Easy Flowers-Book Review

“Easy Flowers-Ideas For Every Room in Your Home” by Jane Durbridge and Antonia Swinson was published by Ryland Peters and Small.

Durbridge is a well-known London florist, and specializes in weddings and other special occasions. Originally she opened her London shop in 1989, but now divides her time between Paris and London.

Swinson is a style writer whose expertise on flowers, weddings, fashion, and beauty is well known. Her career began at Vogue. Since that time she has written several books on flowers. Durbridge and Swinson often work as a team. They also published “Bridal Bouquets,” also from Ryland Peters and Small.

In this title, the authors show that flowers are no longer just for special occasions. There are ways to use affordable blooms in every type of home décor. They emphasize how you can use color and form to create quick and easy arrangements for every room in the house.

The chapters on flower basics, flower care, and conditioning are extremely helpful. The authors guide readers through the design process, and help them choose vases and other floral equipment and tools. With their simple, easy to understand instructions you’ll be able to condition your flowers, and care for them so they’ll last longer.

The core of the book deals with the different color schemes. A section is devoted to each one, including ones for naturals and vibrant combinations. They have many wonderful examples of arrangements made with green blooms and green foliage, including an Oriental one consisting of a black bowl with gray and black pebbles topped with some carefully selected green leaves. The result is just stunning.

The authors have so many wonderful ideas. For example, they float blue bachelor’s buttons in a clear container containing translucent gel. They attach twigs to the wall to spell the word love, and on a low table below they display a vase of ivory roses. The result is just stunning.

They use materials you wouldn’t ordinarily associate with flowers, as when they use roasted coffee beans in a clear vase to hide the stems of the blooms.

This book is lushly illustrated in full color with photos by Polly Wreford.

The appendix contains a list of suppliers where one can buy the necessary floral materials, equipment, and flowers.

Readers will find this wonderful book to be inspiring and practical.