Dried flowers - A new trend in home decor that won't break the bank

What do you think of when someone mentions the words: “dried or preserved flowers?.” Many will conjure up images of drab, bland wedding table foliage or wonky pine picture frames with dusty glass and suffocated rose petals.

Awful dried flowers

If you skim Instagram, the voyeuristic side of you will notice many a home interior is now awash with gorgeous swathes of pampas grass and bunny tails displayed in Anissa Kermiche replica body vases.

Dried and preserved flowers are very much the vogue and will lend a chic vibe to any location or occasion. Let face it - everyone loves flowers and the longer they last the longer the joy.

Image credit @forloveofpampas / Instagram

So what’s driving today's trend...?

Background

From as far back as the Victorian era, flowers were dried for arrangements. This trend was re-introduced in the 1950s, returned in the 1970s/80s and now today it's having another renaissance.

So why the increase in popularity?  Well, when you buy flowers, don’t you just always look at fresh blooms that will last the longest. Those slightly wilted ones on sale always get ushered out of the way in favour of a bouquet with a few unopened buds. Doesn’t everyone want their flowers to look the best and live the longest? What we have now with today's beautifully presented dried flowers is the opportunity to purchase the prettiest bouquets that will actually last for years not days.

 Image credit @honestlywtf / Instagram

Digging a little deeper, If you look at the recent web search patterns, including Etsy and Google searches, there has been a real surge in demand over the last couple of years and a peak aligned with the COVID pandemic.

Image credit Google Trends search “Dried flowers worldwide 2004 - present.”

I guess remote working and less travel means more time spent at home. Spare rooms have become offices; lounges work out areas, and dining rooms the centrepiece for romantic meals. One quick, easy way to bring some Feng Shui and enhance the mood of any space using natural details is a bunch of flowers.

The problem is that fresh flowers can be an expensive luxury and is often an emotional impulse buy. Conversely purchasing dried or preserved flowers that can last for years is often seen as a sensible, practical investment that doesn’t break the bank.

Image credit @miamaguire / Instagram

A typical online purchase of fresh flowers will involve a conversation with your inner self when you hover over the “buy” button. You know that soon after they arrive and you have patiently assembled and proudly placed on your kitchen table, you will then experience that deflated feeling of watching your gorgeous bloom wilting followed by a disgruntled trip to the wheelie bin. 

With the longevity of preserved and dried flowers, there is no need to justify an uncomfortable post lockdown trip to a shop every few weeks or online purchase of real blooms.

So they are affordable, look fantastic, are low maintenance, they happily sit in rooms with minimal natural light, last for years if kept well, and they’re 100% natural, biodegradable and eco-friendly. Best of all you miss out on that trip to the wheelie bin.

Why wouldn’t you want to join the trend...

 

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