A chandelier adorned with flowers, fruit and foliage floats in one window, while another displays a vintage nativity scene surrounded by wooden decorations, offering a tantalising taste of what lies within.
The doorway, flanked by two silver birch trees, and adorned with sinewy lichen branches, gold asparagus fern, skimmia and pinecones, beckons...
Inside, find metallic birds soaring beneath bare branches, glass baubles glistening in the sunlight, and magical candle displays with crimson roses and ranunculus nestled among pine cones, forest foliage, slabs of silver birch and a ripe and succulent mix of ilex berries, cranberries and pepper berries.
We caught up with Zita, the creator of this enchanting festive woodland wonderland at Zita Elze Flowers, to find out more about her inspirations and creative processes – and to tease out some of her best-kept styling secrets. So if you fancy channeling some of this festive magic in your own florist shop, or at home, read on…
Q. Where did you get the inspiration from for your display?
A. I find inspiration everywhere and sometimes ideas pop out that I’ve had ‘stored away’ for ages – that works for a lot of the detail. My main inspiration for this Christmas was from woodland walks in winter and bare trees and branches. Also the lovely textures that you find in nature and those bright touches of colour that shine through on crisp cold days.
Q. What’s your favourite combination of wintery blooms?
A. Rustic shades of brown with the warm spark of red roses, rustic silver with delicate flowers like hellebores. I also love plant materials sprayed in gold.
If you want to stay clear of traditional I'd try a mass of one kind of decorative feature, for instance a table runner made entirely of rose heads and Christmas baubles.
Q. How long did the display take? How many people were involved?
A. It took about a week to plan, source and install and 4 pairs of hands. Being a flower shop we’ll be tweaking things daily, especially since many things sell straight out of the display.
Q. What would your advice be to those trying to recreate a winter wonderland of flowers?
A. I’d suggest trimming or buying some big branches from more or less any kind of tree and then attaching some smaller branches covered with moss, lichen and other natural textures. Then I’d hang some glass decorations or favourite Christmas ornaments from the branches. It makes a change from traditional Christmas trees and creates a real sense of magic.
Zita Elze offer a range of different Christmas workshops including Christmas wreaths, garlands and table decorations taiored to your personal taste, using a mixture of both fresh and dried plant materials. Find out more.
Feeling inspired to create your own Winter Wonderland? Share your recreations with us on Instagram.
