have a design hour each day with faux stems. The shop is a faux shop that even does porch pots.
My Mom would be sooooo Happy to know faux flowers are back. Growing up our house was full of them, some great and some not so great. But regardless the woman LOVED THEM
Yes! I’ve used faux flowers and plants for years and years. I love to tell the story about the number of people who have asked me for a cutting off of a lovely, trailing plant that I have in my kitchen, lol! I’ve not ordered any flowers off of Amazon however. I like to see and touch faux flowers/plants before I buy them. I’ve had such good luck finding them in my area that I’ve not been tempted to look online. I’ve bought faux at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann, World Market, Aldi’s, the Dollar Tree, Walmart, Home Goods and a few other places. I generally buy stems however as I enjoy making my own arrangements. I just finished making a lovely arrangement from faux peonies for my daughter for her 6th wedding anniversary….she was so excited to have another arrangement!
Beautiful, beautiful…I love both
I have always loved faux flowers, but I don't order online. Too frustrating. We live in a small town but we do have a Walmart and Dollar store. I have made some really beautiful arrangements using those two resources.
I'm on both teams, but there's one thing faux flowers can't replicate--fragrance! If it's a special occasion or short-time experience, I go with fresh flowers. Sometimes I just want them for myself. None of the senses evokes memories like the sense of smell. Sometimes I mix fresh with artificial and putting faux plants (like bulbs) in real dirt or moss is another trick I use. I do use faux flowers if I want them to be displayed for a month or two, but then one has to have space to store and rotate all the seasonal arrangements.
I'm Team BOTH!!! xoxo
I like the real thing for a treat (I just dumped my Valentine's roses into the compost this morning) but on a day-to-day basis, faux is the way to go! I've been listening a lot to the opinion of designers and decorators who say that faux is awful. I think that these people don't have kids or cats in their homes. If your workplace/business revolves around how your home looks, then yes, it makes sense to go for the real deal, but that is true for a small minority of the population. The rest of us need something that looks good, saves time (in terms of cleanup), and makes financial sense.
I used to be a real flower snob until I bought a silk amaryllis one Christmas season. Had some friends over for lunch and they complimented me on my plant. When I told them it wasn't real they couldn't believe it and they were both Master Gardeners!! Now I am Team both. Good faux can be very expensive so I shop thrift stores and yard sales for mine with some great finds. One thing is to make sure to use faux flowers correct for the season if you want to fool your friends. LOL 😆
Love faux!!! My Macy is the trainer for flower arrangements for the franchisees at https://fauxrealflowers.com/ in North Carolina!! This past month she was on the set of Zoey 102 they were filming and her company did an engagement set up with faux flowers!! They look so much more real and beautiful than the faux flowers Grandma Dennis used to have lol! See you soon!!!!!
I love real flowers/plants when I can cut them from my garden. Fresh flowers from the market are too expensive for me. I've found that good quality faux flowers are worth the price because they can be changed out when fresh are not available, hold up well for years, and YES they look just like the real thing.
I am team faux all the way. I live in a very hot climate and flowers are expensive here too. They literally last a day before they start to wilt. Its such a big waste of money. Faux flowers have really come a long way too and sometimes you have to look closely to tell they're not real. I still love fresh flowers but only in the cooler months and usually if I'm setting a nice table.
I must admit, I have one foot firmly planted in team real.... and one foot on the faux fence. I LOVE fresh flowers - there's nothing like them. And I come from a long line of gardeners. But for certain areas - the guest room dresser, the bedroom where the blinds are always drawn, the corner cupboard that gets no sunlight - I use faux flowers and plants. I just need that pop of color - or green. I dream of planting a cutting garden where fresh flowers grow 3 seasons of the year!
I’ve been laughed at for years and years, but I don’t care. I rarely get real flowers, unless they are for my garden, so that I can plant them in the ground. I rarely sacrifice their lives to bring them inside for my enjoyment. If it’s flower blooming season I’m outside already and able to enjoy them. Faux flowers have always been it on the inside for me. I don’t do well keeping plants indoors. Just don’t have that knack. More of a murderer so real are outside and fake in the house.
I love and use both! Real flowers are in my bedroom and faux are everywhere else in my home...I have 2 very curious kitties! And they love real flowers... LOL
Love fresh flowers, especially as a gift, and have some faux that I use seasonally too. I was a faux hater until I found out how to keep them clean. If you already know this, then it’s not the epiphany it was to me, but here it is. Take a plastic bag that will cover all of the arrangement or stems you want to clean. Pour about a half-cup of salt into the bag. Hold the container or stems in a bunch and place them head first into the bag and gather the bag opening tightly around the bunch ends. Like a balloon. Shake the bag for a minute or so until all the petals and leaves have been ‘dusted’ (or a-salted as my husband would say), then remove and ta-da they are clean. The bag with salt can be kept and used over and over again. This method works really well for beaded rings and other hard to clean decor too. If you’ve never tried this cleaning hack, please do, I’m sure you’ll love it.
KariAnne, I love the flowers you have in your Living Room -- so beautiful! I love a good faux flower and have bought a few over the past few years. They are expensive but look like the real ones. I just bought 2 bunches of the white hydrangeas and am looking forward to getting them. These hydrangeas look so real. Thanks for sharing the faux flowers with us.
I am totally faux flowers simply because I do not have a green thumb. I was given a plant in which I was told it would be impossible to kill....yeah, I killed it. Faux flowers and plants for me!
Gorgeous as always! I'm on the side of faux also! 🥰
Okay--I think you convinced me. Now to decide which ones?