Eenvoud die raakt

Rust, eenvoud en betekenis bepalen het nieuwe afscheidsbloemwerk. Met minder bloemen- en groensoorten ontstaat ruimte: heldere vormen, tactiele t exturen en details die troosten zonder te over laden.

6x Floral Trends

Each year, Marginpar collaborates with a leading floral designer to present its vision on floral design trends. For 2025, European Champion Hanneke Frankema brings her own bold perspective to the table.

‘Sustainability gives floral art a creative boost’

In an era when sustainability is becoming increasingly important, floral designer Max van de Sluis looks back to the past to find inspiration for the future. Reflecting on insights from his recently published book, Sustainable Floral Design, he ­candidly shares his personal experiences, practical insights, and explains why ­sustainability primarily offers a creative opportunity for the art of floral design.

GROWTH! An adventurous floral journey

‘This will be something completely different. I never wanted to do a demonstration where I simply walk on stage, place flowers, and talk about how I made it. I would love it if the people left the show thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before in the flower world.’ With these enthusiastic words, European Champion of Floral Art, Hanneke Frankema, introduced her upcoming floral show, ‘GROWTH!’, set to take place during the World Cup Floral Art final in August at the World Forum in The Hague.

‘Each bloom must support the composition’

‘This series is really a tribute to the Dutch Masters of the Golden Age – those iconic still life paintings that symbolised wealth, elegance and abundance’, says floral designer Hanneke Frankema. ‘We wanted to honour their legacy, but as today’s Dutch Masters, in our own way.’

Creating such opulent, painterly arrangements is no easy task. ‘You need time – a lot of time – and hundreds of flowers, all carefully placed to achieve that perfect balance. Each bloom must support the composition without overwhelming the others.’

Hanneke also emphasises the importance of structure, proportion, and refinement. ‘You can’t just keep adjusting endlessly – it must be right almost immediately. But that’s the beauty of it. There’s real elegance in the layering, in the depth and the subtle lines. It’s classical, yes, but with our own modern touch.’

Hanneke created three floral arrangements inspired by the Dutch Masters, each featuring real butterflies delicately integrated into the design – a detail she finds especially enchanting. ‘I used butterflies in all three pieces because they add something magical and refined.’

The process, however, was incredibly demanding. ‘You wouldn’t believe how many flowers we needed to source just to create a few of these arrangements. From a whole bucket, maybe one bloom is at the right stage and facing the right way.’ Each piece explores a different colour palette and mood, yet all were built using the new Oasis Renewal Floral Foam. ‘With strong stems like Delphinium or sun flowers, placement must be precise from the start. You can’t keep redoing it, or you’ll ruin the base. It must be right the first time.’

Balanced

This large, sustainable arrangement spans nearly a metre in width and is built on a striking base made from the roots of the Davallia fern. These roots dry beautifully, allowing the bowl-shaped structure to be reused time and again. The frame beneath – made from thick aluminium wire – is completely hidden, serving purely as a strong technical support. Long strands of fern root have been woven and layered into an intricate, textured network, adding depth and natural movement. Around 200 water tubes are discreetly embedded throughout the design, making it easy to refresh and reuse each one. Though robust in construction, the overall effect is organic and artistic – a perfect balance of structure and softness.