As bright summer hues transition to tones of autumn, we’re leaning into fall decor. Our favorite way to decorate? Dried flowers!
Join us as we share our fall floral decor ideas that’ll make your abode extra cozy this season.
Each year, we add seasonal favorites to our dried floral offerings in limited edition colors. From picking a color palette, sourcing ingredients, and designing unique recipes for production - there’s a lot that goes into the process before our designs are ready for you to enjoy. Here’s a behind the scenes peek into how our fall dried flower designs come to life:
Who's Behind the Design:
Meg Blancato, Vice President + Part Owner of Native Poppy, is the florist behind each dried flower offering!
Over the years, Meg has been the mastermind behind each dried flower offering, and puts heart and soul into everything she creates. Her goal – crafting a product that you cool cats will love, and she does not disappoint! Here's how she made this season's dried decor for Native Poppy.
Choosing a Color Palette
Inspiration for the color palette for our seasonal dried offerings typically comes from our seasonal art installations by Ashley Renuart.
“‘Ash, will you send over the mood board for the next art install??’ That’s usually my jumping off point for color. I was stoked to see the photo of thread-wrapped ropes in shades of purple, pink and orange - lots of color!” says Meg.
We've asked ourselves plenty of times, “Is it too much pink?” Nahhhh! Pink and peach thrive in any season, it’s all about how you style it. In the context of our Harvest Bundle Flower Wrap, it’s offset with the tones of purple and orange, and still feels autumnal.
Sourcing Ingredients
After selecting a color palette, it’s time to source ingredients. Our limited edition fall dried flower wraps are a collection of seven different ingredients - some textural elements (preserved baby’s breath and penny cress), branches (Beech), small floaties (bunny tails and phalaris), and true florals (strawflower and protea pods).
“When sourcing ingredients, we look to our main wholesaler, Cali Wholesale, who has an amazing selection of dried flowers.” says Meg
During fall, we get to extend our seasonal collection with dried flower wreaths! We split the color palette from the Harvest Bundle into two more monochromatic colorways for our Berry into Fall Dried Wreath, and our Autumn Gold Wreath Dried Wreath.
When sourcing ingredients in a particular color story, Meg likes to reference the book Flower Color Guide by Darroch and Michael Putnum. This book is an amazing resource, which explores over 400 flower varieties organized entirely by color. Yes, we mean it! You, too, can source ingredients in a special color palette by exploring this book.
Designing Dried Decor
“After years of being a florist, I can see what the dried flower wraps and wreaths will look like in my head before I build them, but it’s so fun to create the prototypes because that’s when they actually come to life!” says Meg.
All dried flower items are built in the same signature style you’ve come to expect from Native Poppy - wild and whimsical! Here are a few of our tried and true design guidelines:
- Ingredient Blocking - we typically design by keeping all of one type of flower in the same area as opposed to spread throughout; “If it grows together, it goes together!”
- Shape - we build in more of a low and wide shape as opposed to high and tight.
- Curated Color - we usually stick to a limited palette of 2-3 colors for an elevated aesthetic (except when we go rainbow)!
“Another focus as I design is featuring each ingredient - making sure everything is seen and get’s its moment! I was really excited to spot light the dried protea pods in our Harvest Bundle dried flower wrap and the strawflower in both colorways of our dried wreaths!” says Meg.
Styling Dried Flowers
There’s no wrong way to add fall floral decor to your home. You can go dramatic - a more is more approach, or err on the side of minimalism - showcasing dainty dried arrangements throughout your home.
Finding the right vase for a dried flower wrap is key! As long as you have an assortment of long and short stems, you are in a good position to create an eye-catching arrangement. Our personal favorite vases are around 4” wide by 8” tall, and we think they look fab with any arrangement! Our favorites include…
Tall Vases:
These matte glazed ceramic vases come in white, pink, and grey. They’re the perfect vase for our dried floral wraps and will work in your home throughout every season. Choosing a vase that is mellow will make your dried florals pop!
Bulk up On Buds:
Our squish glass bud vase, percy bud vase, and amber glass bud vase are only a few buddies that are available for purchase in our shop. We believe these vases add a bit more flare to your home.
Looking to incorporate fall floral decor throughout your home on a smaller scale? Our Verdure Vase, Glass Bud Vases, and Boutique Glass Bud Vases are the perfect statement piece for a fireplace mantle, a coffee table, or bedside table. Plus, would this not be the cutest surprise for your guests by sending them home with one?! It’s the perfect way to share love and gratitude this season.
Can’t find what you’re looking for in our online dried floral collection? We have an assortment of seasonal dried flowers waiting for you in our dried stem bar at our Solana Beach Shop. Our stem bar gives you the opportunity to pick your own color palette, quantity, and vase that best fits your style of decor.
Wreath It Up
Each year, Meg creates a unique recipe for our dried wreaths, and we are obsessed with this year's editions. Dried wreaths hang beautifully on your front door, above a fireplace mantle, and even go well when added to an art wall in your home.
Our dried wreaths are ready-made and can be delivered straight to your door. (Did you know we ship dried flowers and wreaths nationwide?) Just look how well our Berry Into Fall Dried Wreath compliments this peach door.
Partial to more traditional fall shades? Opt for our Autumn Gold Wreath! With proper care, each dried floral design can be preserved and will last year after year. With the cutest door on the block, your friends and family will know where to knock.