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WORK TITLE: Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://tulipina.com/about/
CITY: San Francisco
STATE: CA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Iran; married; husband’s name Nathan; children: three.
EDUCATION:John Hopkins University, master’s degree.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Floral arranger. Research assistant for a California think tank. Tulipina flower shop, owner, 2011-; teaches floral design workshops.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kiana Underwood is an expert in flower arranging and design. She owns the San Francisco design studio Tulipina that creates bespoke experiences for high-end weddings and events. She specializes in unique floral varieties and color combinations, and often works with her husband, Nathan, a technology executive and photographer, who takes pictures of floral, street, and travel destinations. Born in Iran and moving to the United States in 1990, Underwood first fell in love with flowers growing up in her grandfather’s gardens in Tehran. In an interview online at Flower, Underwood noted: “I love that the old-world style of floral design has returned.” She added: “I had never imagined myself as a floral designer. However, once I got started, it was clear that there was no going back, and a true passion for flowers was ignited in me.”
In 2018, Underwood published Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season, which focuses on designing single-color floral displays that incorporate vibrant colors and dramatic textures. Separated into seasons, the book describes green arrangements for spring, black for summer, magenta for fall, and pink for winter. Beautiful photographs by her husband capture her forty designs with step-by-step instructions for color, shape, and cut; aesthetic arrangement; plus materials needed. She also includes notes on strategy and styling. “Go into your shopping trip with a color palette in mind, but that’s it. If you go into it trying to recreate a specific arrangement, you’ll only wind up frustrated and disappointed when you can’t find the exact flower you’re looking for,” Underwood told Shelby Wax on the Lonny website.
In an interview online at Vogue, Underwood said to Kristin Tice Studeman: “When I came up with the idea of Color Me Floral, I wanted to challenge myself by creating forty monochromatic designs: ten colors for each season. In the end, it was easier than I expected; nature is literally unending in supplying variation within a particular color palette.” On the Tulipina website, Underwood observed: “I would describe my designs as lush, abundant, and organic. I think that my style has become increasingly free-flowing over time, and my use of color and texture in arrangements is what wins people’s admiration.”
Aron Row online at Manhattan Book Review remarked that the book is a spectacularly stunning reference that is essential “not only for the magnificence of its illustrations, but for the clarity of its instructions” and for the myriad varieties of textures found in flowers, vines, and bushes.” When Underwood commented that not a single flower goes unnoticed by her, a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted: “her book trains readers’ eyes to do the same.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, February 19, 2018, review of Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season, p. 71.
ONLINE
Flower, https://flowermag.com/ (August 1, 2018), author interview.
Lonny, http://www.lonny.com/ (April 27, 2018), Shelby Wax, review of Color Me Floral.
Manhattan Book Review, https://manhattanbookreview.com/ (August 1, 2018), Aron Row, review of Color Me Floral.
Tulipina, http://tulipina.com/ (August 1, 2018), author interview.
Vogue, https://www.vogue.com/ (March 31, 2018), Kristin Tice Studeman, author interview.
Kiana Underwood is the owner of Tulipina, an internationally renowned floral design studio that specializes in creating bespoke experiences for high-end weddings and events. Her use of unique color combinations and floral varieties draws admirers and floral designers from all over the world to her sold-out workshops.
Her new book, Color Me Floral, covers the secrets to designing show-stopping monochromatic arrangements for each season.
She splits her time between Burlingame, California, and Stone Ridge, New York, with her husband, Nathan, and their three children.
Meet Kiana Underwood of Tulipina Design
The San Francisco–based floral designer shares summer arrangements from her book, Color Me Floral, and answers our Flower questionnaire, giving us a peek at her personality and her world
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Kiana Underwood of Tulipina Design
Kiana Underwood of Tulipina Design travels the globe teaching workshops that focus on her old-world-style arrangements, which she shares on Instagram @tulipinadesign. Her first book, Color Me Floral (Chronicle Books, 2018), with images by her husband, Nate, focuses on seasonal, monochromatic creations. Underwood answers our Flower questionnaire, giving us a peek at her personality and her world.
Flower: In three words, describe your floral aesthetic. Kiana Underwood: Abundant, colorful, and complex.
What flower best represents your personality, and why? I love ranunculus, and I think it represents my personality due to its variation and resilience.
Is there a floral trend that you like right now? I love that the old-world style of floral design has returned.
Name three people who inspire you. I am inspired by Bach—I love his music and the enormous complexity that comes through as rather effortless. Bach’s music is a work of genius. Oprah Winfrey also inspires me because she is strong and has achieved so much in her lifetime despite a very challenging childhood, and Julia Child because she started her career in a later stage of life yet still made an amazing impact and a lasting legacy.
Underwood likes a purple palette for outdoor parties, especially more feminine gatherings like bridal or baby showers. Flower List: Coleus leaf, Garden rose, Persian shield leaf, Cosmos, Clematis, Wild sweet pea, Columbine, Potato vine, Geranium
Did you ever have one of those aha moments that changed your life in a meaningful way? I went to graduate school and obtained my master’s degree from a prestigious school for international studies and wanted to become a diplomat and travel the world. Once I graduated, I found a job as a research assistant—writing and running errands at a California think tank, and it was nothing like I had hoped. After I became pregnant with my first child, I left that job and spent the next several years as a stay-at-home mother with three children.
While staying at home with my children was wonderful, I yearned for something more. When our last child entered kindergarten, my husband suggested floral design as a business idea. While I had been around flowers my whole life and made arrangements for the home, I had never imagined myself as a floral designer. However, once I got started, it was clear that there was no going back, and a true passion for flowers was ignited in me.
What do you feel is your greatest achievement so far? I think my greatest achievement is that I have been able to grow my business from nothing to something in a rather short period of time.
Your favorite travel destinations are… I love Japan and Europe, and I will travel to either of those destinations in a heartbeat.
If you could live anywhere in the world, it would be… Florence, Italy. I lived in Italy as both an undergraduate and graduate student, and I loved everything about it. Europe (and the Old World in general) is a place where I feel most at home and in my element.
If you could take only three books with you on a journey into space, what would they be, and why? I’d take Claire by Dorothea Malm, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. For me, the common theme of all these books is the strength of the heroines, and of course I enjoy the love stories behind them.
Flower List: Walnut branch, Chinese lantern, Young branch of weeping willow, Orchid, ‘Lime Cordial’ zinnia, Siam tulip, ‘Limelight’ hydrangea, Spray rose, Ranunculus. Click to get step-by-step instructions for this arrangement.
If you weren’t a floral designer, you might be a… Musician—a classical pianist. Playing the piano is what I do to relax and recharge, and classical music inspires me.
What are your three favorite movies of all time, and why? The Godfather because I love the emotions highlighted around family, loyalty, togetherness, culture, and conviction— not to mention that I am a huge fan of Al Pacino. Gone with the Wind: I have only two words—Scarlett O’Hara. The Shawshank Redemption because I’m inspired by the perseverance and patience that Andy Dufresne displays, and I absolutely love the human aspect of the relationships and friendships among the main characters.
What is your go-to attire? I like my Japanese vintage kimonos a lot.
Name a couple of things that you dread being discontinued. I would be very upset if they quit making kenzan floral pin frogs, and I would be most unhappy if they discontinued my perfume, Laila, which is made in Norway. It has a soft floral scent.
San Francisco Florist Tulipina Shares Her Botanical Shopping Guide (Including Trader Joe’s)
March 31, 2018 3:00 PM
by Kristin Tice Studeman
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Florist, Kiana Underwood and author of Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season
Photo: Elizabeth Messina / Courtesy of Chronicle Books
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San Francisco-based floral designer Kiana Underwood, better known to her hundreds of thousands of followers as @tulipinadesign, is sought after around the globe for her unique, monochromatic arrangements. Take a quick look at her Instagram and you’ll see her garden-style designs are filled with explosive color, often asymmetrical and made up of unexpected, exotic ingredients. To the floral design novice, it seems nearly impossible to attempt to recreate one of Underwood’s stunning arrangements, but in her new book Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season, she shows us how.
The book is organized by season (much like a cookbook) and broken down into ten stunning color palettes with step-by-step guides to create these works of floral art. “I wanted to give you a look at how I approach color throughout the year, using what is available,” says Underwood. “With modern flower farming in both hemispheres and ease of shipping, it is quite possible to get many floral varieties year-round independent of location, but I made a concerted effort to use only varieties that were in season in my location.”
Underwood, who first fell in love with flowers growing up in her grandfather’s gardens in Tehran, has seen her business flourish since its 2011 launch. She’s been called on to create floral magic at several high-profile weddings and continues to teaches floral design workshops (online, out of her San Franciscan studio, and wherever else she may find herself). She understands the challenges of finding ingredients and encourages people to get creative and work with what’s local and in season around them.
“During one of my workshop trips to Russia, some of my favorites flowers were not seasonally or regionally available, so I turned to carnations and mums, and found some beautiful varieties,” she says. “When I could not find poppies in Mexico, I used the bachelor buttons and local jasmine that seemed to be everywhere at the market, which added an amazing aroma.”
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Here, she shares her guidelines for finding great ingredients no matter where you are, from flower markets with options aplenty or a city bodega.
Autumn: Magenta Arrangement from Color Me Floral
Photo: Nate Underwood / Courtesy of Chronicle Books
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Go Monochromatic
I may be known for my approach to color and a wide variety of hues in my garden-style designs, but I love playing around with monochromatic palettes. There are so many shades of pink, peach, purple, red, yellow, and whether in your garden, at the store or market, or foraging, experiment with building designs using variations within a particular color. When I came up with the idea of Color Me Floral, I wanted to challenge myself by creating 40 monochromatic designs: ten colors for each season. In the end, it was easier than I expected; nature is literally unending in supplying variation within a particular color palette.
Consider a Cutting Garden
If it’s available to you, plant a small cutting or container garden with seasonal blooms to supplement store bought flowers. I don't have a large backyard, but I keep geraniums year-round, daffodils, narcissus, and tulips in spring. And various houseplants like begonia and fuchsia pair nicely with the flowers I get from the market. Even leafy houseplants are great to use in adding spice to a design!
The Grocery Store Is Not Off-Limits
Your local grocery store can have very good looking flowers for low prices. I find that Trader Joe's usually has a decent selection of flowers, and I often buy orchids there to use in arrangements.
Summer: Red Arrangement from Color Me Floral
Photo: Nate Underwood / Courtesy of Chronicle Books
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Edible Embellishments
In my book Color Me Floral, you'll see that I use fruits (like apple, lemon, kumquat, blackberry) and vegetables (tomatoes, pumpkin) quite often. I love using fruits and vegetables in my designs, as they add a lush and organic depth and dimension. It’s also an unexpected element that draws the eye.
Don’t Forget Dried
While I love using fresh flowers as much as I possibly can, dried flowers can be amazing in arrangements when used selectively. In my book’s Winter: Pink arrangement, I incorporated some amazing bleached and dried Japanese ferns. The different textures will definitely set your creation apart and make your friends say "what is that?" (In a good way.)
Spring: Yellow Arrangement from Color Me Floral
Photo: Nate Underwood / Courtesy of Chronicle Books
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Forage, Forage, Forage
Your neighborhood can be an amazing source for flowers and foliage. There are many plants and trees that aren't on private property, and a quick snip can get you a wonderful magnolia branch or apple blossoms. You can also speak to neighbors who might have overgrown treasures in their yards—mock orange is a favorite that I see often.
Go to the Nursery
I am often teaching in locations where access to a great flower mart isn't an option. However, in almost every country I have visited, there is always a nursery where I can go in a pinch and get unique elements to supplement my design: fruit branches, houseplants, or potted flowering bushes. Get to know your local nurseries, and if traveling and unable to find the flowers that you desire, look up the local nursery and pay them a visit. You'll be sure to find something interesting, and your design will be even more unique.
Name: Kiana Underwood
Title: Floral Designer, entrepreneur
City: Burlingame, CA
Passion: Floral Design
Website: www.tulipina.com
I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers, wrote Claude Monet in his memoir. What makes my love for flowers so endless is the combination of their colorful beauty and the ephemerality of their lives. So, when I stumbled upon Tulipina Design on Instagram, I fell more deeply in love with them. The arrangements took the beauty of flowers to the next level: they were like ballerinas in a Nureyev masterpiece. My never-ending curiosity drove me to reach out to the floral designer. Kiana, who was born and raised in Iran and moved to the US in 1990, and gracious enough to let us stop by. Our photographer Elle drove from LA, and off we went on a Sunday morning to meet the artist behind Tulipina. Greeted with a big hug, smiling tiny faces, and Kiana's husband, the man behind the lens, she opened her heart and told us her story in her candid way. Kiana embodies a certain kind of feminine power, one that leaves you feeling safe, inspired to take action and believing as a woman and mother, we can have it all, as long as the "all" is what our heart truly desires.
On Passion
How and when did you find your passion?
I grew up in Iran, and spent a lot of time around flowers in my grandfather’s garden, which I always really enjoyed. My mother also had a great love for flowers and we had them fresh in the house often. After moving to the U.S., I went to school, and eventually pursued my Master’s in International Relations at John Hopkins University where I lived in Italy and in Washington, DC. I eventually came back to the Bay Area and took a job at the Hoover Institution at Stanford.
Working in my field was never a passion, and I stopped working when I had my daughter. Being a stay at home mom allowed me to be with my 3 kids under the age of 5. I love my children and being a mother; however, I wanted more for me. I wanted more than just being a mom.
On Transition
How did you decide to pursue your passion?
I’ve always had fresh flowers in my home, and enjoyed putting together arrangements. People were often asking me to help them with flower design for their events. One day, my husband urged me to turn it into a business. There is so much competition in the space and I was a little hesitant. I started small: I put together a website and talked to mothers in my children's pre-school. Slowly things started to pick up. It was definitely not something that was done overnight. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of perseverance, not to mention a lot of disappointing moments to get to this point.
What are some of the challenges you faced along the way?
I found that people are generally not willing to help you, unless you are well known. It is hard to deal with this Catch-22 when just getting started.
I have had many disappointments with people not wanting to help me on purpose, or trying to slow down my progress – all because I didn’t have a “name” in the business. I came from literally nothing 4 years ago to a place where many people now want to work with me, which is very fulfilling. All of this came because I stuck with it, and I continued to better my craft along the way. In the end, I did find several people who were willing to give me a chance, and they know who they are and have earned my loyalty.
On Mastery
How do you hone your skills?
The only way to get better at what I do is by doing it. I never had any training; I never attended a flower workshop. I looked at a lot of work online, in magazines, etc. to see what styles I enjoyed, and what type of floral art I wanted to create. From experience, I knew that I could make amazing things from using the variety of flowers and foliage in my backyard. In general, with social media and the Internet, all of the inspiration one needs to create something beautiful is available online.
On Failure
What is failure to you, and how do you deal with it?
I am not afraid to fail. I do not have a problem pursuing my dreams. Disappointment can hurt, but I get over it, get motivated and push forward. I am constantly pursuing my dreams.
On Fear
What is fear to you?
My biggest fear is missing an opportunity. Beyond that I am not fearful.
On Money
Was there a time when you were running out of money? Did you need to give up a lifestyle to pursue your passion?
You have to start small. Most people do not have money to spend on renting a studio or advertising. To make a big splash, you have to pay for exposure. I did not have the money to pay for exposure in a well-known magazine. So instead, I needed to be good enough so that people would write about me, and highlight what I could offer. Time and patience are everything. If you are doing your absolute best, and doing what you love the most, chances are someone out there is going to find you and talk about you.
On Self-Love
What is self-love to you? And how important is it to your journey?
How can I expect someone to respect me if I do not respect myself? Thankfully, I have never suffered from feeling like “I am not good enough. ” I have am a strong personality.
On Inspiration
Who inspires you and why?
My first inspiration is my husband. If it were not for him and his everyday reaffirmation, I would not be here today. I would not have come this far. Some other things that inspire me are walks in my neighborhood, my kids, and great work that I see online, like that of Ariella Chezar. When I was first starting out, her work was a great inspiration to me, and I’m really thankful that she started this current garden-style revolution.
On Support
How do you manage being a mom of three and running a business?
I work hard; I do not ever have down time. It is really hard to balance between being a career woman and wanting to be the greatest mom on earth.
Advice to the Community
Please share an advice for young people looking for their passions.
Your greatest power is your youth. Never underestimate it or waste it. If there is something that you are passionate about, start right now. Nothing is too big to achieve.
Advice for mothers
There is more to life than just motherhood. It is only by fulfilling yourself that you can be a better mom to your children. You cannot create fulfillment through other people. There is no excuse for not putting your passion into your work. It is not easy, but there is no excuse, and there is no better time than the present.
Kiana Underwood is the owner of Tulipina, an internationally renowned floral design studio that specializes in creating bespoke experiences for high-end weddings and events. Her use of unique color combinations and floral varieties draws admirers and floral designers from all over the world to her sold-out workshops. Her new book, Color Me Floral, covers the secrets to designing show-stopping monochromatic arrangements for each season. She splits her time between Burlingame, California, and Stone Ridge, New York, with her husband, Nathan, and their three children.
Kiana’s work can be seen in NY Times, Brides, Elle Décor, Elle Spose, Country Living, Marie Claire, Flower Magazine, Couture Flowers, French Country Style, California Homes, Veter, Town and Country, Flutter, and more.
Interview With Kiana
How did you get into flowers? Did you grow up gardening?
KU: I grew up around flowers all my life. My grandfather had a beautiful garden where I spent a lot of time as a little girl, and my mother always had fresh flowers in our house. This environment really kindled my love for flowers, and is definitely something that formed the basis for how I design today.
Did you have a gateway flower? For example, a flower you completely fell in love with that led to a larger love of flowers, or a flower that you tend to zoom in on whenever it’s in season?
KU: My mother, who loves aromatic flowers such as tuberose, hyacinth and narcissus, instilled my love for flowers in me from a very early age. So, there really was no “one” flower that drew me into floral design; however, the flower that I “zoom in on” is always gardenia.
How do you keep your creative drive going?
KU: A beautiful or unusual colored flower or an interesting botanical specimen is what drives my creativity. I want to take it and see what I can do with it!
What are some of your favorite local spots?
KU: I love going to nurseries! There are a few near my home which I frequent regularly— Golden Nursery, Half Moon Bay Nursery, and if I’m up for the drive, I’ll visit Annie’s Nursery-– which is about an hour away from me. They have an amazing selection of unusual botanicals.
How would you describe your style? How has it evolved over time?
KU: I would describe my designs as lush, abundant, and organic. I think that my style has become increasingly free-flowing over time, and my use of color and texture in arrangements is what wins people’s admiration.
What are your other floral design influences?
KU: Music and art are what influence my work.
If you could travel to any one destination, floral-wise, where would you go?
KU: If I could travel for flowers, it would be the Netherlands in spring.
Coffee order?
KU: A double Americano with cream.
Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season
Publishers Weekly. 265.8 (Feb. 19, 2018): p71.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season
Kiana Underwood, photos by Nathan Underwood. Chronicle, $30 (208p)
ISBN 978-1-4521-6117-4
Underwood, who owns a floral design studio in San Francisco, schools readers on the particulars of color, shape, texture, and cut of floral arrangements in this gorgeous and effective guide. Her theme is creating arrangements by color and building her horticultural combinations from that point, using flowers, shrubs, twigs and leaves, and, in one case, bunches of grapes. The book is organized by the four seasons, which are then separated into color schemes. The color options themselves are surprising. In addition to the standard pink, yellow, red, and white, Underwood includes arrangements in peach, magenta, and black. She builds each arrangement in steps and includes photos--taken by her husband--at each stage. Using a pin frog (and eschewing floral foam), she indicates which specimen is inserted at what point, considering height, breadth, and mass. "Not a single flower goes unnoticed by my eye," Underwood writes, and her book trains readers' eyes to do the same. Color photos. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season." Publishers Weekly, 19 Feb. 2018, p. 71. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529357575/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b5e3eefc. Accessed 29 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529357575
Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season
We rated this book:
$30.00
Divided into seasons, floral design artist Kiana Underwood, uses the palette of flower shapes, colors, textures to create explosively eye-catching arrangements that are photographically captured in this vivid volume of floral displays. Each section of the seasons is further divided by color so that there are groupings featuring pink, magenta, yellow, orange, red, green, purple, even black and white along with other shades that appear in time. Clearly and concisely the recipes for recreating the stunning illustrated floral illustrations are smoothly outlined with the listed tools, the flower components, thumbnail photos of the flowers listed as the palette, and all these preliminaries are followed by painless step by step directions. Each of the steps has a photo of the developing array, so that the reader can’t help but access this floral arrangement recipe independently. This is truly a spectacularly stunning reference essential for all floral lovers, not only for the magnificence of its illustrations, but for the clarity of its instructions and the listing of the myriad varieties of flowers, vines, bushes, and other textures that can be incorporated into the palette used to assemble these floral beauties.
Reviewed By: Aron Row
Author
Kiana Underwood • Nathan Underwood, Photographer
Star Count
5/5
Format
Hard
Page Count
208 pages
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Publish Date
2018-Mar-06
ISBN
9781452161174
Amazon
Buy this Book
Issue
April 2018
Category
Art, Architecture & Photography
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A Quick And Easy Guide To Creating A Beautiful Flower Arrangement
Tips from Instagram's most-followed floral designer.
By Shelby Wax on April 27, 2018
Whether you are hosting friends or just looking spruce up your home, floral arrangements always an easy way make a space feel fresh and refined. While you can shell out extra cash at the florist, it's even better when you can curate and style the selection yourself and save some money along the way.
To help you learn a fast and simple way to style an arrangement, we tapped Tulipina owner Kiana Underwood for guidance. As Instagram's most-followed floral designer and author of Color Me Floral, this creative definitely know her way around blooms. Read ahead to get styling.
Set Yourself Up For Success
"Having the right supplies on hand makes it much easier (and far less frustrating!) to create a beautiful arrangement," shares Underwood. What should you have on hand? "A good pair of floral scissors or shears," she says. "A clean cut on your stems is crucial for having longer-lasting, healthier blooms."
Underwood adds, "A floral pin frog is my secret weapon! This tool is extremely sturdy, and the sharp pins that line the top allow you to secure heavier branches and flowers in place without toppling over." She adds, "Plus, they’re extremely durable so you can reuse them again and again!"
"Use floral putty to secure the floral pin frog to the bottom of the vessel you’re arranging in," suggests the designer. "But always make sure to apply before putting water in the vessel — it must be dry in order to adhere!"
Thoughts On Color
"Figuring out what colors and flowers go together in an arrangement can often be the most overwhelming part for most people," says Underwood. "I like to draw inspiration for a color palette from the flowers themselves. A flower might seem all one color when looked at as a whole, but if you look closely at any one bloom you’ll see it’s made up of various colors and hues, whether in the center or on the petals’ tips. This strategy will allow you to create seemingly effortless 'monochromatic' arrangements filled with complementary colors and a ton of dimension."
Be Flexible
"Go into your shopping trip with a color palette in mind, but that’s it. If you go into it trying to recreate a specific arrangement, you’ll only wind up frustrated and disappointed when you can’t find the exact flower you’re looking for," advises Underwood. "Get creative and work with what’s local and in season around you."
Take Your Time
"Take a full lap around the flower section of your local store or market before making your selections," suggests the designer. "Make a note of things that you find interesting, and potentially ask for them to be held while you decide what you really want to take home. Cut flowers are expensive, so to stay within budget, take your time to get the best palette and selection."
Prep Your Flowers
"After bringing your chosen flowers home from the market, give them a quick snip and put them in fresh water to keep them looking their best until you are ready to use them," says Underwood.
Streamline Cleanup
"Cover your work surface with newspaper so when you’re done, any flower cuttings will just get wrapped up and tossed away for the easiest cleanup ever," she advises.
Create Your Base
"Start your arrangement with the heaviest elements first — branches, fruits, foliage — to serve as the base and give the design some structure," Underwood suggests. "To create an organic, asymmetrical arrangement, create a base shape with high and low points on opposite sides (your 'lowest point' can even be draped over the edge of your vessel, to really create some drama!)"
One suggestion? "When you are placing the branches amongst the pins of the floral frog, be sure to create balance by inserting around the edges as well as in the center of the tool," says the designer.
Embrace The Unexpected
"Don’t underestimate the element of surprise: add in something unexpected, like sprigs of herbs or a branch of citrus fruits, then let it flow out of the vase in a natural way. This will make even a completely Trader Joe’s-sourced arrangement feel unique and elevated," shares Underwood.
Fill In The Gaps
"Start adding in your floral elements, giving the stems enough space that each flower has room to shine," advises Underwood. "Make sure flowers of the same type are cut to different lengths to continue filling out your beautiful asymmetrical shape, and avoid creating a globe."
Choose Your Focal Point
"The final touch on your arrangement should be your 'focal point' flower — a bold or bright bloom that attracts the eye and draws the viewer into the arrangement," recommends Underwood. "Medium to large flowers tend to work best, but play around and see what makes an impact on the eye!"