I first came across shida preserved flowers in the early days of the brand, I’m always on the lookout for sustainable additions to the home as an interior designer and blogger. The preserved flower bouquets were exactly what I was looking for (without even knowing it) as flowers are one of my favourite finishing touches to an interior design project but generally they’re not the most sustainable purchase.

I’d toyed with the idea of dried or faux flowers but they just weren’t my style, I like a natural, fresh look & whilst that is achievable with faux it comes with a huge price tag and a less than eco friendly production process. When I saw what Katherine was doing at Shida I instantly fell in love! The flowers look and smell just as a fresh bunch would, they come beautifully packaged, wrapped ready to give as a gift (I actually gifted a bunch to my Mum this Mothers Day & she LOVED them, now regularly browsing this website to decide which bouquet to get next). The price of these bouquets is worth mentioning too, they’re no more expensive than a fresh flower delivery yet they last a whole year at least.

The first bouquet I received was two Christmases ago, I featured it on my blog which focuses on sustainable lifestyle and interiors, readers there loved the flowers and have since mentioned how beautiful they are/how long they’ve stayed fresh looking. Since then I’ve used the flowers to complete interior design projects both commercial and residential, in fact there is rarely a concept board I don’t add Shida flowers to as they look just like a freshly cut bouquet and what room wouldn’t benefit from a bunch of beautiful blooms? I’ve used them in commercial office spaces where fresh flowers were unsuitable for the hectic environment, in residential properties of families with small children who are too busy to be buying/arranging flowers weekly or simply can’t afford to purchase flowers often. I even flew a bunch out to Spain with me last June to use in the final fit out of a holiday home/rental near Marbella as preserved flowers are perfect for a part time home. I have to admit flying EasyJet with only hand luggage and a delicate bouquet was trickier than flying solo with a pre-schooler, I was terrified they were going to get damaged but an airhostess fell in love with them & kept them safe through the flight for me.

Preserved flowers are the future as we become more aware of the environmental impact of our purchases, I don’t want to go without the little luxuries in my home that make me smile but equally want to replace every item I buy with something more sustainable where possible. I’m looking forward to visiting Shida’s stunning new flower studio when I’m next in the area.

Natalie Lockwood is an Interior Designer & Blogger at Little Mill House