Whether you’re organising a dinner for friends or celebrating a special occasion with family, beautiful table decorations will always make any occasion extra special. Floral stylist Pauline Monnier specialises in table decorations with a touch of magic and mystery. Discover her work, get inspired and surprise your guests by bringing floral magic to your table at your next gathering!
Floral stylist Pauline Monnier
Pauline Monnier trained as a florist in Paris, where she learned from the masters. She’s worked for leading magazines and has been responsible for floral installation at fashion shows for the world's most prestigious brands, including Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermès.
Pauline's work is innovative, elegant and pays great attention to detail. She’s inspired to create her flower arrangements from emotions, conversations and everyday attractions in her life. As a result her work is beautiful, but not perfect and polished, says the Frenchwoman.
Table decorations in the style of Pauline Monnier
Ever since childhood, Pauline Monnier has been inspired by the magical, mysterious feelings gardens invoke. The French floral stylist reflects this special feeling throughout her work, including in her famous table decorations which provoke a feeling of walking through a flower garden.
Want to discover how to make a beautiful table arrangement all of your own? Check out the supplies and our step-by-step plan to get started.
Ever since childhood, Pauline Monnier has been inspired by the magical, mysterious feelings gardens invoke.
You will need:
- Large seasonal flowers of your choice, see the list below for inspiration*
- Small seasonal flowers of your choice, see the list below for inspiration*
- Greenery of your choice, see the list below for inspiration**
- Chicken wire
- Pruning shears
- Moss
- Your prettiest tablecloth, crockery and accessories to decorate your table.
- Think beautiful plates, cutlery, candlesticks, bowls, etc.
- Strong scissors to cut the chicken wire
- Optional: waxed fruit, for extra decoration
*Voor het bloemstuk in het voorbeeld gebruikte Pauline de volgende bloemen: Franse Tulp, Gloriosa, Kniphofia, Monnikskap, Leeuwenbek, Celosia, Anjer, Anemoon, Chrysant, Ranonkel, Euphorbia en Calla.
**Voor het bloemstuk in het voorbeeld gebruikte Pauline de volgende takjes: Asparagus, Ruscus en Siergras.
Step-by-step plan
Got your supplies? Then it's time to follow our instructions to create your own signature piece.
1
Think about what you want your flower arrangement to look like and, if helpful, make a simple sketch. Think about the general shape and size, but also which flowers will go where and how the different colours will flow into each other. It’s a good idea to match the size of your floral arrangement to the length of your table and the amount of flowers you have, to keep everything in proportion.
2
Mould the chicken wire into your desired shape. Provide height differences in the mesh to make your flower arrangement more dynamic.
3
Cover the wire with moss as much as possible, to obscure the raw wire base.
4
Start with a base of large flowers, such as Monkshood, snapdragon and Chrysanthemum. Cut the stems diagonally at your desired height and insert them one by one into the chicken wire. Work progressively outwards from the centre of your flower arrangement, making sure you don’t trim the stems too short. Longer stems give the flower arrangement an elegant, generous look.
Work progressively outwards from the centre of your flower arrangement.
5
Continue with the smaller flowers, such as Carnation, Euphorbia and Flame Lily. Cut the stems diagonally to your desired height and insert them one by one into the chicken wire. The contours of your flower arrangement are now in place!
6
Insert some more greenery (such as Asparagus and Ruscus) into the chicken wire at the base of the floral arrangement to make it more vibrant, green and natural-looking. You can also add waxed fruit, if you like, as shown in our example.
7
Observe your flower arrangement from a distance and from all angles. Are you happy with your composition or do you want to make some adjustments, and add or remove flowers or greenery? Continue until you’re happy with the result.
8
Once you’re pleased with the final result, move on to decorating your table. We recommend some candles in holders that match your floral composition for an extra cosy vibe. Then, set the table with your prettiest crockery and glasses.
Voilà, your floral masterpiece is ready!
More DIYs from famous floral stylists
Inspired after making such a beautiful signature piece? Discover the floral signatures of other floral stylists! Yoko Negi explains how to make a flower cloud with dried flowers, and Valentina Teinitzer plays with Amaranthus at height for her striking floral display. Prefer a more peaceful energy? A.P Bloem explains how to make a floral still life that will render you speechless.
