How Branches Make a Magazine-Worthy Room

I’m happy to share with you a little trade secret: What really creates that magazine upmarket-room look is a lofty modern arrangement of stylish branches. Adding an oversized or dramatic container of branches is a staging and design trick. Which really works!

Now that you know, you’ll start seeing this technique over and over again. Thumbing through countless interior magazines you’ll notice these types of twiggy arrangements popping up in basically every room that you LOVE for some reason or other. It’s hard to “un-see” once you’re in on this little trick.

Bringing a bit of nature into your living area creates a striking contrast that provides a whimsical focal area without needing to match anything in your interior. Floral experts use branches to add wistfulness and majestic texture, and you can apply the same principles to any space simply by adding a bouquet of branches. Watch how your drab or dreary house instantly becomes a glossy magazine-worthy interior with just a few expertly placed branches. The bolder the better!

There are 3 types of branch arrangements that you can put together to make your home stand out like a magazine. I love this style because it requires little effort and no maintenance! The best part is, you can wild harvest, totally bypassing the pricey rate of display branches. It’s the most stylish and affordable visual upgrade you can get.

Spring is on the way and your home should be ready for a bold statement that embellishes a natural elegance. It’s time to break out your floral sheers and slide on those rubber boots! Let’s go adventuring for the PERFECT branches.

Pussy Willows

The average cost of a hefty bundle of budding pussy willows is surprisingly expensive ($89) Considering they grow wild here along the Oregon Coast it’s worth it to wild harvest. Pussy willows are a wet climate tree, you’ll find them blooming along the highway ditches and near marshes. Using floral sheers, the long twig-like stems cut easily and look very upmarket in a plain or clear vase. Adding this detail to a living room, mantel shelf, or dining table instantly transforms your interior into a glossy magazine cover. Don’t add water to the vase and these beauties will dry out, preserving all on their own for future use. Catch them BEFORE they bloom-out their yellowish-green pollen otherwise they’re more mess than they’re worth!

Alder

Often referred to as a “weed” along our coast the Alder tree has distinct birch-like bark and nice asymmetrical branch patterns. The pacific northwest alder can grow up to 55 ft getting thick luscious teardrop leaves, however, youthful trees have slender flexible limbs that break and cut smoothly. Between January and March (before the leaves start to bud) you’ll notice delicate catkins and petite clusters of pine cones which make a fantastic embellishment to a brush arrangement. The branches do become brittle when un-watered and are prone to snapping, I suggest filling your vase only halfway for effect. Good news, you won’t have to look very hard to find a few gorgeous branches.

Manzanita

Perhaps a more obvious one, Manzanita is used regularly in wedding centerpieces for its dramatic min-tree branches of intricate limbs. You can find Manzanita literally everywhere as you head South towards California. You’ll know for sure by their natural red color, lovely dense branches of twisted or curled patterns. It’s wise to wild harvest even though Manzanita can be found reasonably priced from many vendors online. Speaking from experience, it’s the shipping that kills for online purchasing ($55 for branch $273 for shipping.) For these branches, you’ll likely need a small battery-powered tool because the bases do get quite thick. Let this branch dry out in a warm place for a few days and you’ll notice the bark will start to peel. You can scrub this off for a clean look or keep the ruffles for a more interesting design. Take care to pick a vase with a heavy or weighted bottom or you’ll risk a topple.

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