Approach floral designing in large vases with ease thanks to florist and educator, Christina Yan. Her expert tips eliminate intimidation and help your arrangements shine.  

Founder & CEO of Napa-based wedding floral studio Bellevue Floral Co. and lifestyle goods shop Camino, Christina Yan, was tapped as the floral designer for Accent Decor’s Spring 2024 Home Collection photo shoot. With a playful floristry style and knack for effortlessly blending colors and texture, Christina helped bring our new products to life with her signature style alongside fresh flowers and foliage.

The latest Home Collection is filled with products that serve as the perfect ingredients for creating stand-out interior design statements. The assortment of vases, kitchen and barware, trays and decorative objects are true standouts – perfect for interior designers or retailers on the hunt for trend forward and unique products. Included within the assortment are stunning vases in a variety of shapes and sizes.

For fledgling florists or interior enthusiasts, tackling large vases can feel intimidating at first. Fresh after the shoot, we sat down with Christina to discuss her top 5 tips on designing flowers in large vases. Thanks to her approachable expertise, replicating her design style is easy in just a few steps.

Christina Yan’s Top 5 Tips to Design Flowers in Large Vessels

• FLORAL TO VASE RATIO: Large vases require large scale design (simple math, right?). Generally speaking, the tallest point of my floral arrangement is 1.5 – 2x the height of the vessel. Using this ratio is a helpful way to start your design. I like to insert my tallest stems first (typically foliage) as a guide for setting the arrangement’s maximum height.

• ALWAYS START WITH FOLIAGE: Even with floral-heavy designs, I first fill in my vase with greenery branches. This serves as both a mechanic and guide for how tall and wide I want the finished arrangement to appear. Foliage acts as a filler and creates volume at the center of your design so you don’t need to fill a vase entirely with blooms. By the time you do add the flowers in, you can place them strategically to hide the mass of foliage (you’d be surprised at how easy it is to make the greenery disappear!)

• LESS IS MORE: You’ll need a high volume of flowers to fill a large vase. To prevent large arrangements from looking busy, I like to focus on just 3-4 floral varieties. I also cluster similar varieties together so there’s less of a confetti effect.

• USE WATER TUBES: Let’s face it, most of our favorite delicate blooms don’t have long stems. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them in large-scale design! For event work, I often insert specialty blooms (like anemone, for example) in a water tube before tucking into a tall arrangement. This provides an adequate water source while allowing the bloom to be placed higher in the design. However, I don’t recommend doing this for retail deliveries as most clients won’t know how to replenish the tube’s water.

• SPILLING OVER THE RIM: This design tip applies to floral arrangements of all sizes! I always make sure there are flowers or foliage spilling over the vase rim. This creates a sense of continuity between the flowers and the vessel. It’s an essential yet simple technique that elevates your level of artistry.

If you’re seeking floral knowledge, look no further than Christina’s Mise en Fleur retreat, a one-of-a-kind creative gathering that merges floral design, education, and community. Hosted by Christina, Mise en Fleur has grown from a one-time event in Napa to a destination retreat in cool and creative cities around the world. Open to florists and floral enthusiasts of all experience levels, each retreat is centered around a hands-on floral design intensive accompanied by a business course.

Join Mise en Fleur at Accent Decor’s Atlanta headquarters!

March 22 -23, 2024

Highlights Include:

• One to two-day design intensive with hands-on learning and coaching by Christina
• Tour Accent Decor’s headquarters plus meet and mingle with Accent Decor’s award-winning Creative Team. Tap into their valuable product, trend, merchandising and business expertise.
• Invaluable education sessions covering the mechanics and techniques of large-scale design, product sourcing, floral recipes, pricing, transportation, and more.
• Christina’s Marketing 101 course will help students build confidence in becoming the face of their brand. Learn how Christina marketed her early-stage business and gain insights on content creating strategies.

For the full itinerary, logistics, additional details and tickets, visit Mise en Fleur Atlanta.

About Christina Yan:

The owner of two distinct floral businesses, Christina has been a mover and shaker in the design industry for several years. Christina’s design philosophy is rooted in much more than just traditional floral technique. As a self-taught florist, Christina lends her style to her years prior as an artist of other mediums. Connect with Christina online or @bellevuefloralco on Instagram.

Photo Credit: Jenny Rogozyan

To shop Accent Decor’s wholesale decor and wholesale pots and vases including all new and flower, plant and home products, visit accentdecor.com.

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