Doorway installation with the Tallulah Rose Flower School

Yesterday I have the privilege of helping out with this stunning doorway installation up at Levens Hall in Kendal. It was at the invitation of Rachel from Tallulah Rose Flower School, which is based in the historic grounds of the hall, and was in honour of the hall's annual Christmas fair. Rachel asked all the past and present students of the flower school's online course if they would like to help, and so along with 3 other aspiring florists I was able to travel up for the day and get some much needed hands-on experience with a large scale installation for the first time. It was such a fantastic day being able to meet and chat to other like-minded people, and I learnt so much from it!

I didn't get photos of the setting-up process unfortunately, but the mechanics were basically layered bunches of twigs tied onto a frame using velcro wraps. This worked brilliantly for securing the foliage in place, and of course is a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic cable ties, as it's easier to re-use. We began with branches of fir to give it that Christmas feel, then added in eucalyptus, thistle, pittosporum, and my absolute favourite mimosa foliage, which had beautiful purple tips and speckled detail which just brought a whole new dimension to the design. The final touch were the dried hydrangea heads, in a colour I'd never seen before in this flower! The original colour was a deep indigo, and they dried into a stunning purple-blue hue. We layered them from the bottom of the arch, up the sides but keeping the top section free, which balanced it out wonderfully.

The final step was to add lanterns and pine coming down the staircase from the door. The perfect festive finish to really add impact! I was so proud to have been part of creating this doorway design, and it's given me a whole new appreciation of what you can create just with foliage alone. The texture and colour we were able to achieve before even adding the flowers just blew me away and gave me lots of inspiration in the process! And of course, getting to meet some fellow Tallulah Rose students who were at varying stages of their floristry training was also a great boost. I really hope I can repeat the experience next year - watch this space!