Style Guide - The Eclectic Look

If you asked me my favourite style for an event, bouquet, or our weekly flower installations - I would say it is "eclectic". 

Creating an eye-catching eclectic look isn't just about throwing together anything you have. It takes a certain amount of thought and design, so that the eclectic mix of flowers you've chosen look good together. Here are some of the ways we design our eclectic looks

Flower "types"

The main principle in creating an eclectic look, is mixing different flower "types". The types are sort of separated by their predominant shapes, textures, and looks. I would define types in the following groups:

Blousy flowers - I would call the softer type of flowers "traditional", full, blousy - things like roses, hydrangea, peonies, ranunculus, flowering magnolia - all depends what is in season at that time of the year.

Wildflowers - These flowers are also quite traditional, but more whispy, cottagey, smaller, wild, they soften the look and break it up. Things like queen anne's lace, sweet peas, cosmos, paperwhites, blossom, freesias, delphinium, poppies, cornflowers.

Native flowers - I love using things like flannel flowers, waratahs, kangaroo paws, grevillia, banksias, paper daisies - and in summer, christmas bells, which can be a great pop of colour in an otherwise softer coloured arrangement! The texture of these flowers are sometimes a bit harsher, and are great contrast with the softer style flowers. They can also be a bit whispy, like wattle, and double up as "Wildflowers"!

Tropical style flowers - "Tropical" flowers are another style of a stronger looking flower, often with a stronger colour, and because of that, the statement of the mix - phaleanopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, anthuriums, birds of paradise. Because of their colour and shape, I'd also include things like cyclamen and waterlilies in the category.

So.... by creating a mix of all 4 different types of flowers, you achieve an eclectic look! In the image below of a beautiful spring arrangement, we have:

Blousy - the delphinium is quite meaty, so could pass as blousy?

Wildflower - the emu grass, blossoms, flannel flowers

Native flowers - protea

Tropical - birds of paradise, orchids

Colours

So while the shape, style and texture of an eclectic mix is important, so is the colour mix. It's so important that the colours compliment each other.

Often all the flowers might be in the same colour "range", or a mix of complimentary colours in the colour wheel, and sometimes it's great to pop in one that is in complete contrast - like all pastel flowers, with a pop of colour - like red! Or a hot pink with all peaches and whites. 

Other eclectic arrangmements could be the same colour, but different textures with the different flowers - all white, all red, all pink?

 Another little tip for blending colours, isn't just to look at the obvious colour in the flower, but little subtle tinges in the background like the red stem of the eucalyptus, or the pink vein in the white peony, or the centre of the poppy.