If you find it difficult to take those few minutes every day to research upcoming design trends – fear not. We’ve tapped into four of Canada’s best floral designers to get their take on what’s hot, what’s not and what’s around the corner.
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Susanne Law, AFD, CPFD, is a Vancouver-
area floral designer.
She teaches at a floral design school named Design 358 in Burnaby, B.C.
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Rada Ristich, CAFA,
is owner and head
designer for Peter Paul’s Flowers in Toronto.
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Albert Graves, CAFA, of Bloemen Décor teaches floral design at Humber College.
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Joel Marc Frappier mfca, CAFA, is president of the Canadian Academy of Floral Design. He also owns a shop called Fleurs Signees in Gatineau, Que.
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Canadian Florist: The last couple of years have really changed the world we live in. Since floral design – like fashion – is a reflection of our culture, what is currently the biggest cultural influence on floral design trends? Is it the economy, changing demographics or something else?
Susanne: I see the Internet continuing to be the biggest influence on design direction. It allows customers to research flowers and designs they like and to choose elements from a variety of sources. What they request often ends up being a mish-mash of things they’ve cobbled together. Consumers are driving the trends.
Rada: Going green continues to be a big trend. Consumers are sensitive to the different packaging materials. They’re requesting paper rather than cellophane and I often hear them say, “Don’t wrap it.” This means using less ribbon and other extraneous materials to structure a design. When retailers started charging for plastic bags it really drew awareness to all kinds of packaging materials.
Albert: The trend towards going local will continue to influence floral design. When I do the shows and introduce the growers to the audience, they go wild. People want to know who’s growing the flowers and where they come from. It’ll be more about arrangements with elements that are in season and consumers are coming to appreciate and embrace that understanding.
Joel Marc: I do see sustainability continuing to be a big influence on design and retailing trends. I started wrapping my arrangements in Kraft paper years ago and at first it wasn’t embraced so quickly by customers. Now, they consider it a positive aspect of doing business with me. Europe and Asia continue to influence design and fashion trends. The Netherlands is producing some great cutting-edge brands such as Mexx and H&M. Their esthetic influences floral fashion too.
CF: What do you see as being the big colour trends in 2010?
Susanne: It’s all about going back to nature. There’s a kitchen influence, which brings in lemon yellow, green apple, earth shades. Skies are represented with blues and twilight mauves. Golds in containers will be burnished – softer.
Rada: The floral industry tends to be about a year behind the fashion industry so purple is huge for us this year. Purple and silver are a popular holiday combination this year. Funky “Kermit” greens are big, as are the kitchen colours.
Albert: Black, white and grey vases are big. It’s about ensuring the container doesn’t take away from the colour in the arrangement. Brightly coloured flowers really stand out against containers that provide a neutral canvas.
Joel Marc: It’s more about a monochromatic look focusing on one colour than about any particular colour reigning supreme. It’s supreme fusion. Searing orange tulips in a room with fuchsia walls makes a great statement. Tone on tone looks great when you choose different blooms of one colour family and play them off of each other.
CF: Structurally, how will floral design shift going forward? Are we looking to economize, with fewer blooms, and more impact coming from the structure of the arrangement?
Susanne: The industry needs to get out of a rut in terms of design by employing more techniques. Armature building (leveraging a frame or structure in the design) is where I see design heading. Curly willow bent into a vase as part of the design can mean fewer blooms are needed to create as much or more impact. Wire made from copper or aluminum can create armature as well and complement the colour story.
Rada: It’s definitely about quality versus quantity. The loose, hand-tied esthetic is still strong and if budgets remain tight then making that one beautiful bloom the focal point will continue to influence design. The origin of the flowers has become a stronger selling feature. I am always writing out for people the names of the flowers and where they come from.
Albert: I’m working a lot with permanent botanicals mixed in with real flowers. Some of my hotel clients like this strategy to get the best of both worlds. I will rework the arrangements to make them look new but the permanent botanicals allow the budget to stretch a little farther. Armature allows us to use the green stems for structure to add blooms which can be replaced later as they die.
Joel Marc: Minimalism. We’re seeing pieces dropped into vases and encased. Four or five of these displayed on a table makes an impact. We’re using everything, nothing goes to waste…stems as binding, leaves. It brings energy to the arrangement. Wires with beads on them add a wonderful element to the arrangement too.
CF: Do you see an emerging trend that’s just over the horizon but not mainstream yet?
Susanne: I see trends and styles blending more and more. It’s not about the floral industry presenting the next design esthetic anymore – customers will drive the process by taking snippets from images they see online or in magazines and blending them together.
Rada: People are buying flowers for themselves more frequently. I’m also noticing that more men are picking up flowers for themselves. Men tend to like the greens and purples and flowers like Bird of Paradise. Design is bold and contemporary for this segment.
Albert: Trends are hard to predict because consumers are less predictable these days. Consumers are requesting that flowers they’ve grown themselves be incorporated into the designs I make. The local products are so fresh and beautiful. People are blown away by what we can produce close to home.
Joel Marc: Themed events are big so the floral design must follow. I don’t have a big book of designs for my customers to choose from. Each floral design is driven by their vision for the event in question and often makes a statement. I filled a tall glass vase with green apples for a wedding once. After the wedding, the apples were taken to the local food bank. People want arrangements to represent who they are and what they believe in. This personalization has never steered me wrong. A big box store opened up across from me many years ago and I worried about its impact on my business. Years later, I’m still here and that chain of stores is long gone.
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