Contemporary Component Design

Component design involves a group of floral designs each of which can stand alone or may be used together to create a larger design. Component design is an excellent merchandising technique for a retail florist. You will love the techniques demonstrated as Leanne creates a beautiful three piece ultra-contemporary design in fire colors. Enjoy!

Video Transcription 


Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute, and today I want to share with you a fun design. As the days are getting warmer, it makes me think of the fire colors, and in season right now the pincushion protea are fabulous. Almost little balls of fire, sunshine for the soul. 


In addition to the pincushion protea, some parakeet heliconia, craspedia, hypericum, a little 'green trick' dianthus. Now for fun, doing it in a very small cube. I filled it with foam, soaked it with flower food, ready to go, but doing a very dramatic linear design, big flowers in a little container. 


The parakeet, that's going to be my line, coming up through the center, cutting it down a bit and then placing it in straight, thinking about the container. Maybe a little bit to the back but almost centered, then sliding it down. Then to cover my mechanics quickly and easily, the green trick will look like a little bed of moss, cutting it very short and then nestling it down right into the foam, letting it fluff out. And a second, and one more, making a beautiful base that gives you a little texture and fun supporting the bloom. 


To add interest, we want to add some lines to this so it's not just straight and vertical, a little more fun. For that, snake grass, equisetum, be grand fun. Cutting it down, and then placing it in, maybe bringing it in at an angle. You could actually feed it through the green trick so finding a little spot and then angling it, finding the perfect hole, then bending it. Yes, adding this dramatic line, just bends across. Now to get it to stay in place, think about how long you want it. I'm going to cut it right about here, give it a cut, then go back with an 18-gauge wire feeding it straight through. It's hollow. You have to puncture the membranes between each portion. Getting it on down, making it disappear inside and determining where that bend was, and placing it over. You can adjust, make it up or down. 


Then repeating that, with one coming in a little more to the front, finding a little hole, angling it in, thinking about the bend, giving it a cut, feeding the wire in. If the wire is too long, you can always cut it short. I wait until it's in place and then, hmmm, a little bit too long, going back and cutting that, and then giving it a bend to add interest to the design. 


As I placed the green trick there is one spot in the back that isn't fully covered, and I saved that for the pincushion. So giving that a cut down low. This will carry the color, the orange from the top all the way to the bottom, enhancing the line of the design. Then placing that in, helping to break the line of the container, and it pulls your eye all the way back in the design. Going to add a little more color, that's where the craspedia comes in, giving it a cut, and then just adding it right through the green trick, getting some dimension to the design, pulling it to the back. Then for a touch of whimsy, a little bit of fun, just taking the berry from the hypericum, a couple of them, and then a small piece of the 18-gauge wire, feeding it into the base, so just adding a stick to it and bringing that and feeding it into the snake grass, and repeating that, creating interest throughout the design. 


Once you create one, then you need to create another, and another, and another, because they're going to be a favorite. Display them together or one at a time. It's fun by itself, but as a duo, even more fun, connecting them visually. Put them really close, further apart, make that decision. Bringing in a third, letting it feed right through, again judging your distance, deciding how you want it, maybe a little more in this direction, lining them up. And the trio is quite the delight. 


One of my favorite techniques in the retail flower shop is to display things in groupings. That way, when someone's on a budget, they could come in and buy one. If they've got a little more money, they can buy two. If they really want something special, they can buy three, and they all work together or individually. Plus once they get them home, if they don't fit in spots, they can divide them and place them throughout the house. Gives it an interactive time. 


For more creative inspiration, check out the website Flower School .com. The website contains hundreds of floral design how-to videos, floral design classes, online floral classes and DIY Flowers. 


If you have questions, you could reach us there or by telephone at 503-223-8089. And of course, we'd love to see what you create. You can see me a photo at my email or better yet, post it on social media. Tag #FloralDesignInstitute and let us all see, because now it's your turn. Have fun and do something you love.

  • Fresh Flower Food Individual Pack 10 ounce tub
    Fresh Flower Food Individual Pack 10 ounce tub
  • Quick Dip Individual Pack One Pint
    Quick Dip Individual Pack One Pint
  • Crowning Glory Individual Pack 32 ounce spray bottle
    Crowning Glory Individual Pack 32 ounce spray bottle
  • Standard Floral Foam Pack of Four Bricks
    Standard Floral Foam Pack of Four Bricks
  • Green Florist Wire Pack of 25 18 Gauge (12 Inch)
    Green Florist Wire Pack of 25 18 Gauge (12 Inch)