Whenever we picture any sort of floral design for October, there’s a pretty standard item that comes to mind: pumpkins. The pumpkin gets used a lot. (Editor’s note: yup, guilty and guiltier.) Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkins – give me a nice pale orange and green, warty pumpkin or a perfect round orange pie pumpkin and I’m happy. And I love eating them. But I digress. Pumpkins can be really fun to use in arrangements, but we decided to go a more luxe route with this Halloween centerpiece DIY. The vibe is more textural and slightly creepy (think spidery seed pods and beakers-as-vases) — the perfect way to create an autumn botanical vignette for a more mature spin on Halloween!
A Luxe Halloween Centerpiece
Flowers & Greenery
- black/dark burgundy dahlias
- yarrow
- peony foliage
- scabiosa
- persimmon stem
- sunflower buds
- solidago
- dried poppy pods
- quinoa
- foraged and dried branches and wildflowers
Materials
- beakers of various sizes and shapes (we used this 5 piece set, this boiling flask, and these measuring cylinders)
- floral shears
I was driving home from Long Beach, Washington on Wednesday when I noticed these dry twiggy seed pods all along the road. We had to pull over so I could cut a few. I don’t even know what they are called, but it’s so fun to find something that is so unique and perfect for whatever project you may be working on the side of the road – always keep an eye out for treasures like these. I also foraged the mossy branches that we laid on the table and the dried fern frond.
The rest of the ingredients I purchased at the flower market. I used peony foliage that is turning a gorgeous copper color, a mustard yellow yarrow, “black” dahlias (really just a very dark burgundy) as well as some scabiosa in the same color, a stem of persimmons, sunflower buds, solidago, dried poppy pods and… quinoa!
See the small, orange clusters below? That’s the quinoa.
Joanna found a great collection of beakers in all shapes and sizes. I filled them with water as I went, leaving empty the beakers that we placed dried stems in. I staggered the beakers along the center of the table and then the fun began. This arrangement was a lot different that any we’ve done so far because the focus was completely on shape and drama. Each beaker only held 1-4 stems so each stem placed was very intentional. I started with the peony foliage, persimmons, forming a solid point of interest on either end. Next I added in the yarrow, making sure to cut the stems at different lengths to create dimension with the yellow clusters being placed at different heights. Next I began adding in all the other ingredients, utilizing the varied length of stems and textures to create as much visual interest as possible. When I finished, I wove the mossy sticks and dried fern through the beakers to finish it off.
This moody, luxe centerpiece is the perfect inspiration for Joanna’s small space entertaining post tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned!
photography by Meghan Klein.
DIY by The Stemmery for Jojotastic. Get more DIYs here!
