When I first began to read floral design books, high end floral design seemed like an unattainable skill. But, as with any new skill, practice makes perfect. Part of the practice in floral design is studying the work of others, and these 7 floral design books will help elevate your floral design skills.
I spend the summer learning under the lead floral designers at Bloom Floral Design , where I work, May – October. During the long Michigan winter days, I pour over floral design books. When cut flowers are not at hand, study the work of designers whose style you admire. Principles, such as shape and color theory, will be reinforced into your brain. This visual reinforcement will flow through your work during the cut flower season, boosting your confidence and improving your work. Here are my favorite floral design books that I turn to again and again.
My favorite floral design books from my library
Christin Geall
“Cultivated; The Elements of Floral Style“, written and photographed by Christin Geall, is a superb floral design book for a beginner to learn from. It has a bit of an academic tone without being anything close to a textbook. Geall has divided the book into parts, such as “Thinking about Color” and “Learning from the Past”, using floral arrangements to demonstrate the highlighted technique. The photographs are beautiful and are worth spending time with. While not a large book, it is packed with highly valuable floral design know-how that one can use to serve as a spring board for finding your own design style.
Ariella Chezar
The next two floral design books from my library shelves are both by floral designer Ariella Chezar. “The Flower Workshop” is beautifully photographed. It has chapters such as floral design tools, and how texture effects good floral design. Most of the book focuses on different arrangements and the recipes used, and a beginner might become frustrated with this approach. If, while trying to re-create a particular arrangement, you can’t find, let’s say, green hellebores, do not give up. I would urge you to consider what the hellebore brings to the design, and find something different that is available to you that has the same effect.
“Seasonal Flower Arranging” is also beautifully photographed, and, as the title implies, the parts are organized by season. Locally grown cut flowers and foraged materials are now the floral design trend, and this book is a valuable resource for the possibilities when using these materials in their season. As before, recipes are provided, and I encourage you to use the recipes as springboards for what you have on hand that works in a similar fashion.
Lucy Hunter
English author Lucy Hunter chronicles a year in her garden and shares design tips on such things as how to see color and light in the garden. The book is well written, making it a pleasure to read, and the photographs are simply gorgeous. The garden photographs have an ethereal quality to them and the studio shots are lush and romantic, qualities that make Hunter’s work stand out.
What makes this a great book for a beginner in floral design, is, while there are recipes, they are vague. For instance, an arrangement might call for 3 focal flowers and 5 filler flowers, which gives the reader more freedom with their own designs using materials at hand.
As a beginning floral designer, I immediately filled with panic when tasked with re-creating a shop design. I didn’t know where to start! This is why I especially love the progression of photographs Hunter provides as each group of material is added to the design. It is valuable insight into the construction of high end floral designs, and this book will help the beginner gain confidence in knowing where to start when constructing floral arrangements.
Sandra Sigman
“French Blooms” is one of my newest floral design books. Written by Sandra Sigman, it strives to bring French style floral arrangments to the reader, no matter where you live. And, if you read my last post, My Favorite Garden Design Books that Inspire Me, you know that I adore French garden and floral designs. The photographs are gorgeous and inspiring to spend time looking through. There are also recipes for the featured arrangements; again, do not get hung up when you can’t find ‘a la mode’ dahlias. Observe what they bring to the arrangement as presented, and choose something else on hand that can do the same task.
Courtney Allison
The last two books I am recommending are not necessarily floral design books, but they do involve the use of flowers in designs. “French Country Cottage Inspired Gatherings” by Courtney Allison is a large coffee table style book. No recipes, nor are there chapters on growing cut flowers. Beautiful photographs fill the pages with gorgeous table settings set in a variety of locations. Allison showcases how the ordinary can be made beautiful and enchanting. Floral designs grace the tablescapes and there are small mentions of foods that work well for a given setting. Overall, this is a tremendously inspiring book if you enjoy creating memorable settings for family and friends.
Claus Dalby
And finally, we have “Containers in the Garden” by Danish author Claus Dalby. Dalby has been called the Danish Martha Stewart, and is known for his home garden, which is mostly in containers. He loves, as I do, creating “rooms” in his garden. Dalby has area’s he calls the “sunken garden” and “the white garden”. He also creates stunning seasonal designs at the front gate of his home with pots and pots of blooming flowers and plants. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in container gardening and the endless possibilities they provide for floral design outside.
7 Beautiful Floral Design Books
So there we have it, my 7 favorite floral design books to elevate your floral design skills. I hope you have discovered a title or two that are new to you, and are inspired to create floral arrangements for your home and garden. I’d love to hear from you; where do you find floral design inspiration?
