Ikebana at home

Firstly for anyone wondering what on earth an Ikebana is, here is a simple break down. T

he word itself is pronounced: i·kei·baa·nuh)

Ikebana is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging, renowned for being minimal and capturing seasonal beauty. The word itself expresses the essence of "bringing flowers to life" through aesthetics and cultural significance.

With life now being fast paced, the art of Ikebana at home can allow you to self reflect, connect with the natural world and de-stress. `The finished result of this time well spend, also provides a decoration that is a simple and very beautiful reflection of your moment of mindfulness. 

Arranging flowers can also be a delightfully inclusive activity for the whole family.

You can chose to explore nature with your little ones and gather up carefully selected foliage. Once home you can then enjoy crafting a unique arrangement together and then display it somewhere you can all see it.

Alternatively, you can visit a local florist to select a few distinctive blooms to take home to play with. You can really romanticise your life and maybe pick up a cinnamon bun and a coconut milk latte on route home with your self gifted flowers. I mean what’s not to love!

Ikebana requires just a few materials and can take just a few focused minutes or many inspired hours. Depending on how long you want to engage with it, the joy level is endless and can be shared or privately indulged.

To get started you first need to gather some essentials:

-Scissors or garden sheers

-an Ikebana Flower frog (click here to shop my available opinions)

-some floral/foliage varieties (fresh or dried)

- a shallow bowl or plate (optional but can be used to add needed water and create beautiful silhouettes and fullness)

Choosing Flora:

I used a local florist to select the stems I needed to create the photography for all the photos you see here, and in my spring/summer product pictures over at the shop. I really love all things flora and have a few lush recommendations for those of you wanting to experiment with Ikebana flower arrangements at home.

My Spring/ Summer top picks:

Icelandic Poppy- Also known as Papaver nudicaule. These guys are basically giant poppies that come in stunning icecream coloured shades of pink, orange, white and much more. So stunning they just don’t look real to me but they are!

Cosmos- One of my all time favourite flowers ever! A light and delicate flower with a thin stem. They come in so many colours too, from white and pastel tones and deeper mahogany browns. I think their really is a cosmos for all tastes.

Anemone- A soft chunky stemmed flower that have an open, usually cup-shaped bloom, sometimes in double or daisy-like with many petals little petals.

Ranunculus- Also known as the common buttercup however this flower has many forms, from thick stemmed full heads to more delicate-looking types. The colour tones to chose from is also as broad as the shapes you may find. A flower that has it all!

Dahlia- A large head and thick stemmed beauty. The Dahlia provides another wide choice of flower shapes and colours to pick from and are available through summer into autumn.

My main tip is to work with the seasons and if you really get into it then why not consider growing some flowers at home, especially for your arrangements. It will make them so extra special once cut and arranged and I just know you will be overcome with a pride and fully enjoy the beauty. After all Ikebana is essentially about mindfulness and taking the time to appreciate the flowers, so growing your own just adds to that sentiment.

Shape and Form:

Try to pick just 3 to 5 different stems that each have their own "flow".

Really look at the flora. Some have a straight form whilst others have a more gestural form. I like twisted stems.

Size and shape are important too, think about scale. Keep these things in mind, and compare your options.

Work naturally by carefully looking at each stem you have chosen and take some time to appreciate it. By engaging in this mediative part of the process, the arrangement almost develops on its own.

The Mindful process of crafting your arrangement.

Simple is always best when creating stand alone pieces with just a few stems but in my opinion if your creating a flower bowl using ikebana then more is more!

Whatever your style, pick one stem at a time and place them into your chosen Ikebana frog: add your water first and start crafting. Take time to embrace the beauty by mixing unbalanced shapes and lines. These choices add a touch of uniqueness and draw the eye to a piece. Don’t forget about colour choices as this really reflects you and the mood of your arrangement.

TIP: Small changes can make a big visual difference. Adjusting the arrangement slightly by shortening a single stem using scissors or just tweaking the angle of a flower can completely alter the finished look.

It’s good to sometimes take a step back or move completely away from your design for a few minutes. You could just close your eyes and take in a few deep calming breaths.

When you feel the piece is complete, display it somewhere is can be appreciated and don’t forget to to keep it hydrated and ensure you have added enough water to the frog (or the surrounding bowl if you used one).

If you do create an Ikebana arrangement after reading this post then please do share it with me over on my instagram as I will be delighted. Tag; @twinnpottery

Now before I finish up I want to just highlight that the traditional Japanese approach represents a more spiritual perspective to arranging flowers. You can buy books on the subject and hyper focus on the details if that tickles your fancy.

Here is an example: Moribana (meaning piling up flowers) 

Moribana Style (using three stems)

Representing HEAVEN: Place longest stem at 11 o'clock, this stem should be at least 1.5x the length of the width or height (which ever is longer)

Representing EARTH: Place second longest stem at 8 o'clock, this stem should be 3/4 length of the longest stem

Representing HUMAN: Place third longest stem at 4 o'clock, this stem should be 3/4 length of the second longest stem

As you can see there are rules that can be applied and lots of dreamy meaning that can also be considered and if that is something that interests you then I recommend this book:

Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers by Shozo Sato

A classic Ikebana text which has now been completely updated for modern readers. Written by Shozo Sato, a well-respected and renowned Ikebana expert, it presents a fascinating overview of the history of Ikebana to present day, and introduces classic Ikebana styles such as Rikka, Seika and Moribana to Freestyle.

Well I will finish it there and say thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy having ago yourself!

Faye x