Artificial narcissus in a French wire basket adds a breath of Spring to my post and beam country house. One of the joys of living in the countryside is seeing the earth awaken from Winter. And, one of the first signs of the earth awakening outside around my house is daffodils.
Once the narcissus/daffodils begin blooming outside, I bring some inside to awaken the house from Winter.
But, I also want to look out the windows and kitchen sunspace to see daffodils swaying in the breeze in the tall rye grasses. If I cut them all to bring inside, there are none to see outside. To enjoy daffodils inside and out, I create some bouquets inside using artificial narcissus.
B R E A T H O F S P R I N G
F R E N C H C O U N T R Y
W I R E B A S K E T
artificial stems bring Spring inside
while leaving live daffodils outside
These daffodils are real looking enough that visiting friends leaned in to smell their fragrance only to realize the flowers are artificial.
Tips for making an arrangement stunning
If you are like I am, you enjoy reading behind-the-scene tips for how others create their home decor. Here are my tips for creating the early Spring arrangement with a narcissus bouquet in a French wire basket.
L O C A T I O N
Place arrangements in central locations for maximum exposure and enjoyment.
The stone fireplace separates the living room from the kitchen in my post and beam house and is a great location for arrangements to be enjoyed from both rooms.
Entry ways, guest bathrooms, mantels, coffee tables, and dining tables are other public areas in homes where both visitors and family members can see arrangements frequently.
V A R Y D E T A I L S F O R F R E S H L O O K
As always, I look for ways to add French Country style all during the year. At Christmas, a large white French urn held blue Christmas boxes. Earlier this Spring, the same large white urn held winter blooming hyacinths.
Change containers to keep an area from becoming ho-hum.
A French wire open basket adds French Country to the flowers and also changes the look of the chest of drawers from the recent arrangements. These artificial daffodils would look beautiful in that white French pedestal urn, but an entirely different French style container gives the chest of drawers a fresh look for Spring.
M I X R E A L W I T H A R T I F I C I A L
Using real plants with artificial plants takes an arrangement from so-so to spectacular. Preserved moss is a favorite decorating floral for me. Moss adds a natural living look to any indoor arrangement. Only a small amount is needed to allow the artificial bulbs to peek out as though planted.
M I R R O R F L O W E R S
Placing the basket of flowers in front of a mirror makes the arrangement look fuller by the reflection. You see twice as many plants as actually used in the arrangement, giving a lusher arrangement.
F R E N C H C O U N T R Y S T Y L E
Layer arrangements with multiple usages of a style. In my house, French Country is the style I prefer. With every new piece of furniture, new kitchen linens, new bedding, new decor accents, etc..., I look for ways to add French Country style to keep a cohesive style throughout my house.
The same is true for creating new arrangements. While the French Country wire basket with narcissus is the center of the arrangement on the chest of drawers, each of the items around the bouquet was chosen to add to the overall design.
A small preserved boxwood wreath hangs from a ribbon with a fleur de lis pattern. The boxwood adds another natural green plant to the area, and the ribbon adds another subtle French Country pattern.
The mirror layered with the wall print has a gold French fleur de lis scroll top, and the mirror reflects an impressionist print on the opposite wall.
The small framed print is a vintage French postcard found in Paris. The blue color in the postcard is the same blue as the walls throughout my house (see mirror reflection,) and the card's scene has greenery to go with the daffodil plants and boxwood wreath.
The small round paperweight is a blue agapanthus flower. The first agapanthus flowers I ever saw were in the botanical gardens in Monaco.
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Artificial narcissus flowers in a French Country wire basket -
enjoying a breath of Spring with joie de vivre!
