In short: to decorate with dried flowers, pick a vessel that suits the room, mix heights and textures, and group your stems with plants, books or ceramics. Keep them out of direct sun and steam, and they’ll look good for a year or more.
Dried flowers and grasses are one of the easiest ways to bring nature inside. They need no water, last for ages and suit almost any style, from minimal to boho. Here’s how to use them in every room.
“Decorating is like music. Harmony is what we consistently strive for. At home, we want a peaceful atmosphere, where the objects are the notes and nothing is off-key.”
- Charlotte Moss, Interior Designer
Photo by Fig & Rosewood on Unsplash
Why Decorate With Dried Flowers?
Home is where we kick off our shoes and relax, and what makes a place feel like home is different for everyone. Often it’s the little things and the thoughtful extra touches that make the difference, and bringing nature in is one of the simplest.
Dried flowers make that easy. A good arrangement looks stunning, needs no water or fuss, and can keep its good vibes going for a year or more. They also fit two big interior trends: bringing the outdoors in, and choosing natural, sustainable materials. Whatever style you like, from monochrome and minimal to warm and earthy, there’s a dried look to match.
Long-lasting: a professionally dried bouquet can last up to two years with a little care.
Low-maintenance: no water, no wilting and no vase to clean.
Allergy-friendly: most have little scent and shed less pollen than fresh flowers.
Easy to change: move stems between rooms, vessels and seasons as often as you like.
“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, medicine and food for the soul.”
- Luther Burbank, American Botanist
Dried Flowers Room by Room
There’s no right or wrong, but some spots suit dried flowers better than others. Here are our favourite ideas, room by room.
Living room
Most of us have a sideboard or side table that turns into a dumping ground for keys and mail. Make it a feature instead. Play with height and scale: a tall dried arrangement, a couple of vases or glasses, and a candle, in an odd number of objects. Try an asymmetrical look, with different shapes and heights, rather than a perfectly matched pair. Shelves work too: they’re not just for books, so use them to display favourite objects and keepsakes. Soften them with dainty dried stems in calm tones, or draw the eye with bold, sculptural dried proteas or banksias.
Bedroom
Dried flowers on a dresser or bedside table won’t bring the strong scent or pollen of some fresh blooms. Dried lavender is a favourite here, for its looks and its calming scent. Keep the palette soft, with creams, blush and muted greens, and choose a low arrangement that won’t get knocked when you reach for the light.
Bathroom
Yes, you can put dried flowers in a bathroom, but steam is not their friend. Choose sturdy stems such as dried grasses, eucalyptus, palm leaves, bunny tails or billy buttons, rather than delicate petals or dried cotton. Keep them away from the shower, on a shelf or windowsill in a well-ventilated room, and expect them to need replacing sooner than elsewhere.
Kitchen and dining table
A low dried arrangement makes an easy, no-fuss centrepiece that won’t drop water or petals on the table. For something different, weave sprigs of foliage or dried leather fern around a pendant light, like this dried flower chandelier. Just keep them well away from hot globes, the stove and candles, as dried flowers are a fire risk.
Entry and hallway
A dried arrangement makes a warm welcome, but keep it off the floor and away from the front door, where draughts and passing bags can knock it about. A wall-hung wreath or a slim vase on a console table works well, and a mirror behind it doubles the effect and bounces light around a dark hallway.
Home office
Mingle dried grasses with a couple of houseplants to create a calm corner or a soft privacy screen. Think dried palm spears, billy buttons, bunny tails and lotus pods alongside a small orchid or a larger fiddle-leaf fig. Using a mix of pots, plants and dried stems makes it easy to change the look, add privacy where you need it, and keep your workspace feeling fresh without much cost.
Photo by Jasmin Ne on Unsplash
Styling Tips
Vases and vessels
Because dried flowers never need water, you can use almost anything: woven baskets, a vintage jug, tins, hessian, or a bunch simply tied with ribbon. Concrete, brass and copper vessels with strong shapes suit a modern room. Pair dried sprigs with a stack of books, art prints or a mirror to create a focal point.
Colour palettes
Interior trends come and go, from bold purples to minimal neutrals, but the natural hues of dried and preserved flowers stay popular. Neutral tones such as cotton, ming fern and emu feather fern add warmth to a pared-back room, while dyed or naturally bright stems give a pop of colour.
Mixing with fresh flowers and plants
Combining fresh flowers or plants with dried blooms gives you the best of both worlds: the colour of fresh flowers and the staying power of dried ones. It’s also popular for weddings and events, because dried pieces can be made well in advance. For inspiration, see these arrangements without a vase; you can recreate many of them with dried blooms.
Photo by Jasmin Ne on Unsplash
Buy or DIY?
A ready-made bouquet is the fuss-free way to add instant style. Our dried and preserved flowers are made with Australian native grasses and flowers for a natural look, such as the Earthy Elegance Dried Bouquet or the softer Pastel Dream Dried Posy. With a little care, a professionally dried bouquet can last up to two years.
Prefer to make your own? It’s easy to dry flowers from the garden. Our guide to dried flowers covers the basics, and you can learn how to dry hydrangeas step by step. Not sure which to choose? Here’s the difference between dried and preserved flowers.
Easy DIY Dried Flower Ideas
Single-stem vases: line up three or five bud vases, each with one stem.
Wall wreath or hoop: wire dried stems onto a metal hoop for a modern wreath.
Dried flower cloche: place a small posy under a glass dome for a vintage look.
Gift toppers: tie a sprig of dried flowers onto a wrapped present.
Cake decorations: dried flowers look stunning on a celebration cake, but use food-safe varieties and keep them off the parts people eat.
Photo by Angela Bailey on Unsplash
Dried Flower Dos and Don’ts
Do keep them out of draughts, especially arrangements with fragile petals and fronds.
Do put them up high, away from little hands and curious pets. Floor displays get knocked the most.
Do dust them now and then with a hairdryer on the cool setting or a soft brush.
Don’t put them in direct sunlight, which fades them.
Don’t put them in very humid spots or near heaters, candles or hot lights.
For more tips, read how to care for your new dried flowers.