There are some celebrity homes that make me want to redecorate. Kate Hudson’s latest Instagram post, however, had me reaching for my pruners instead.
At first glance, I was distracted by her beautiful blue marble kitchen (understandably; it is magnificent). In the end, though, it wasn’t the interiors that stuck with me, but the flowers she had displayed in it – because they definitely didn’t look like the sort of blooms most of us instinctively reach for when we’re cutting flowers for the house.
Like a lot of gardeners, I’ve always assumed that if I’m filling a vase, I should head straight for the roses, dahlias, hydrangeas, or whatever perennial happens to be putting on the biggest show that week. Kate’s arrangements , though? They reminded me that some of the most beautiful cut flower displays come from the plants we’d never normally think to cut.
How Kate Hudson Turned Garden Cuttings Into A Chic Display
First things first, you need to see the magic of Kate Hudson’s kitchen (a place she refers to as her ‘favorite place’) for yourself.
Be sure to pay particular attention to the third slide in the carousel:
Instead of tightly packed bouquets, the How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days star’s kitchen is dotted with simple glass vases filled with what appear to be purple clematis and elegant orchid sprays.
The result feels relaxed, organic, and somehow far more sophisticated than a traditional bunch of flowers… and it’s especially great because it’s incredibly easy to recreate with cuttings from your own garden.
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The thing I love most about Kate Hudson’s displays is that they don’t rely on obvious cut flowers. Instead, they’ve been built around plants that create movement, using long arching stems that naturally spill from the vase and make it feel as though it’s still growing, almost.
It’s a trick florists use all the time, but one that’s surprisingly easy to replicate at homes, so try looking beyond your biggest blooms. It doesn’t have to be an orchid (although if it is, make it your birth month orchid for extra panache!); a single sunflower or dahlia will do the trick. In fact, any flowering vines, airy perennials, ornamental grasses, interesting foliage, seedheads, and even small leafy branches can all bring texture and shape to an arrangement.
Once you’ve picked those out, take care not to cram dozens of flowers into one container; make like Kate and let each cutting take centerstage. The negative space is just as important as the flowers themselves, creating an arrangement that feels light, modern, and effortless.
Perhaps the biggest lesson to take from Kate Hudson’s arrangements is to stop thinking in terms of “flowers” and start thinking in terms of “stems”, because some of the most interesting things growing in our gardens aren’t necessarily the biggest or brightest blooms.
I’ve started looking around my own borders differently because of it. And, instead of asking myself which flowers are looking their best, I’m asking which plants have the most interesting shape, movement, or texture, because more often than not, they’re the ones I would have walked straight past before.
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That’s the beauty of a garden-gathered arrangement; it doesn’t have to be perfect, symmetrical, or packed with expensive blooms.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few unusual cuttings, a simple vase, and the confidence to go full Kate Hudson and let the flower speak for itself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be outside with my pruners having a snip at my passionflower vine…
