When it comes to arranging flowers (or doing anything of that ilk) there is perhaps no one we trust more than Martha Stewart to guide us with her signature precision and creativity.
A clip recently shared to the Martha Moments Instagram page saw Martha showing off her DIY flower arranging skills, and it turns out her secret lies in the vessel she uses as much as her arrangement techniques.
'I love to go out in the garden and pick an array of flowers that can be used as decorative touches, as garnishes and even as flavourings in soups and salads,' she says in the video. She also advocates for a compote bowl as one of the best vases for table centerpieces: and we can see why.
Nothing says chic like a glass compote bowl, and this sturdy, Roman-style one meets the mark.
Give your flower arrangement a luxe vessel with this gold compote bowl, featuring a dainty stem and scalloped edges.
This minimalist, ceramic compote vase works just as well for displaying flowers as it does holding fruit.
Her vase of choice is a bowl that you typically might use for sweets or fruit, but it works wonders on a summer tablescape.
'This is a footed compote really meant for candy or fruit and just take the covers off,' she explains. 'I have a pair of these and I'm really very fond of them for flower arranging. They stand up off the table and they're pretty.'
To keep these vessels looking sharp, she recommends adding a protective layer before placing your flowers.
'Protect your containers with a little bit of plastic,' she suggests. 'If this were silver, the frogs might scratch it, and if it's glass too, a little bit of rust might be left in the bottom of the bowl. I'm going to use this large spring frog placed right on top of that plastic.'
When thinking about how to arrange flowers, Martha suggests personalizing your bouquet with an assortment of wildflowers. Bonus points if you source them from your local flower market.
'I picked an eclectic mix, all kinds of things from this feather thistle, which has a beautiful grayish blue tint, and cut the flowers and just start building an arrangement,' she says. 'I don't really know what it's going to look like when I start, except that I do have quite a variety of flowers from which to choose. And I like doing this kind of eclectic bouquet because it's the kind of flower arranging that you really can't go to a florist and buy.'
She builds quite a robust arrangement, but she says that it's important to look at the bouquet from all sides to make sure it is not too big or too small.
'Keep looking at the container from all the way around so that you don't leave any bare spots,' she explains. 'Because remember, this is going to go around in the center of a table. 'I could just keep going and going and adding and adding, and you have to stop somewhere when you're making a flower arrangement. This flower arrangement is a little tall for the center of the table, so I'll use it on a side table in the dining room instead.'
This is our cue to follow Martha's timeless lead. If it still impresses after decades, you can be sure it's a worthy investment.
