Decorating With Artifical Flowers

By Karen S Mueller
InexpensiveDecoratingIdeas.com

My kitchen is U-shaped with a pass-through counter to a "nook". We use the nook as a dining room, but it is also used for hangin' around, like a den. Every birthday party and family gathering, morning coffee and late night TV watching is done in our "nook".

The nook's large double doors lead outside to our deck and BBQ and is the area our little doggie uses all year long. It gets lots of light and we keep live plants in the bright windows - more during winter when we bring in the deck plants.

There is a short hallway on the other end of the nook leading to our laundry room, garage and basement, so there is regular foot traffic.

We usually push our dining table more to one side and we don't have room to use stools by the counter-bar. We need to keep obstacles and throw rugs off the floor in the main path to the back door so as not to trip up my elderly father as he hobbles outside with his little dog.

Of course in the kitchen I am typically at the counter-bar preparing meals, talking with family at the table (hubby's laptop is usually there), and watching TV.

In this photo is the the view I faced constantly. It annoyed me that it had no color! Finally I realized that staring at the dull wall unit was depressing me. I needed help fast!

So I Did Some "Decorating with Flowers"!

The ceiling is another story. It runs into the kitchen and would be even more work to paint, but it should be done first. Probably white - again. It hasn't looked white in many years. That ceiling and wall behind the shelving unit has the only original paint left in my house.

As you can see, I needed to add some color quickly and cheaply. I needed to fix the view from the kitchen counter. I had one measly fake bouquet on the top shelf of the wall unit. Our cats were now too old - and fat, to jump up there anymore. In my head the lightbulb went on - I needed to add color with MORE FLOWERS!

The next day I purchased masses of bright fake flowers and brought them home to work with.

I decided not to worry about mixing colors. I wanted to use every color and pretty fake flower I could find.

I think the results were quite stunning. Everyone who has visited since has commented on them and agreed they make the room happier and certainly MUCH more colorful.

Total cost - under $50. Yep!

I bought pretty fake flowers in every color on sale. I went to the Dollar Store and Wal-Mart and I don't remember where else. I had baskets and pitchers and vases already. I didn't buy one new container.

I realize that every so often I'll want to buy more flowers and replace or add to what is there. Sure, I will need to dust them or wash them now and then. But it will be inexpensive to rearrange, change colors and add even more. In fact, I have already added more since this photo.

I really love this look - decorating with "fake" flowers. I know it isn't "Feng Shui" at all, and you won't want them in every room. But there may be just the perfect dull spot in your home - or office, where a wall of flowers would be just the thing!

Try this inexpensive decorating idea yourself. It sure does brighten up the room when you "decorate with fake flowers"!

See more inexpensive decorating ideas at Decorating Ideas and Tips.

About the author

Author Karen S Mueller publishes information about elder care, decorating, gardening, avoiding scams, html programming and personal finance. A retired babyboomer, she was a programmer before PC's and really loves the Internet.