I love a good strong opinion reversal (with a lot of caveats). When I was a stylist in New York, I would spend hours every week at the flower market, at 6/7 am before each shoot, spending hundreds of dollars on whatever was in season that told the story we needed to in whatever house or set we were shooting. It was such an incredible joy and was one of my favorite things to do as an assistant. Hell, I named the OG blog “The Brass Petal” because of my love for gold and flowers. Effortlessly arranging flowers for shoots was something I got really good at. Now you wouldn’t arrange like a florist (I still don’t love a lot of “floral arrangements”), but making it look like you just gathered up some picked flowers from a yard and threw them in the nearest vase is my go-to. But back in the day I thought that faux branches and flowers were tacky, gross, and something to avoid. Embarrassing. Poor Taste. etc. Martha herself would have heard about this sin, and you would not have been hired again. So this reversal of opinion is shocking, even to me. But it’s for good reason:

I Love Flowers More Than Most People, But…

I switched to plants and foraging when I moved to Portland because the flower market wouldn’t let me in without a resale license, and I don’t have one. So in order for me to buy flowers, I would have to go to a florist (which didn’t open til after our shoots and often didn’t have what I wanted anyway), not to mention it really adds up. During the spring and summer, grocery stores have an OK selection but not so compelling that it felt worth it. So I just started foraging. Now I think that the profit margins on flowers are really slim (most are shipped in), so I’m not saying they are overpriced, and for the right event, party, shoot, or special occasion you can’t beat a beautiful organic flower arrangement. But spending $75 a week on something just for me at home wasn’t going to happen.

So What Do I Do Instead?

I still love certain flowers, and in the spring I get excited to buy what’s freshly in season from a local florist. It just doesn’t always make sense year-round for our home, but empty vases bum me out. For events or special photo shoots, I absolutely want the real deal (I rarely shoot faux, but some of my faux are so good that I don’t mind!!). But there are more options now that make more sense for everyday.

Plants (Mostly Real)

The indoor plant market has gotten so good, and while they often don’t have the same burst of color (of course) as flowers, the organic sculptural shape does the same thing. Now, since I work from home, I can usually keep a lot of plants alive because I see them more often (when we lived in LA, they all died because I was gone so much more). I actually think a lot of florists have gotten into the plant game because outside of big events and weddings (and seasonal holidays), a lot of people are willing to spend more on plants than flowers for everyday. I’m fine with a faux plant here or there where it makes sense, and they have gotten pretty great (we put faux trees at my brother’s house and they look GREAT). But I still like real plants and buy most of mine from Dennis’ 7 Dees in Portland.

Forage And Clip From Garden

Now this one is easy for me to say and do; I have a huge yard, live in Oregon, and can easily just go outside and get something beautiful (even in winter). So it’s very easy for me to do this (and I do). This is probably what I do more than anything.

Dried Flowers

My hydrangeas dry so well, so do billy balls and some thistles or things that look like pods.

Yes. Faux Branches – They’ve Gotten So Good!!

Faux Autumn Leaves Branch | Faux Siberian Elm Branch

Now I haven’t really bought faux “flowers” like fake peonies or roses or anything (yet). I think for the most part you need to be super careful about some bright colored faux flowers. But I’ve been increasingly impressed with the faux branches or flowers that are more subtle, and while the initial purchase can be a lot, it’s often less than what I’d pay at the flower market, and you can use them for years.

I kinda can’t believe I’m saying this, and I don’t want you to come at me. It’s like faux candles – they’ve just gotten so good their utility and cost per use have eclipsed the desire for the real thing.

All Faux Flowers Are Not Made Equal

Faux Burgundy Cosmo Stem 35″ by Abigail Ahern (on sale!)

Recently, when I was at the mountain house (which we rent out as an Airbnb), it felt really sparse and cold, styling-wise. Now that is a situation where faux absolutely makes sense because asking our property manager to refresh flowers every week makes zero sense (nor watering plants). So I ordered a few different branches on Amazon because I needed them to come fast (and I didn’t want to pay Crate and Barrel prices), and they came and were totally fine for that house. But some of the bigger design companies are doing them so well right now and even collaborating with more famous florists on licensed lines of faux flowers. I’ve been so impressed.

I have found the best at Crate and Barrel and West Elm, but even Target and World Market have a great selection (Hearth and Home specifically). Just stay away from anything too bright in color or plastic-y, and I think darker greens look better than lighter/brighter greens. If you want flowers, I’d go for more organic-looking white, cream, or pale colors that won’t draw too much attention. TBH, when I walk into Michaels and see the rows of faux flowers, I still have an adverse reaction, but individually some of them are pretty great, and a lot of it is how you style them.

Last year when we shot my brother’s River house for the final reveal, we used mostly real flowers. But once they died, the vases just sat empty, and it was so sad (and Katie didn’t want the job of constantly buying real ones). So we went out and bought a bunch and styled them in all the different vases, mostly ‘season-less,’ so Katie didn’t have to think about it. Every time I go over there, I see that it looks styled exactly like we left it on the photo shoot date, aside from normal family stuff, of course. And it makes me so happy that she doesn’t have to maintain it or even think about it. She just has these bow branches that honestly look so real they even convinced me.

So if you’re like my sister-in-law or like a lot of people who want their house to look pretty but can’t necessarily handle, or want to handle, the maintenance of real flowers all the time, we’ve rounded up some pretty dang good faux branches that even fooled us.

Faux Purple Maple Spray

I love a Japanese Maple, and the more sparse look of this one is very pretty.

Faux Burgundy Kangaroo Paw Branch

Pretty fall colors and a cool shape.

Large Artificial Plant Arrangement

A great year-round option and an awesome price for the amount you get.

Faux Green Leaf Spray 51″

Love the mix of textures and small leaves.

Faux Curvy Willow Branch

If you’re looking for something super sculptural, this is so awesome.

Lone Fox Faux Sugar Berry Branch | Faux Callicarpa Spray

Perfect holiday branches that aren’t “too holiday”. I think they are so sweet.

Burgundy Faux Ginkgo Leaf Stem

Super affordable, and the leaves are almost flower-like, which is a nice “best of both worlds”.

Faux Queen Anne’s Lace Spray

Sculptural, easy, and versatile.

Faux Cosmos Spray | Faux Queen Anne’s Lace

For some actual faux flowers, these seem to be so pretty and are from trusted sources:)

As I said in this post and for my entire life, I have such a deep love/obsession with real flowers, branches, and plants. They will never leave my life or home. But I also know that not everyone has the time, capacity, or desire to maintain or continuously spend money on them, which is where faux branches and florals are a really nice alternative. They can be used for years and still look as pretty as the day they were brought home. I’m so grateful there are actually good options now. I mean, hey, even Studio McGee and Amber Interiors sell them, so don’t just take it from me. Are there any you have and love? Let me know! xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: River House Living Room Reveal