Meet Mel, an Arcadia-based floral artisan.
The mom of three and former reading specialist has found a fulfillment in flowers, redirecting her career as a neighborhood florist.
“Launched in 2018, we offer flowers for all occasions and have grown rapidly and organically as we prioritize making flowers fun and approachable. We strive to take your personal style and have it reflected in special and intentional hand-crafted arrangements,” says Mel Heinrichs, owner and lead designer of Flowers by Mel.
At heart, Mel is a self-proclaimed Midwest girl who loves playing tennis, hot yoga and traveling with her family. However, when it comes to work, she’s all about buds and blooms.
“Dried grasses and earthy tones are replacing delicate stems and pastels. The days of densely packed arrangements are now being replaced with focal flowers that can be individually seen,” says Mel.
With the holiday season in full swing, Mel shares insider tips on incorporating fall and winter floral décor to brighten your home, elevate your lifestyle, and enhance your holiday celebrations.
Gifting Flowers
According to Mel, gifting should be easy, thoughtful, and intentional. Sending someone something creative and festive to spruce up their living space is the perfect way to show your appreciation. Hearty centerpieces are her most requested item around the holidays; they overflow with texture and focal stems. Handtied bouquets and ball jars are also in demand for a more budget friendly route.
Seasonal Color Palates
Dark cherry, metallics, non-matchy and focal point arrangements are all the rave this holiday season. Mel loves color combos like delicate blues and silvers, blush pinks and gold, and emerald green and burgundy. For her, an ideal holiday arrangement is neutral with a pop of color.
Floral Styles
There's been a shift away from foliage in favor of arrangements with loaded florals. This year, it’s all about personalization, color blocking, bold colors, dried stems, focal stems and a focus on quality over quantity. Mel says we’re seeing richer, bolder colors like deep reds, dark mauve, velvety purples, and fiery oranges instead of muted tones. Bud vases are wildly popular and give the ability to add color, texture and design along with personalizing the table with other elements like ribbons, mosses, fruits, vegetables and other natural elements. Branches and metallics always play a big role in the holiday floral industry. A traditional low flowing centerpiece, whether big or small, will always be timeless and classic in holiday tablescaping.
Types of Flowers for Fall/Winter
Mel prefers utilizing grasses, chocolate sunflowers, orange marigolds, and mum disbuds in fall. Dahlias are also hot coming in a variety of fluffy looking options and a tighter disbud. Winter stems that will make a comeback are blooming branches, feathery greens and the ever-popular magnolia, in addition to baby’s breath and carnations. However, baby’s breath is being used non-traditionally, hung in installments, turned into garland, and dyed different colors giving it a classic and timeless look.
Mel says an unexpected flower we’re sure to see more of are hellobores. Dubbed a “winter rose,” they’re buttercup in shape and come in dreamy colors of vivid lime green, dusky pinks, and slate blacks. Keep in mind, they only have a vase life of 3-7 days.
Holiday Floral Trends
Candles make a big impact on setting a warm and inviting atmosphere. Incorporate varying heights, votives, tapers and mixing different metals.
The latest sensation is exercising an artistic flair and flower manipulating. Reflexing roses, plucking petals off sunflowers, or pinching the middle out of carnations make stems take on a whole new look.
Vessels are the latest craze for florals, and note that ceramic vases (instead of clear glass) immediately elevates an arrangement.
Mel also values a stunning entryway centerpiece flaunting branches and focal flowers. Whether for your home or event, such displays will set the mood for the holidays and welcome guests with style and purpose.
Balancing Aesthetics and Longevity
Mel shares the key to balancing aesthetics and longevity is mixing highs and lows. Get creative using hearty stems mixed with fancier ones providing a solid balance. Getting the most out of your flowers is extremely important to the local floral pro… that's why Mel invests time and expertise into curating crafty flower recipe and offerings.
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