A summer harvest tale of garden tomatoes, herbs and florals blended in perfect harmony …..
I‘ve always been fascinated by the natural world, from childhood summers spent in Portugal on the countryside and on family farms surrounded by the intricate and simplistic beauty of Nature. It’s where I learned the influence, inspiration and life nature gifts us each season. A intricate world that only helped my collector heart thrive. A collector of memories harvesting herbs and potatoes, of wildflowers growing within the rocks — of being smitten with the butterflies, working bees and serene birdsong that filled the warm summer breeze. And to this day, I luckily maintain that same habit and profound love, always looking at the details of my surrounding in hopes of finding my next treasure.
I love bringing this aspect of Nature into all my designs; regardless of look or “theme.” I make sure my personal touch always has a delicate nod to this beautiful and vibrant natural world. With this year’s creative challenge of learning more about different floral design practices and techniques, especially ones that are sustainable and honor Nature in its rawest form. I wanted this summer floral inspiration to celebrate a design style I’ve long loved … using florals with nature’s freshest harvest of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
With a bounty of garden tomatoes ranging from bright yet calming yellows to summer’s ripened reds. The inspiration was to create a perfectly imperfect table of spilled summer produce, herbs and flowers that complimented these distinct colors while using only whatever my late summer garden is producing.
Fruits, vegetables and herbs when clustered together and incorporated in classic floral arrangements, work beautifully within any season of the year. It’s a wonderful way to honor and showcase in-season elements while creating unexpected yet richly unique designs, and yes even saving some costs when compared to flower-only designs.
I envision these minimalist groupings styled on a long table with etched vintage glasses, old world antique trinkets, endless romantic candlelight, lush ikebana-inspired floral and herb arrangements, and the most delicate scattering of petals … as if having been picked apart and naturally left behind by a golden European summer wind.
May this unique and special design technique inspire you to blend flowers with fruits and vegetables for your next special occasion.
A captivatingly serene design celebrating Nature’s gifts with a less is more philosophy …..
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