Move aside, fronds, grasses, and seedpods. Just when it looked as if wispy foliage had taken floral arrangements hostage for the season, we noticed something surprising: blowsy billows of hydrangeas.
Hydrangeas are the comfort food of flowers. Impossibly frumpy and fusty, these bobblehead pompoms are the antidote to the slender, the desiccated, and the severe dried floral arrangements currently in fashion. We’re ready for a little coddling, and so are our favorite interior designers, stylists, and architects.
Here are eight of-the-moment ways (culled from our archives) to style old-fashioned hydrangeas to warm up a room:
Poured Forth
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See more in Old Soul: A Revolution-Era Hudson Valley Home Gets an Update from Jersey Ice Cream Co.
Cloud Formation
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Pillowy flowers undercut the severity of sharp corners, symmetry, and a white-on-white color scheme. See more in Old Soul: A Revolution-Era Hudson Valley Home Gets an Update from Jersey Ice Cream Co.
Branching Out
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See more at Hudson Eclectic: An Artist’s Circa-1830 Home in Claverack, New York.
Fresh Cuts

See more in A Colonial House in Bellport with Uncommon Style from French Designer C. S. Valentin on Remodelista.
Seeing Green
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Tokyo-based flower stylist and wire-work artist Yukiko Masuda creates bouquets and teaches classes on floral arrangement in her Tokyo studio. See more in Studio Visit: Quiet, Moody Flower Studies by Yukiko Masuda.
Catching the Light
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Snowy hydrangeas in a vase can catch and reflect the sunlight in a bright corner. See more in Architect Visit: An Antiquarian Farmhouse in Upstate New York Transformed.
Glass Half Full
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A clear glass vase is a neutral backdrop for hydrangeas, neither competing nor disappearing. See more on Dried Hydrangea Garlands for Fall.
Deep Reds
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Add a moody note to anchor a corner with deep red, purple, or blue hydrangeas. See more on Remodelista in Kitchen of the Week: Cookbook Author Anna Jones at Home in London.
See more growing tips in Hydrangeas: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated guide to Shrubs 101 in our Garden Design 101 section. Read more:
- Tiny Bouquets: 8 Ideas for Floral Arrangements in Miniature Vases
- See Justine’s step-by-step tips for styling Dried Hydrangea Garlands for Fall
- Flower Arrangements 101: A Crash Course for Easy and Elegant Florals
- Everything You Need to Know About Hydrangeas
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