As virtually the entire world spends 24/7 in our homes, it’s certainly forced many of us to reexamine our spaces – how we use them, how we maximize them, and how we beautify them. Myself included. Now more than ever before our spaces need to be our respite, sanctuary, and refuge from the stresses of the outside world.
I’ve always loved to have fresh flowers in the house, but with florist shops shuttered and even the flower markets closed, it’s nearly impossible to come by fresh blooms unless you’re lucky enough to have quite the flower garden. Sadly I do not. Enter foraging.
Foraging has long been florists’, stylists’, and interior designers’ secret weapon. In fact, one of my favorite florists Louesa Roebuck wrote an entire book about it called Foraged Flora. When you use something foraged – usually branches of one variety or another – you not only bring life into a space, but you also add an interesting geometric, architectural shape to any vignette. Foraged branches can work on both large or extremely small scales and be placed virtually anywhere. The dining room table, the mantel, the kitchen counter, bedside, or in a bathroom. There truly are no limits. I’ve included a variety of examples of gorgeously foraged branches as you continue to scroll.
While there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to foraging, there are some general guidelines to abide by. Here are my top foraging tips:
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- First and foremost, do you not clip from private property (unless it is your own of course!). Public parks are also generally a no-no. Look for alleys, open lots, public lands and forested trails.
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- When you find a publicly available space from which to clip, do so gently. You don’t want it to be immediately obvious that you removed something and you certainly don’t want to harm the plant.
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- Do clip a little big larger than you think you’ll want. You’ll most likely trim down your clippings upon returning home so you want to make sure you start out with a bit extra.
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- There’s no right or wrong plant variety to clip, but some popular choices include flowering quince, magnolia, dogwood, and olive branches are perennial favorites.
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- Trim up the ends before you put your clippings in water & change water daily. You should get up to two weeks of life out of them this way.
Now it certainly helps if you live near wooded areas to be a successful forager, but you can get creative. These days I’m making it a rule to always have my clippers with me and my eyes peeled for a good little moment – even on my once-every-two-weeks trip to the grocery store.
My friend and famed interior designer Athena Calderone has become kind of the foraging guru. She recently created a quick video all about foraging, which you can watch right here.
What do you think of this trend? Will you be packing your clippers on your next walk?
YOUR FORAGING ESSENTIALS
images colin king | design constanze ladner photography renee kemps | design athena calderone photography nicole franzen | design nate berkus & jeremiah brent photography nicole franzen | design constanze ladner photography renee kemps | design jasmin johnson | zara home / design athena calderone styling colin king photography mathew williams | design athena calderone
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This is so awesome. I love this. Thank you for this post.
I think a foraged branch IS the best arrangement.
Love all these!
Can you please tell me the name and manufacturer of your stone countertops? Absolutely gorgeous!
Dana