I love having fresh flowers in the house. After we moved into our house last summer, I'd occasionally treat myself to a bouquet every Thursday or Friday at the flower stall outside the tube station near my office, with the weekend in mind. In the spring, I patiently tolerated the crowds at Columbia Road flower market just to get my hands on some final reduced stems of hydrangea and peonies at closing time.
But as long as roses last, they also, um, eventually die, and sometimes I don't get around to getting a new bunch every week. So, when I popped into Abigail Ahern's new "atelier" in Islington (they recently moved from Upper Street to Essex Road) to pick up a bronze starfish I'd ordered online in the sale (don't ask), I used the last few minutes before closing time to choose some faux flowers for our home.
The hardest part? Choosing between all the different varieties and pretty colors. Finally, I gave up and asked a sales assistant for help - she was lovely and gave me some excellent suggestions, before I left the store with this bouquet.
(The starfish in question.)
Even before I knew that Red Magazine had dubbed interior designer Abigail Ahern, "the Chanel of faux flowers", I'd fallen for her beautiful, realistic blooms. John and I were walking past her concession at Heal's one evening and I stopped to admire the gorgeous arrangements, assuming they were real. Previously, I'd been dead set against having faux flowers in my house; they looked dated and tacky. But these - these were different. The flowers more relaxed than stiff; more rustic than formal.
I chose this gold vase from H&M Home that I featured in this wishlist post for my artificial bouquet because it happened to be the perfect size but also, I wouldn't have to worry about putting water in a clear vase to make the arrangement look more "real"!
What about you? Would you ever "go faux"?
