Bowl Bouquet

This bowl-shaped frame bouquet is made of black 1.4 mm poken using the chicken wire technique. Subsequently, long garlands are made from the offshoots of fruit trees and copper-colored bullion wire. Ensure that these short pieces of branch are well-dried, so that they no longer shrink, before you wrap them. Guzmania flowers, Gloriosa, Talinum 'Long John', Scabiosa, spray roses, and chrysanthemums are incorporated!

'Always keep your eyes open'

Floral designer Hanneke Frankema likes to make her own bases and, if possible, use them several times. ‘Christmas comes back every year, certain materials give – by using them just a little differently – a nice twist to the
Christmas arrangements. For this Christmas special of DPK, I have created many commercial ideas.’

'My motto is: Always keep your eyes open. That's how I found some metal trays with a mirror in a shop. By removing the mirror, decorative gold-colored rings remained. With a frame of pokes underneath, it created an ideal base for bouquets. But this base can also be beautifully placed on a dish with loose flowers incorporated in between.'

‘Every year you come across bags full of pine cones. They are often used as cheap fillers in Christmas pieces, but I have now incorporated them into a wreath shape. That gives a robust appearance that combines beautifully with other natural materials. It is useful to think about surfaces that you can make well in advance and to which only a few fresh materials need to be added before they enter the store.’

'Also, beautiful details, which are relatively cheap and quick to create, can make the difference. Think of incorporating matching Christmas baubles or handmade stars of aluminum wire. I also really like simple solutions such as Kalanchoe leaves that complete the whole thing. And yes, so always keep your eyes open.'

Luxury in harmony with nature

In the theme of 'Luxury in harmony with nature', connectedness with nature plays a leading role. The arrangers have often opted for traditional techniques and natural materials. The look is one of grandeur and exclusivity; festive yet understated, serene yet cozy and warm.

Lilac

A frame made of flat lilac aluminum wire, with a large and a small metal ring wrapped with lilac bullion wire. The stem is made of 5mm thick aluminum wire, again wrapped with lilac bullion wire. A kind of opening of a wreath has been created between the flat aluminum wire. The decorative Talinum 'Long John' is incorporated here by placing the side branches on long strands of wire. These are processed together in the shape to form a fairly compact whole and thus form the base on which all processed flowers are glued. The flowers used are: Clematis, orchids, Madiba chrysanthemums, Polianthes tuberosa and beautiful green-brown Gloriosa.

Sea Lavender

Working with steel grass is labor-intensive, but the result is always truly special, and it dries very nicely – so after the wedding, the dried object can be preserved for a long time. The steel grass is processed using a braiding and weaving technique around a wire base. A beautiful winding is made at the ends with copper-colored bullion wire. Two beautiful Gloriosa flowers make
‘t complete.

Bowl Bouquet

An impressive autumn bouquet with a brown frame, handmade vase, and flowers in mostly orange hues. The base is made using the chicken wire technique with 1.6mm florist wire. Young shoots of fruit trees, pruning waste from the garden and therefore free, are woven through this. Together with the wire, these form a kind of basket. Woody mossy branches that blew out of the trees in the garden after a heavy storm are also incorporated into the basket. This old dead wood is not only decorative but also technical: they lend themselves well to incorporating the Physalis seed pods between them. The seed pods are individually wired and joined together to form branches. Beautiful striking flowers are placed between all the branches: Celosia, Gloriosa, Zantedeschia, Guzmania, germinis, chrysanthemums, and beautiful accompanying materials such as Talinum, Hypericum, and Sanguisorba.