17 Modern Flower Arranging Ideas and Inspiration

Flowers can add a beautiful touch to your home, office, or special event. But if you’re new to the art of DIY flower arranging, creating your first bouquet can be intimidating. What flowers do you use? How do you create the right shape? What colors and textures work well together?

Fortunately, modern floral arranging is an organic, experimental art form, and there are hundreds of ways to achieve a stunning arrangement. Need some inspiration to get started? Below, explore 17 ideas for modern flower arrangements, as well as some tips to make sure your first foray into floral arranging is a success.

17 Modern Floral Arranging Ideas

1. Monochromatic

pink flowers — This monochromatic floral arrangement, via Once Wed, uses blooms in shades of peach and blush.

An eye-catching floral arrangement doesn’t have to have to incorporate a rainbow of colors. You can achieve a modern, chic look by choosing flowers in just one shade. To add variety to the arrangement, make sure to select flowers of all shapes and sizes.

2. Exposed Bulbs

white flowers — This arrangement showcases paperwhites grown from bulbs in a large silver bowl, via My Sweet Cottage.

When you think of modern floral arrangements, you probably think of carefully pruned stems—but displaying flowers with exposed bulbs can create a unique, minimalist look. Plus, bulbs produce some of the most beautiful blooms, including tulips, dahlias, and paperwhites.

3. Colored Baby’s Breath

rainbow flowers — Multi-colored baby’s breath creates a stunning centerpiece, via At Home With Ashley.

In the world of floral design, spray painting flowers may seem a little unorthodox. But you can’t deny that this multi-colored arrangement elevates baby’s breath. With a little spray paint, this flower, which is usually used as filler, becomes the star of the arrangement.

4. Mini Arrangements

pretty vase — This bud vase from Elizabeth Benotti showcases a beautiful mini floral arrangement.

Floral arrangements don’t have to be large to be impactful. You can create stunning mini floral arrangements with just a few blooms and stems of greenery. Plus, by creating several smaller arrangements, you can enjoy them in every room of the house.

5. Greenery-Based Bouquets

Source: Urbanstems Six simple Monstera leaves add a bright, tropical feel to any space.

Flower arrangements typically use some greenery as accent pieces, but modern floral arrangements make the greenery the focal point. With a few clippings from even standard houseplants, you can create beautiful and tropical bouquets.

6. One and Done

hydrangeas — Combine a few stems of hydrangea to create a modern, clean floral arrangement, like this one from Inspired by Charm.

Modern flower arrangements don’t have to be complex. Create a modern, fresh flower arrangement by displaying just one type of bloom in your vase—like this example of a bouquet of hydrangeas.

7. Functional Florals

Flowers don’t only look beautiful; they can be functional, too. Many varieties of flowers—like peace lilies and chrysanthemums—have been shown to purify the air. Incorporate some of these blooms in your arrangement to boost your home’s air quality.

8. Dried Flowers

brown and gold — Skillshare student Isabela D'Olivo used dried flowers to create this bouquet.

Fresh flowers only last for so long. Try preserving your florals and creating new arrangements with the dried flowers. You will reduce flower waste and cost and produce maintenance-free, permanent works of art.

9. Unique Vessels

basket vase — Source: AnthropologieThis vase, made from clay and rattan, beautifully showcases modern floral arrangements.

Beyond the flowers you choose for your arrangement, also consider incorporating a unique container or vase. Vessels made from wood, leather, rattan, or wicker can add a modern look to your arrangement.

10. Floating Florals

To create a truly stunning floral arrangement, challenge yourself to think outside of bouquets and vases. Hanging floral arrangements, especially those that incorporate long, drapey blooms like amaranthus, create an ethereal—and unforgettable—vibe.

11. Garden Roses

pink flower — Source: FlowermagGarden roses are a soft and romantic alternative to traditional roses.

Try creating garden rose flower arrangements for a soft, romantic feel. The garden rose is a fluffier, more lush version of the standard rose. It’s available in a wide range of colors—from white to coral to dark red—so it can be a beautiful addition in any color scheme you have in mind.

12. Texture Play

Large flower arrangements benefit from a wide variety of textures. Incorporating different types of flowers, leaves, grasses, and accent elements like leaves, pinecones, or pods can add variety and visual interest to the bouquet.

13. Pampas Grass

fluffy flowers — Source: Mimosa FlowersPreserved pampas grass adds texture and height to this floral arrangement by Mimosa Flowers.

Pampas grass can add a tall, textural element to your modern flower arrangements. These feathery plumes of grass can be included in an arrangement fresh or dried. They can be a little messy, but a touch of hairspray can keep the seeds and fibers in place.

14. Asymmetry

red flowers — Asymmetry can add a unique, modern flair to large flower arrangements.

A critical element of floral arranging is balance, but you can achieve balance without perfect symmetry. Try creating an asymmetrical arrangement—with, for example, height on just one side of the bouquet—for a unique and modern look.

15. Organic Shapes

bright flowers — Source: Shades of Blue InteriorDrooping flowers and greenery make this flower arrangement, from Shades of Blue Interiors, feel natural and organic.

Modern floral arrangements don’t have to feel perfectly coiffed. Allowing your stems and greenery to droop and drape over your vase can create a natural, organic look.

16. Anthurium

Anthuriums are large, artistic flowers that make a dramatic impact on floral arrangements. Try incorporating these leaf-like plants for an exotic, topical look.

17. Citrus

white flowers and oranges — Source: vscoKumquats add a pop of color to this green and white floral arrangement.

Citrus isn’t just for layering in a vase in slices. Try incorporating small branches of fruits, like kumquats, for a burst of color and freshness in your bouquet.

Tips for Arranging Your Own Flowers

Feeling inspired by these examples of floral art? Flower arranging “modern art” can be fun—and functional. Learn how to make flower arrangements with these tips.

1. Your Vessel Will Guide Your Arrangement—So Choose Accordingly

The container you choose for your arrangement will, in many ways, dictate the final look of your bouquet. For example, a tall vase with a narrow opening will only allow room for a few stems, and those stems will need to be large and long to balance out the size of the container. A short, wide vase offers room for more stems, but can make it difficult to create height. Ultimately, it’s best to determine what kind of look you want to achieve, and choose a vessel accordingly.

2. Use Greenery to Create a Base

Criss cross leafy greens to create a base for your flowers. The web created by the overlapping stems of the greenery will help keep your floral stems in place and make it easier to arrange them the way you want.

green leaves — The greenery in this arrangement adds height and creates a base for the pink and red flowers.

3. Use the Rule of Thirds to Layer Your Flowers

The same rule of thirds that guides photography should also guide your DIY flower arranging. The bottom third of the arrangement will consist of your vase or container, and the arrangement will be about twice as tall as the container. The middle third will be the focal point of the arrangement—this is where you should place your statement flowers. In the top third, you’ll include your tallest flowers and stems.

4. Be Cautious With Cutting

As you experiment with flower placement, remember that you can always cut more off a stem, but you can’t add length. Err on the side of caution, cutting the stems in small increments until the flower lands at the right place in your arrangement.

5. Be Mindful of Balance and Flower Diversity

As you build your arrangement and identify gaps to fill, be mindful of keeping the flowers balanced. Rather than placing two garden roses immediately next to each other, for example, you can create a more balanced arrangement by adding the second garden rose on the opposite side of the bouquet.

While the overall arrangement can feel organic and natural, it should also feel balanced. That doesn’t mean each side has to be perfectly symmetrical—you just need the elements on one side to be offset by elements on the other. A large, voluminous bloom on one side, for example, could be balanced by a tall flower on the other side.

orange flowers — Modern floral arrangements don’t have to be perfectly symmetrical, but they should feel balanced.

Fresh flowers are easily accessible and provide an inspiring creative outlet for absolutely anyone. Whether you forage for foliage, buy a few inexpensive bouquets from the grocery store, or grow your own flowers, you can create beautiful, modern flower arrangements.

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