Pro Photo Styling: How to Arrange Flowers for Stunning Interior Shots

Flowers add instant life and color to potentially flat interior design shots. But styling flowers goes beyond grabbing a florist bouquet — the difference between a store-bought bunch plunked in a vase and a styled arrangement is obvious in photos.

In a recent photography workshop, pro photographer David Livingston explained how floral arrangements bring a project to life and add a feeling of occupation. If you're using photography to showcase your home or design project, it's worth investing time and money into carefully considered flowers.

Read on for Livingston's professional photo styling tips.

Shopping Tips

1. Go Beyond Your Usual Spots

Hunt down beautiful florals at unexpected places. For this workshop, Livingston explored the San Francisco Flower Mart, mixing tulips with subtle greenery for his living room bouquet.

2. Color Is Key

Repetition of form throughout a project and in a single room matters. Flowers create livability and add contrast to monochromatic and colorful spaces.

3. Choose Unusual Materials

Roses and peonies are beautiful but overused. Budding branches, cabbage leaves, and grasses punctuate rooms with color but are less common. Fiddlehead ferns (pictured) — furled fronds of young ferns often harvested for vegetable dishes — make artful arrangements.

4. Keep Arrangements Simple

Use two plant materials max — one as colorful burst, one as filler. Pull off most leaves before setting up. High-end florists do this, and it makes a huge difference.

5. Consider the Whole Room

When picking flowers for specific rooms, keep furniture, colors, and outdoor views in mind. Mix flower types in a single room but keep the look cohesive throughout the home.

6. Consider the Feel You're Going For

Each project should have bouquets fitting its environment.

7. Buy Early

Most wholesale companies sell flowers while still tight. Buy a few days before your shoot — most flowers take 2–3 days to open.

Styling Tips

The round pavé style is popular and easy. This full arrangement is relatively simple, feels timeless but fresh, and suits the two-plant-material guideline.

1. Make Your Arrangement

Gather flowers (clean stems) and cut all at same length to start. Arrange loosely or formally. Start from outside of vase moving in, cutting stems so blooms fall close to vase neck.

2. Keep Water Fresh

Clean water is essential for clear vases — change before shoot. If shoot goes over a day, don't worry — most fresh flowers last 3–10 days and can be restyled.

3. Place for Impact

A splash of orange provides contrast and depth to a cool gray/blue bedroom. Simple pavé style keeps it from feeling obtrusive. Works well on dining tables to break sight lines.

4. Use Natural Light

Whether with a photographer or shooting yourself, photograph each room when sun is in it. Natural light is usually most flattering for any color or style.

More information on Livingston's photography workshops

More:
Ingredients of a Beautifully Wild Bouquet
It's Cold. We're Cranky. Buy Some Flowers
Spring Style: Fresh Cut Flowers for Every Room