Tag Archives: florals

Feeling Floral

Happy Monday everyone!  It’s both of us together again (over the phone–we’re only geographically together in our hearts and dreams).  Having grown up in the late 80s and 90s, we associate floral prints with memories of off-the-shoulder Laura Ashley prom dresses, or the overstuffed couches that now clog up Craigslist (you can spot them by the use of the word “beautiful” in the listing title. That’s one to add to the Thrifting Tips Post–if it says “beautiful” in the title, it’s almost certainly not).

Despite unfavorable historical associations, we’ve both been drawn to florals lately.   We decided to get together to try to unpack what’s making florals seem less 80’s prom and more like something we want in our homes.  We came up with three characteristics that run through the images with florals we’re loving, so here we go!

Floral graphic

1.  INCLUDE A HEALTHY DOSE OF BLACK

It seems like the easiest way to keep florals from feeling outdated is to make sure there’s a lot of black included.  A black background, or even just a liberal dose of black in the pattern, makes the whole thing feel moody and more modern.

2. FLORALS AND OIL PORTRAITS BELONG TOGETHER

Oil portraits are definitely having a moment in the design world right now.  There’s something about the heavy texture and rich saturated color that lends itself both to pairing with florals, and to using that painterly style in the florals themselves.

3.  MIX FLORALS IN WITH OTHER PATTERNS

Florals work best when paired with more graphic and modern patterns.  Geometric elements like stripes, triangles, and chevron ground the froufy-ness of florals, and the scale and uniformity of dots and plaids work well too.

What do you think? Are you using florals in your home? Come back on Wednesday to read about Katie’s living room paint reveal plus her own foray into florals. Thanks everybody!