Winter Centerpiece with Milieu Florals

Now that the trees are trimmed and our gifts are (almost) wrapped, we’re working on the smaller details specifically, creating an entry or statement arrangement with the Holiday spirit in mind. We’re big fans of incorporating tree greens throughout the home to carry on the festive tone, so we asked Hannah Koo of Milieu Florals to share her secrets for creating a beautifully balanced Winter arrangement. Read on to gather inspiration and her tips and tricks to to creating a scene for all your guests to treasure.

Centerpiece How-To

Step 1: Decide on the color scheme and design for your arrangement before shopping for your flowers. Here we have decided to go with a wintery white and green color scheme which will be perfect for the Holidays. Once you have selected your blooms, carefully process and prep them by removing the extra leaves on the bottom of the stems. Properly cleaning and processing the flowers will prevent the water from going bad and keep the flowers fresh longer. Also give the stems a diagonal 45-degree angle cut. This is to increase the surface area, allowing the flowers to absorb more water.

Step 2: Preparing your vessel. If your container is porous and not waterproof, line it with cellophane first to protect the vessel from water damage and also to prevent water from draining out. Then fill with fresh water.

Step 3: Gather your greens and fresh/dried florals. Here, we used a variety of cedar greens, white lisianthus, hybrid white delphiniums, white sweet peas, white scabiosas, rice flower, dried ferns, tallow berry and bunny tails.

Step 4: Create the base and foundation of your piece with greenery. This will help guide your placement for the fresh florals. Here we layered it with 2 different varieties of cedar greens.

Step 5: Start tucking in the fresh blooms you want to incorporate into the piece. Insert them in between the cedar greens to build shape and dimension, allowing the natural movement of the greens to guide the shape.

Step 6: Add in the light and airy textures from the dried florals (ferns, tallowberry, bunny tails) for the finishing touch.

Favorite Winter Florals & Greens

Assorted Christmas greens (I prefer working with cedar for their beautiful texture, colors and scent), Ilex Berries (also familiarly known as winter berries), Narcissus Paperwhites, Amaryllis, Helleborus, Pine cones, Dried Ferns, Gold painted seeded eucalyptus, Sweet Peas & Tallow Berries.

Our Go-to Tools

Ingo Vessel

$65

Chicken Wire Net

$14.49

Barebones Garden Scissors

$50

Agate Vase

$46

United Solutions 5 Gallon Utility Bucket

$3.37

Garden Tool Belt Holster

$20.99

Niwaki Rattan Handle Secateurs

$198

Aero Rattan Tray

$20

Meet Hannah Koo

My love of floral design stemmed from a passion for art and all of its mediums. From an early age, I fell in love with drawing and painting and coming from an artistic background with parents who also had a love for the arts supported my childhood hobby by sending me to art studios to prepare for art school. In college, I studied fine arts and sculpture and found myself experimenting with all types of mediums to play around with texture. Upon graduating, the plan was to attend grad school to become a gallery artist and eventually an art professor but serendipitously getting introduced to florals soon after graduation opened up a detour/lifelong passion that would allow me to incorporate all the things I loved; color, texture, nature and design.

In the Spring of 2004, I took on a part time job at a charming flower shop in Brentwood, CA. Little did I know that this was just a stepping stone into my career. I fell in love instantly, but it wasn’t just the florals I fell in love with but the idea of owning my own little business one day. From there, I worked in different flower shops from West Hollywood to Laguna Beach learning everything I could and eventually started my own line in 2007 and built up a following through weddings and events. 18 years later, here I am still working with flowers and still in awe of how flowers can not only transform a space but bring so much joy to others. Previously working exclusively with weddings and events, it wasn’t until the pandemic that we started taking on smaller custom orders for doorstep deliveries. And this is where we got to experience first hand how much joy it brought to others and lifted spirits that were hurting and saw the need and demand for flowers. So in 2021, we decided to pivot our business from a private events studio to opening up a storefront location in Southbay, CA in hopes to continue spreading joy and love to our community through florals.

Entertaining•Dec 13, 2021