In the spirit of making space for what matters, we love seeing the resurgence of the flower room. More designers and homeowners are creating a place for arranging flowers in their homes. When describing the laundry/cutting room she designed for FLOWER‘s Atlanta showhouse, Bunny Williams noted, “A place to pot plants and arrange flowers is a necessity for me because the blooms give life to a room.”
Another Bunny, the late Bunny Mellon, was even more devoted to the idea of the cutting room. In Bunny Mellon Style (Gibbs Smith 2021), the authors note, “Bunny always maintained a room for flower arranging.” She did that at every home. Mellon even brought her dedication to the cutting room to one of the most famous homes in the world. While working with Jacqueline Kennedy, she created the flower room at the White House, calling it the “Bouquet Room.”
Of course, you don’t need a White House-sized home for space to enjoy puttering with flowers. Even in her relatively modest New York townhouse, Mellon carved out a space around a tiny bar sink with shelves of vases, pitchers, and mugs, and a cabinet door that was hinged at the top and lifted to give her a workspace for arranging.
Whether you are contemplating a dedicated cutting room or setting aside space for flowers in your laundry or pantry, start dreaming of and planning your own flower room with these photos from the pages of FLOWER and beyond.
Photo by Paul Costello
Amanda Smith Fowler styled the laundry room of FLOWER magazine’s Baton Rouge showhouse as a cutting room with a copper watering can and sink loaded with roses from Grace Rose Farm along with dahlias in shades of pink. See our video tour of this space.
Photo by Tria Giovan
“It’s where everything gets done,” Kate Rheinstein Brodsky says of the flower cutting room in her family’s East Hampton home. Zinc countertops and high-gloss painted wood floors bring elegance and endurance to the hardworking hub. See more from Kate’s home and garden.
Photo courtesy of Britt Davis
The mud room at artist Britt Davis’s Glentivar farm in Virginia was designed with nature—and especially flowers—in mind. Along with flower pots that belonged to Britt’s grandmother, she displays a deer shed and old wasp nest. The cabinetry is painted with Farrow & Ball Studio Green. See more from Britt on Instagram @britt7davis.
Photo by Stephen Karlisch
Equipped with a sink and gracious counter, the eye-pleasing laundry room doubles as an area for flower arranging in this Dallas home designed by Denise McGaha. See more from this Highland Park home.
Photo by Emily Followill
“A place to pot plants and arrange flowers is a necessity for me because they give life to a room. But this space also serves as a laundry, and if you don’t garden, you can always bathe your dogs in the sink,” Bunny Williams says of the flower cutting room she designed for the FLOWER Atlanta Showhouse in 2022. See Bunny’s video tour the space.
Photo by Emily Followill
Antiques and fresh flowers grace the elegant working pantry in this Cashiers, North Carolina home designed by Francie Hargrove. A single French door allows a peek at the detached two-car garage. See more of this chic mountain home.
Photo by Michael Mundy
Charlotte Moss refers to her flower room as her therapy room. “It’s where I go to putter, select a vase, listen to music, and power down,” she says. See more of Moss’s East Hampton getaway, Boxwood Terrace.
Photo by Nathan Schroder
The bright kitchen of this Dallas home designed by Cathy Kincaid serves as homeowner and floral designer, Margaret Kane Ryder’s staging area for her floral artistry. See more of this Dallas Tudor-style home.
Photo by Hector Sanchez
Designer Stephanie Lyntons butler’s pantry, painted a custom shade of Hollandlac Brilliant by Fine Paints of Europe, is stocked with linens, dishes, and silver, as well as gardening accoutrements. An antique table serves as spot for arranging flowers. See more of Stephanie’s Birmingham home.
Photo courtesy of Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style (Rizzoli 2019).
This flower room fantasia installation by ISA ISA Floral in a pantry-turned-cutting-room designed by Kelly Wearstler is one of the most-liked photos ever shared on FLOWER magazine’s Instagram. It comes from the pages of Kelly’s book, Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style (Rizzoli 2019). Click here to buy the book.
Photo by Nick Mele
A workroom at The Whim, Newport home of the late Oatsie Charles, stores fresh peonies, astilbes, and lilies to be arranged for a dinner party. See more from The Whim and its gardens.
Photo courtesy of Cynthia Steed of @wyndsweptstudio
Artist Cynthia Steed of Alberta, Canada set up her bright, sunlit, flower arranging space in the laundry room. “I love having a place to process and arrange my flowers. I think my family likes it too. No more flowers and debris all over the kitchen and dining room.” Follow Cynthia on Instagram @wyndsweptstudio or @wyndsweptgarden.
Photo by Michael Mundy
This cheerful flower room—part of Liz Lange’s glamorous redo of Grey Gardens, the legendary East Hampton summer home to many intriguing personalities in the past—inspires floral exuberance. See more of Liz Lange’s Grey Gardens restoration.
Photo by Frances Schultz
The Boot Room of the Castello di Reschio, where owner Donna Nencia arranges flowers for the auberge. FLOWER contributing editor Frances Schultz notes, “The flower room at the Castello di Reschio is perfection, as is about every square inch of this gorgeous Umbrian hideaway.” See more from Frances on Instagram @francesschultz.
Photo by Annie Schlechter from LIFE IN THE GARDEN by Bunny Williams
“Since I so enjoy arranging flowers, I created a small area off the kitchen just for that purpose. Above a marble-top counter with a sink, I mounted long shelves that hold many of my containers while, in drawers underneath, I keep my clippers, scissors, frogs, and chicken wire so everything I need is within reach.”—Bunny Williams, LIFE IN THE GARDEN. See more from Bunny’s home and garden in our interview with Bunny Williams.
FLOWER-ARRANGING SPACE ESSENTIALS
While all of these spaces are beautifully designed and styled, keep in mind that you really only need four fundamental elements for your flower arranging space.
- A work surface. Ideally a countertop or table large enough to sort and arrange flowers
- A water source. This can be a sink or buckets to keep flowers hydrated while you work.
- A place to store tools. A drawer or even a small basket will hold the essentials. (See Eddie Ross’s must-have flower tools.)
- Vases and containers for arrangements
Bring on the flowers!
By Jason Burnett
