Using color in floral design

Welcome to Moonflower Design!

I’m going to provide some insight into my process of planning and creating floral arrangements. It’s SO much more than just putting flowers into a vase. There is a lot of forethought that goes into each and every arrangement, and my graphic design degree has helped me so much in the process. I’m lucky enough to have many foundational design classes under my belt from college, including 2 color theory classes.

For designing weddings, I will start with the color palette before making any other design decisions. Once the wedding palette is nailed down, I will move onto flower selection which will be informed by the palette but will vary significantly depending on the overall vibe the couple is looking for. Other decor items such as linens, glassware, and candles can also follow the color palette but the style will vary to achieve a more rustic, classic, bohemian look depending on what the couple wants to achieve.

starting with color

Today, I’m just going to talk about color as a starting point in floral design. Color is generally the first thing that you notice when talking about most visuals, including flowers. There are so many different ways to utilize color in a floral design. Perhaps the arrangement is made up of pink flowers but it explores a huge range of pink tones to create visual interest. Or maybe the customer wants all neutral colors but you push that to include white, cream, gray, and/or beige. Another example is using colors that are related on the color wheel—for a fall arrangement you would probably include red, yellow, and orange together. They tend to work together seamlessly because red+yellow=orange. Maybe you have a much larger range of colors in your design but you connect them by placing them deliberately in the container. I believe any combination of colors can work if you create your color story in a strategic way.

pushing the limits

I personally love to push the limits when it comes to working with color and using it in unexpected ways. There are unique ways to tie flowers together within a single arrangement. For example, maybe the yellow stamen of an opened Lisianthus flower can pick up on the pale yellow mini carnation next to it. Or maybe you are working with a bicolor dahlia that can expand your palette within just 1 flower.

Another anomaly that comes with floral arranging is that greenery also acts a neutral. Most times, greenery creates structure for your arrangement. By the time the arrangement is finished, the flowers themselves have become the star of the show. Even within greenery options, there are so many tones to choose from. You can utilize something like dusty miller for a silvery-blue-green color. There’s eucalyptus which is generally a sage green color. Then you have darker, richer greens like leather leaf, ruscus and salal. For my arrangements, I generally like to use at least 2 types of greenery that vary in color and texture to provide more visual interest.