“Being creative can help relieve stress. When you’re using your senses, you’re really present and in the moment,” says Sebastian. “If you’re at home, arranging flowers is a way to nurture yourself and learn. It’s also therapeutic because when you put your brain to work, you’re focusing on the task at hand instead of thinking about any worries you might have.”
Follow his simple instructions to create an evocative springtime centerpiece that channels a sense of ‘wild beauty’:
1. Start with a yellow, green or white vase. Alternatively, a transparent glass vase also works well. The shape and dimensions will determine the volume of your arrangement.
2. Turn to your balcony, terrace or garden and pick some fresh greenery. It might not always get the attention it deserves when we’re decorating with flowers, but greenery is an ideal filler that can really complement and complete the bouquet by adding texture, interest and shape to the floral elements. Play around with the different types of foliage available to find out what kind of look is best for you. I recommend choosing two types of greenery, one that’s typically hardier and one that’s lighter and more whimsical.
3. Pour water into the vase and, if your flowers came with a preservative solution, add it now. If you don’t have any, use a few drops of bleach in the water to kill off any bacteria and keep the flowers fresh. If you use a transparent glass vase, you could add a few slices of lemon in the water for decoration.
4. Arrange the greenery first as it makes it easier to create a wild, asymmetrical bouquet. Make the greenery higher on one side of the vase and let it spill over on the other side in order to give your arrangement a slight S-curve design, which looks professional. However, remember to ensure people sitting at the table will be able to make eye contact and chat without any obstructions in their way.
5. Add more greenery than you think you should. In this arrangement, it becomes the foundation to hold the flowers in place, instead of floral foam or tape.
6. Select your flowers. Pick varieties in shades of white, pink and yellow. In-season blooms will be less expensive and feel right for the time of year.
7. Cut the stems at an angle about an inch from the bottom using a clean sharp knife or garden shears. You may need to cut them shorter depending on the vase. Remove any leaves that sit below the water level of the vase.
8. Start by adding the largest flowers first, working in a circle and turning the vase as you go to make sure the arrangement has the shape you desire. Layer in the next variety of flowers and repeat until all the flowers have been added.
9. As your flowers start to expire and turn brown, remove them from the arrangement to keep the other stems alive. The greenery will usually last a couple of days longer than the flowers, so you can simply swap the flowers following your next grocery trip.
With this simple floral arrangement and just a few table decorations, you can show off the prettiest spring flowers alongside eye-catching greenery. To keep the arrangement informal and playful, think about adding a few fruits to the table before serving a mouth-watering dish by Fulvio Pierangelini.
Agrigento’s roots run as deep as the gnarled olive trees that dot its landscape, stretching back over 2,500 years to its founding as Akragas, one of the greatest cities of the ancient Greek world. Set against a breathtaking coastline, this once thriving cultural and political hub was praised by the Greek poet Pindar as “the most beautiful city of mortals”. Today, this splendour is immortalised in the Valley of the Temples.
In 1925, a world still shell-shocked from the ravages of World War I found renewal in a burgeoning artistic movement: Art Deco. It reflected motion, progress, the future. Immediately embraced by famed Belgian architect Victor Horta, he laid the foundations for Art Deco in Brussels with his plans for the Centre of Fine Arts (Bozar). This marked the inception of a radically modern approach to architecture and art in the city. Now, as Brussels marks a century of Art Deco style, it’s the perfect time to explore this distinctly walkable city with your own budding artists.
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