Easy Decor Tweak

I’m spending a lot of time hanging out at home at the moment for one reason (baby) or another. It has made me realise two things about my house. Firstly, that I needed more storage for the children’s toys and “arts and crafts” (my daughter’s current obsession) paraphernalia (I made a beeline for Great Little Trading and bought another cupboard unit from their fab Northcote range, which sits unobtrusively in my kitchen). Secondly, that flowers really do transform a space. (Thanks to the kindness of friends and family who recently showered me with flowers.)

However, you (like us) might not have a surfeit of time to pop to the florist and then painstakingly arrange your blooms – and a vase of decaying flowers is the opposite of cheering. So, I’m all for a cheat…

At the moment, I’m going through a hydrangea phase. So beautiful, so easy to make an impact with a couple of blowsy stems, so easy to style.

Cut the stems short and arrange in a low vase (not that hydrangeas require much arranging) – perfect coffee (bedside, occasional) table fodder.

I like the way you can divide and conquer several small vases – line them up in a jaunty manner…

Or use a mass of stems together to make a statement…

Now, with the current upheaval to the usual run of things, keeping my home stocked with fresh flowers is not at the top of my list of priorities. (Sadly. I slightly hanker after being one of those Downton-esque ladies for whom flowers and how one’s household is run (by a battalion of staff, naturally) are a primary concern. Speaking of which: is it just me or is it cosy and comforting that Downton is back on ridiculous form?). So I was delighted to chance upon these excellent faux stems from Oka (feeding the baby means you are always one idle click away from a find). They have a brilliant selection of flowers – but for the moment, it’s the hydrangeas which tempt me…

Faux mop head hydrangea, from £9-£14, Oka

Abigail Ahern are bywords for good taste (she single-handedly popularised Downpipe by Farrow & Ball), so if she says silk flowers are go, who am I to argue? These lilac hydrangeas are particularly beautiful.

 Images via Pinterest