THE FLOWER ROOM

I spend some time every day picking flowers for the house. Of course I use the word flowers in the loosest sense, it could be bunches of autumn leaves or native grasses. I have always longed to have a flower preparation room, as opposed to using the kitchen. Here are a couple of examples;

In our new home I now have such a place ….well it’s the laundry really. It will never have that ‘olde world’ charm of the previous examples, but will be perfect for my needs

Most importantly there is a door opening onto the garden. Then there is a wall of cupboards to house my many, many vases and other flower containers; jugs of all shapes and sizes for example. Oh, and there’s a sink of course.

My mother and my maternal grandmother always had flowers in the house. And I have also been inspired by the wonderful floral paintings of the late Margaret Olley. Mind you, Margaret didn’t worry about a special ‘flower room’; she just thrust blooms into any available container in her studio and created magic.

My idea was to have a row of Olley prints across the back wall. I already owned two, one featuring cornflowers and the other poppies. However , when I went to choose a third the Art Gallery of NSW had ceased stocking them. Never mind, Margaret Preston provided an appropriate alternative; a delightful, 1935 woodcut of anemones.

I sold some inherited Lladro figurines to help pay for the framing. 😎

How to arrange them? In the end we put the two Olley prints together and the taller, Preston one over the sink. The room is still not quite finished. We are waiting for a glass splash back to be fitted. I used it today though, to arrange white, autumn camellias for Mother’s Day.

I thought the study was my favourite room in our new house, but I suspect the flower arranging space will give me just as much pleasure. 🌺🌻🌷🌼

FOR MORE ON DESIGNING A FLOWER ROOM, CLICK HERE.