In the last post, we spoke about bringing nature home though noticing the seasonal buds and blooms in abundance outside and using them in our interior spaces. In this post we will direct the attention towards the aspect of preserving the unique flowers and twigs we have found outdoors, so we can enjoy their beauty ever so longer than their natural life span.
I guess I have always been a fan of dried flowers. I dare say, I have consistently been more driven towards dried buds and flowers and twigs, and bare branches compared to their lively counterparts. and with branches, I mean to say the real deal; a large branch cut off the tree may easily find it’s way to my abode and sit in it’s very own corner as an accent piece.
I guess it started back when I was in my teens, when I was plucking rose buds from the many rose bushes my father had planted in our backyard. I was constantly looking for ways to preserve their beauty forever. Eventually I came to learn that if you hang a flower, or any plant that is heavier at the top for that matter, upside down in a dry place, you can freeze in time the souls blossoming in nature. Of course, the colors will become deeper, and the supple tenderness of the stems will give way to rigid, more defined structures; as if in one fated moment the flexibility has petrified into its forever form. My collection of dried species of plants and flowers are one of my most treasured possessions; if I move, the move with me, not in a truck or a van alongside the other furniture, but in the front seat of the car I travel with, delicately secured, lest a bump on the road defiles their fragility.
Roses are a perfect candidate for this process, however, again let us not forget what nature has to offer. From the smallest delicate wild flowers dried and arranged in a tube vase:
or a small detail on a bookshelf:
to weeds that grow in abundance in open fields:
Weeds that are least favoured by most, but tend to make for the perfect texturing element in interior spaces, if not for adding a splash of colour like the picture above. See for instance the freely arranged weeds in the cylindrical vase below:
The color of the weeds blend into the background wood, but they add a textural dimension that contrasts the smoothness of the wood and wall, and the glazed ceramic vase.
See how the arrangement is used in a different setting to give the extra pop of texture, while fitting right into the ambient color palette:
Another example of weeds, I found the delicate flowers of the weed below too stunning to toss out when weeding the front yard. I had to bring it in, and give it a new tone in a tall black metallic vase.
This arrangement sits in my bedroom today on a black console table, tying in with the black frames round mirror behind it.
Be spontaneous! Pick branches from more unique species you may find in more secluded places, even though you don’t have a plan for them just yet. They may one day come in handy! I picked these branches from shrub of which I do not know the name for that grew along a lake somewhere deep in around Falkenberg. I eventually found the right vase, and the right place for it:
Notice how the dark brown of the branches and the burgundy of the top flares perfectly matches with the vintage book, while the subtle red tone of the burgundy ties in ever so subtly, but beautifully with the red tone of the dusty pink lantern.
We mentioned dried flowers, weeds and shrub and tree branches, but let us not forget to speak about husks. When the bud is gone, and their lives meet their natural ends, some plants have a better surprise in store.
The ghost of what once was, memories of the past, translucent yet vibrant with veins of color; I found the husk above on the elevations in Northern Sweden.
From the North, I made sure to also bring along a branch of an evergreen species, not a tree, nor a shrub, with needles and branches showing clear signs of the major direction of the wind.
It remains in its hanging position in a corner above the bathtub.
With this we wrap up our remarks on twigs, flowers, and weeds, and how we can add an unexpected dimension to our homes when we look to nature with curious, loving eyes. When a plant, whichever part of it may be, speaks to you, bring it home; and cherish it fresh or dried.
