The Floral Trend That’s Changing Everything We Knew About Flowers

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I love fresh cut flowers. I’m not alone in this, as I find most people have an instinctually pleasurable reaction to a vase of flowers—empirical evidence being all the petal-fondling and "oh-how-pretty" I get when I have an arrangement on my desk at work. For a very long time, I’ve pined after ranunculus as my favorite flower—tight petals, curled around an impossibly intricate center, that unfurl after a few days. But death comes swiftly after: A couple days after they open, they turn brown and go soggy—and I have no choice but to toss them.

The most recent trend in floral design, though, solves this issue—dried flowers and grasses. They don't die, which is both cost-efficient and so heartening for someone (me) who loathes the act of throwing flowers in the trash. I’ve seen this trend soar in popularity on my Instagram and Pinterest feeds, from interior designers, stylists, and casual decorators alike. It's not just a winter floral option anymore, either. People are making a conscious choice to purchase pre-dried flowers, in all seasons.

The best part is that there are soooo many varieties—tons of different grasses and grains, flowers, leafy greens, branches, and twigs. And unlike a lot of floral arrangements, single stems of dried plants are sculptural and centerpiece-worthy on their own. Just one branch of eucalyptus is hauntingly beautiful on it's own, and it can stay that way for years.

Our Creative Director (and dried floral connoisseur), Alexis, loves using dried flowers here in our studio. “It takes the stress out of flower arranging,” she says, “simply because they don’t die! You don’t have to worry about room temperature or changing the water. We have some dried pampas grass in the studio that’s over three years old (!).” They’ve retained their original fluff, as well. Her favorite way to style dried stems? “Go all white with bleached lagurus, dried fan palm, maiden grass, preserved ferns, and lunaria, and for a bigger arrangement, you can't go wrong with fluffy pampas grass.”

I personally love buying a bunch of eucalyptus and thistles from the grocery store, keeping them fresh for a few days in water, and then letting them dry out on their own. The one thing with dried stems to be aware of, though, is that they’re delicate. Like my chapped lips in the winter—they get brittle when dried out.

Keep an eye out on your feeds for feathery pampas and de-saturated flowers, you’re likely to be amazed at how common a finishing touch it is. Some more Insta-favorites below:

Would you swap out fresh florals with dried ones? Let us know below!