Summer Flower Arrangements: How to Style Flowers in All Your Rooms

In this post: Add color to your home with easy summer flower arrangements. Find tips and ideas for styling flowers in the different rooms in your home.⇒

Could there be anything lovelier than a pretty vibrant bouquet peeking out a sunny window at the front of the house? It practically screams welcome to anyone coming to the door, with curvy petals waving you into the rooms beyond.

As it turns out, if there’s one thing more welcoming than flowers it’s…

summer flowers!

Yes, those delightful blooms in rich summer colors are as cheerful as anything I can think of. Their uplifting demeanor is often enhanced by a buoyant fragrance, while their jaunty hues mix beautifully together.

And best of all, you don’t need to be a master florist to use summer flowers to your home’s advantage. If you have a cutting garden all the better, but even grocery store flowers can brighten your home, especially when presented creatively around your spaces.

Flower Arrangements

I love to use florals to decorate my house, whether it be a lush mixed bouquet in an oversized urn or a tiny bud vase filled with all one type of flower. Grouping several unique vases together or lining up identical planters in a row, decorating with flowers goes a lot further than just putting them in water. It involves selecting the blossoms, including color, shape and size, choosing a receptacle that will showcase them at their best, and finally styling them in your spaces for optimal enjoyment. Below find some suggestions for decorating with flowers in the various rooms in your home, then scroll to the bottom for more styling tips and ideas.

The Mantel

The first place we usually think about placing seasonal florals is in the rooms we use most. Yet in our family room, a lush arrangement on the coffee table would block the view to the TV, and possibly even be in the way for personal conversation. If you have a side table or chest against the wall, that’s a logical option, but even better is to make use of the fireplace mantel.

I love to flank the mantel mirror with symmetrical arrangements reflecting the mood of the season. For summer, nothing beats the sumptuous splendor of lush peonies, made ever more regal in chinoiserie vases. Try a mix of pale and vibrant pinks for the biggest splash of optimism in a pot.

A Narrow Counter

Sometimes limitations can breed creativity and this can be particularly the case when decorating narrow shelving or counters. There is something about the challenge of skimpy real estate that inclines you to ensure each item packs a punch for its size.

On a bar counter between our kitchen and family room, tucked in a corner next to the bar stools, sits a trio of empty wine-bottles-turned-vases, co-opted as receptacles to display a charming array of buds. Their narrow necks are just large enough to tuck in a few blooms, allowing a note of color for their slender footprint. Vintage labels add to the theme and a collection of three feels exactly right.

The Dining Table

While a narrow surface presents a challenge, an expansive space can be equally intimidating. Just how much of the table are you supposed to fill with a centerpiece? You want it be bold enough but not overpowering.

A favorite decorating trick I love to employ is to layer pitchers and bowls together to create a more impactful statement than each would achieve on their own. On our dining table I keep a beautiful ironstone pitcher, comfortably placed in a found wood bowl. The gentility of the white porcelain provides the loveliest contrast against the rustic worn bowl, and the complexity of the pairing invites simplicity in an arrangement. I tend to use only one type of flower and some greens in this spot for precisely that reason.

The Kitchen Island

Another decorating secret I return to over and over when working with florals, is to layer varied urns and vases in a multi-tiered arrangement with one type of flower per vessel. I take care to alternate heights by using taller stalk-like blooms to contrast lower fluffier sprays, and select a cohesive color palette much like I would if arranging one large display.

This type of vignette works great on the kitchen island or any other large flat surface, and I use cutting boards and books as risers and to corral the pieces together. With a loose grouping like this you need to be careful that the composition looks intentional and that the separate pieces appear to interlock together. Slip the curve of the bucket handles under the drape of the next one’s blooms. There should be interaction amongst the elements so they appear to go together naturally.

The Coffee Table

Perhaps the most unusual arrangement is the one that barely looks like you’ve completed it, a bouquet that’s wrapped or packaged like it’s just come from the florist, laying down on a stack of books or a tray.

Despite its unfinished look, this is instead quite designed and intended, with the flowers carefully arranged in a considered formation. Longer pieces bolster the bottom with lighter tendrils peeking out above, and I enjoy clustering greenery more heavily to one side for interest. To keep this arrangement fresh, be sure to wrap the stems in wet toweling, or better yet, for a longer lifespan use floral water tubes on the hidden stems.

An Entryway Chest

I so enjoy the surprise of a prepared arrangement in a cast iron garden urn, one you’d normally find outdoors with a potted plant inside. Instead, I like to tuck in a small glass vase of water and create a full bouquet of mixed flowers that is brimming over the edges.

I prefer a mingling of colors in this type of floral presentation, with varied textures from lush and full, to wispy and spikey, with plenty of greenery to serve as a bed. This is the perfect accent for an entry hall table or three drawer chest, as it sits well on its own.

A Bedside Table

Not all arrangements need to be stately or complicated. A simple cluster of stock flowers in a range of colors makes a lovely display on the bedside table. Find a well-sized vase to hold your bouquet, such as the squat vintage wood piece that works perfectly on this nightstand. As always, if using wood, tuck a glass inside for water, cut your stems, add your plant food and you’re good to go. Add enough blooms so that it doesn’t look sparse, but don’t pack them in too tight either. Follow the vessel you chose, as it will tell you when its full.

Tips for Creating Beautiful Flower Arrangements at Home

1. Use Interesting Containers

Are you the sort who pulls out the same glass vase week after week, or every time you receive a lovely bouquet? Almost anything can be a container for your florals, as long as you can insert something that will reliably hold water. I’ve used teacups, a wine caddy, a tea tin and even once a shoe.

But mostly I use vases in all shapes and sizes that add to the beauty of both the arrangement and the room. My favorites are vintage, like a silver or bone china pitcher, or aged like a distressed garden urn or timeworn wooden receptacle.

2. Make a Statement with Multiples

If one arrangement is good, two or more can be fabulous! I love a repetitive line of three identical items together or a cluster of varied but complementary styles that work nicely in a grouping. You can use risers to vary the heights or possibly use different flowers in each vessel. Isolate by color for even more interest.

3. Work in a Theme

Even for a small celebration or a simple dinner, your floral arrangements can benefit from a whimsical theme. For a wine tasting I used a trio of wine bottles, with DIY labels and stems of lovely flowers. This is a terrific way to add decorations to a bare corner when the main centerpieces are on the dining table. Just pull out a few blooms and tuck them into the bottles and viola! Instant arrangement.

3. Think Beyond Tabletops

Flower arrangements have a tendency to be placed on tables and counters, but why not extend your decor to more unusual locations? Try a bouquet tucked in a wall basket or place stems in tall planters on the floor. Two urns flanking the mantel are enough to make a grand statement and add color to a neutral room.

5. Style a Vignette

There’s nothing wrong with a lovely gathered bunch, placed in its “usual spot”, but how much more interesting it is to include your floral display in a styled vignette. Perhaps try a smaller vessel to allow room for the other items, or a tall fluted vase to raise the flowers above your presentation. I like to group like items together to highlight the collection, like a cluster of decorative boxes assembled below the blossoms.

6. Keep Your Home Style in Mind

Your floral arrangements are an opportunity to express your personal style, so keep that in mind when designing your displays. I use chinoiserie vases and silver pitchers with a French-inspired pedigree, but if your look is more farmhouse then go rustic casual to suit your taste. Sleek crystal works with modern, while stoneware leans transitional. The options are endless and it’s best to shop your own home first for items you already love.

Additional Flower Arrangement Ideas

• Use mason jars in a caddy as vases
• Lay flowers in a dough bowl or market basket
• Bring outdoor planters indoors for a fresh from the garden look
• Create a wreath or garland with fresh flowers
• Tuck flowers in your napkin rings on a dinner table
• You can use faux flowers for any of these ideas

I most often buy my flowers at the local grocery store, but they become less ordinary when I take time to arrange them creatively. The styling always begins at the store as I make my floral selections, and you can be sure the first blooms I pick are the ones that best represent the season at hand. Then, it’s a matter of taking your time and letting instinct take over. Before you know it you’ll have the most elegant floral displays!