Your Guide to Making Faux Floral Centerpieces & Arrangements: 3 Tips for a High-Impact Look
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As a young girl, I remember watching my mom create the most beautiful faux floral arrangements. I would watch as she positioned each stem with intention, bringing all the individual pieces together into a stunning arrangement.
Today, creating beautiful arrangements brings me so much joy and always takes me back to that time of watching her design hers with such patience and grace.
Through the years, I’ve learned a lot about what makes an arrangement feel natural and timeless, and I’m excited to share them with you.
Whether you’re dressing a dining table for guests or giving your coffee table a simple refresh, these tips will help you achieve that high-impact look for all your faux floral arrangements.
Read on for my tips to create faux floral centerpieces and arrangements that look realistic, full, and intentionally styled.
1. Selecting High-Quality, Realistic Florals and Stems.
When it comes to faux florals and stems, my goal is always the same: choose pieces that look convincingly real and photograph beautifully—and that’s exactly why this is my first tip!
In fact, this step is so important it actually gets its own deep dive on the blog! The “real” look starts long before the styling—it begins with what you choose to bring home. You can find my full buying criteria and all the details in this guide:
>> My Tips for Selecting the Most Natural-Looking Stems <<
But for a quick and very condensed overview, here’s what I always focus on when choosing faux florals:
Color: Look for pieces with natural tones and subtle variations that mimic real plants.
Silhouette: Choose pieces with enough length and the right amount of fullness.
Flexibility: Select pieces that can bend and move easily for a natural, lifelike look.
2. Determining The Height & Width of Your Arrangement.
As a general guideline, the overall height and width of a floral arrangement should be about 1 to 1.5 times the height of the vase. This creates a balanced and visually pleasing look.
You can certainly go taller or wider—as shown in the photo here, the width of this arrangement is nearly 2.5× the height of the vase. You just want to make sure that the space can support the scale, and always avoid going under 1×, as anything smaller tends to feel out of proportion.
As you think about proportions, also take the vase opening into account. A wide opening calls for a fuller mix of stems to feel balanced, while a narrow opening works beautifully with a few stems or even a single branch.
Now, keeping these guidelines in mind, consider where you plan to place the arrangement, as the setting will naturally guide the ideal height and overall scale.
Dining Table.
For dining centerpieces, I like to keep the total height under 12 inches. This ensures open sightlines and easy conversation. Choose a low, wide vessel (under 6 inches tall) and shorter stems for a balanced look.
Mantel or Console Table.
On a mantel or console, a taller arrangement works beautifully. It draws the eye upward, adds height, and helps to visually anchor the vignette.
Coffee Table.
For a coffee table, scale depends on the furniture and your preferences. The leafy arrangement shown above was one I made for our coffee table and it stands around 20 inches tall.
It’s large enough to make an impact without overwhelming the space, since our coffee table and living room can easily support the scale.
As with everything, just be mindful of sightlines, especially if it blocks views of the fireplace or nearby seating areas.
Final Thoughts On Height And Width.
Again, there are always exceptions. For example, I’ve seen oversized dining centerpieces that make stunning statements, it simply depends on the atmosphere you want to create.
A dramatic piece feels bold and elegant, while a lower profile piece lends itself to warmth and easy conversation.
3. Building The Arrangement.
Building the Base Layer.
For my arrangements, I always start by building the base. This layer is what defines the shape, fullness, and structure of the arrangement. I like to use one dominant type of foliage here to anchor the piece and conceal the rim of the vase.
In the large green arrangement pictured above, I used the leafy green foliage to help form the base. It added instant fullness and gave me the structure I needed to build upon.
If you want a little extra support, try using floral foam or a flower frog. These help hold stems in place and give you more control over the shape of your arrangement. I don’t always use them, especially for larger, fuller designs where the stems naturally interlock, but if your base isn’t holding the way you’d like, one of these helpers can be a real game changer.
Adding Accent Stems.
Once your base is in place, start layering in your accent stems. Mix different shapes, sizes, and textures to add depth and create a natural, gathered look.
I like to focus on using one or three of the main flower stems, depending on the size of the arrangement, and then I add a variety of smaller filler stems throughout, repeating each type at least two to three times to keep the design feeling balanced and intentional. A little repetition goes a long way in making everything flow together.
I usually lean toward stems with warm undertones to fit my style, but whatever colors you love, warm or cool, I recommend keeping the undertones consistent to help your arrangement look cohesive.
Creating Movement.
This final step is where your arrangement truly comes to life.
To make your arrangement feel natural and effortless, vary the length and placement of your stems. Let some reach a bit higher or wider than others—this adds movement and visual interest.
And don’t be afraid to cut your stems as you style, especially in larger arrangements with a variety of florals. It might feel counterintuitive, especially since faux florals can be pricey, but trimming and separating them makes a big difference. It gives you more flexibility, allows for better placement, and keeps you from having to pull everything apart if you want to adjust a single stem (trust me, I’ve been there more than once!).
The key here is to think about how plants grow in nature—irregular and beautifully imperfect—and bring a bit of that into your design. A little unpredictability, like an off-center tall stem or a few sprawling pieces, always feels a little more authentic.
Custom Floral Arrangement Inspiration.
Find inspiration from some of the pieces I’ve created—from arrangements styled specifically to highlight my favorite vintage vases to custom designs for client projects, featuring everything from full, lush arrangements to simple, effortless stems.
Done well, faux florals don’t just look pretty, they pull a look, and a room, together.
With color, texture, quality, and scale aligned, your arrangements feel personal, polished, and easy to refresh season after season.
Shop Some Of My Favorite Florals And Stems
MORE INTERIOR STYLING TIPS →
Hi, I’m Casey, founder of Refuge Interiors, where I combine my lifelong love of decorating and design with a passion for sourcing vintage and antique treasures to create classic, collected interiors that feel warm, inviting, and beautifully lived in.
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