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Dressing the Space- Office Flowers

First impression matter, right? That is, afterall, what we are constantly told. Reception areas, foyers, studios, and offices are no different.  They create the initial impression you have of the establishment, from the decor they have chosen, to whether it looks well maintained or run down, whether it is clean and tidy, or looks unorganised and chaotic. It begs the question, do I want to do business with these people? Are they going to get the job done? Is this business aligned with my values?

Flowers in your work space can elevate the impression you are giving. Chose right, and the colours and textures will sing in the space, complementing the existing elements/theme. Choose wrong, and at best they simply add nothing. At worst, they add to the confusion of an already unappealing space, or pose the question ‘Why did they even bother?’

Office flowers are hard to get right. Generally they need to last a week, but on occasion, companies ask that they are only replaced fortnightly. This make our job as designers really difficult as there are very few flowers that last for 2 weeks whilst managing to look their best.

Image of an elegant office flower piece from Flickr
Image: Courtesy Cindy Anderson via Flickr
Image of a corporate flower piece by Jeff Leatham
Image: Jeff Leatham’s work at the Four Seasons

Generally speaking, the most appropriate fresh flowers for reception areas/offices/business are tropicals, lilies and native blooms. These are the most consistently long lasting flowers. These flowers however do not fit every design brief.

  • Tropicals are mostly available in vibrant colours, and have angular appearances which do not suit softer settings.
  • Native blooms come in a variety of colours, but tend to be more muted the way nature made them. What I mean by that is as is so often the case these days, many blooms are dyed, and with that, artifically vibrant native blooms are also now available. Beige Banksias pop up in the not so sublte tone of fuschia, or emerald green. Wowzers.
  • Lilies are one of those flowers that seem to divide people, and not just in the office. Oriental lilies are highly scented, so can be quite the office nuisance, setting off allergic reactions left, right and centre. The strong perfume can be a little too hard to handle in small confide spaces, and the pollen can aggravate hayfever sufferers.

Outside of these common choices, an array of beautiful flowers and foliage is available, but what is suitable for your office will depend on your needs. Disbud Chryssanthemums can be a great addition to the office flower rotation, as they are ‘softer’ in appearance yet still manage to be tough nuts, lasting a couple of weeks comfortably.

Image of the Coveteur
Image: The Coveteur
Image of the Les Fleurs
Image: Les Fleurs
Image of Thai Thomas Mai Van
Image: Thai Thomas Mai Van

Getting the most from your Flowers

  • In order to get the most from your weekly flowers, brief you designer on your requirments. If you are only open to the public 5 days, the flowers are only required to last 5 days, be clear if this is all you expect and require as it will open up alot more options for your designer to choose from. It will mean you get much more variety on rotation, interesting colours and textures that just are not available when you require your flowers to last longer.
  • Make it someone’s responsibility to top up the water, or better yet, change the water every two days.  The bacteria that grows in your vaseful of dirty water, will cause the flowers to deteriorate much faster. You can take this opportunity also to remove any spent blooms which make the overall appearance of the arrangement look dead. As an incentive, perhaps consider giving the flowers to this person at the end of each week for them to enjoy at home; the better they look after them, the more vase life they will enjoy at home. Win;Win.
  • Be open minded. Allow your designers to use a variety of containers to create unique displays for you each week. This allows them to use a variety of material, with different stem lengths to give you maximum visual effect.
  • Avoid placing your fresh flowers in direct sunlight, directly in front of air conditioning, or heaters. This quickly dehydrates your blooms, and will have them looking shabby very quickly.
  • Consider plant where your budget is limited. If your budget does not allow your flowers to be replaced at least once a fortnight, consider using plants in the office. Plants like the Zanzibar or Phalaenopsis are lush and exotic to look at, and are low maintenance so are extremely cost effective.

We’ve included some beautiful inspiration images throughout this post from some of our talented peers, but if you want to check out more of our work too, you can do that here

Til next time,

Fwf x

Image of Tempo Da Delicadeza
Image: Tempo Da Delicadeza
office 5
Image: Jeff Leatham’s work at the Four Seasons
office 7
Image: Nature at Work

 

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