Whether you're hosting a formal Thanksgiving dinner for 30 or a casual Friendsgiving get-together, one thing is for certain: no tablescape is complete without flowers. Just ask entertainer extraordinaire Eddie Ross, who worked with his friend Rebecca Mulholland of RAM Floral to design a show-stopping floral centerpiece for his Thanksgiving table. We asked Mulholland to show us the tools and steps needed to create our own gorgeous arrangement at home.
You'll need:
- A wide, shallow vessel (this one is from Ross's extensive vintage collection)
- Fresh water
- Sharp floral shears
- Floral tape
- Plastic wrap
- Chicken wire (about twice the width of your vessel; available at hardware stores)
- Several large "anchor" flowers (Mulholland used dahlias)
- Smaller accent flowers
- A mix of greenery and dried elements
Step 1:
Line the vessel with a folded plastic wrap. This will protect it from getting scratched by the chicken wire.
Step 2:
Form the wire into a ball approximately the size of your vessel and place inside.
Step 3:
Use floral tape to secure the wire. Now you have a structure to hold your flowers in place.
Step 4:
Fill the vessel with fresh water.
Step 5:
Begin building a base using your greenery.
Step 6:
Place two of the large anchor flowers in the center and one on either end to create the outline of your arrangement's shape. Cut each flower right before adding to keep it fresh.
Step 7:
Fill in smaller flowers, making sure to distribute color evenly.
Step 8:
Add dried elements for texture and contrast.
Extra credit:
If you have leftover blooms, place them in bud vases to sprinkle around the table. Pretty!
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Emma Bazilian is a writer and editor covering interior design, market trends and culture. She has very strong feelings about tissue box covers and believes that everything is better with toile.
