Bouquet of the Week: Flowers For A Guy
As part of our recurring Bouquet of the Week series, Garden Collage continues to present a weekly inspirational bouquet that incorporates intriguing new elements into the traditional practice of flower arranging. This week, Garden Collage Creative Director Laura Braun styles a bouquet dedicated to a Finnish friend Thomas Fredriksson– and offers a little advice on how to craft a “masculine” bouquet for a guy.
“A bouquet of flowers?” he said. “I don’t think anyone has given me one since my graduation.” And then I knew it was time to change that. Granted, to create a bouquet for a guy who as a distinct eye for design and keeping it masculine while bringing a bit of my own style into the concept, is– as is true of all gifts– a bit of a challenge.
To get some inspiration, I looked to the creations of L.A. and Paris-based florist John Leatham, and I got completely caught up in his images. I then looked for different flowers representing my friend’s character traits and heritage.
When eventually I felt kissed by the muse I began: First, I decided to use a stunning silver-grey container by Pulpo— its unique design is already such a statement, and the flowers needed to channel some kind of simplicity to as to not compete with each other. As I’ve always said, simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.
Since the container has quite a bold ‘male’ style to it as-is, I felt I could dare to use garden roses, which, in my mind, represent Thomas’s warmth and care for others. The light peach and pink-hued petals and the way they are folded into each other also make for a distinctly mesmerizing look.
The contrasting edgy shapes of the thistle seem to fit the arrangement perfectly, and their silver-blue colors bring out an interesting dimension. To me, the thistle has always been a fascinating aspect of beauty, especially when used in combination with a soft floral like Peonies (or in this case, garden roses). They bring in an edge, character.
The structure of the Astilbe reminded me of a the woods and as a true Finn, being outdoors and enjoying nature is one of many things Thomas enjoys.
When I told him that I dedicate this bouquet to him, he was beyond happy. “It looks so beautiful and cool– I could look at it for hours and it kind of makes me forget the rather terrible week I had,” he told me.
We agreed that girls and women shouldn’t be shy about buying flowers for a guy. Giving a bouquet of flowers as a present will brighten up their day just as much as it would yours.
