10 Tips To Make Artificial Flowers Look Beautifully Real

Faux flowers can look just as beautiful as real ones! Learn how to choose, arrange, and care for artificial blooms so they fool the eye.

Making faux flowers look real is easier than you think because they are not your mother’s flowers. I remember a vase of plastic spring flowers that sat on the living room coffee table… all year long! These were my dear mother’s faux blooms.

Thankfully, today’s artificial flowers have come such a long way and look as real as, well, the real thing! They no longer get a bad rap.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy a vase of fresh flowers in your home all year long? With just a few easy tips, you can transform even the best artificial flowers into stunning, realistic-looking floral arrangements. Today, I’m sharing my favorite, tried-and-true secrets for making artificial flowers look incredibly realistic.

Study The Real Thing

The secret to making faux flowers look beautifully real starts with a simple but essential step. Study the real thing. Take a close look at fresh flowers, noticing their delicate textures, the way petals naturally curve, and subtle variations in color. Pay attention to how the stems and leaves bend, as this plays an important role in making artificial flower arrangements look realistic. Becoming familiar with these small details makes it easier to choose faux flowers that truly mimic nature.

Artificial flowers have come a long way. Years ago, they all looked like the fakes you see in the craft store clearance bin. But today, there are so many options that will fool the sharpest eye. My favorite way to shop for artificial flowers is in person. We are very fortunate in our area to have several decor shops that carry the best blooms. Being able to feel the petals and leaves, bend the stems, and see the color helps me choose the best ones.

There are countless online sources of these flowers. Just make sure the vendor has a reputation for quality. A review will be your biggest helper when you can’t see flowers in person. It’s also smart to check the return policy, because what you see in a picture online might not be exactly what you get.

When it comes to faux flowers, quality matters. And that usually means the best artificial flowers are more expensive. Think of them as an investment. Good-quality, realistic fauxs will last for years.

What To Look For In Faux Flowers

Not all faux flowers are created equal. Here are several things to look for when choosing ones that will add beauty to your home…

• Quality materials: The best faux flowers are made from silk, polyester, latex, or high-grade plastic. These materials create a more realistic look and offer better durability.
• Realistic appearance: Look for flowers that closely mimic real ones, with lifelike textures, natural petal variations, and rich, true-to-nature colors. Avoid anything overly shiny or unnaturally bright.
• Flexible stems: Flowers with bendable stems make arranging them much easier. The ability to shape and adjust stems helps create a more natural, organic look.
• Bendable, wired leaves: Leaves that can be adjusted add realism to an arrangement. Wired leaves allow for small tweaks that make the entire display look more natural.
• Authentic details: Pay close attention to small but important features, such as realistic flower centers, soft petal edges, and leaf veining. These details help faux flowers pass as real.
• Variety of bloom stages: The most natural-looking arrangements include flowers in different stages of bloom, from buds to fully opened blossoms. This small touch makes a big impact on realism.
• Natural-looking colors: Choose shades that match real flowers. Anything overly bright, neon, or artificial-looking can instantly give away that the flowers aren’t real.
• Durability: High-quality faux flowers are designed to last for years without fading or fraying. Investing in well-made florals ensures they stay beautiful and don’t need frequent replacing.

Taking the time to choose flowers with these features will help you create arrangements that are beautiful and believable.

Three Things That Fool The Eye

Every faux flower you add to an arrangement needs a little attention. Here are three basic things to do to help your flowers look their best.

Iron The Leaves

Crumpled leaves make even the most realistic faux look fake. Fixing wrinkled and folded leaves is easy. Here’s how to gently press faux leaves…

• Test one leaf first
• Put a cloth down on an ironing board (I used a dishtowel)
• Smooth it out with your hands
• Cover the leaf with a cloth
• On a low setting, gently iron the leaf

This quick fix makes leaves look more believable.

Form Flower Into Realistic Shapes

Most flowers come a big squish from being tightly packed and shipped, or from being in a bag when they come home from a store. Carefully fluff out the petals, arranging them so they mimic the way real flowers open. If needed, lightly blow into the face of a closed bloom, such as a tulip, to help it open slightly.

Paying attention to each flower creates a more realistic and effortless-looking arrangement.

Bend Each Stem

One of the most natural features of fresh flowers is the graceful way their stems bend. Faux flowers should have that same organic movement. Instead of leaving stems standing at attention, gently bend and curve them to mimic the natural sway of real flowers.

This small adjustment gives the entire arrangement a sense of depth and dimension, making it look more like a fresh-picked bouquet.

These easy steps transform artificial flowers, helping them look beautifully realistic in any setting.

Choose The Right Container

Selecting the right container for faux flowers is just as important as choosing the flowers themselves. A pot that is too big makes flowers look sparse and floppy. A vase that is too small makes an arrangement feel crowded and top-heavy.

Choose a vase that fits the scale and feel of the flowers you are working with. The vase you choose is an important part of an arrangement, making your faux flowers look more real.

Cut The Stems To Fit The Container

I used to bend the stems of flowers that were too long for a vase. Doing this created a tangled mess in a vase and made it hard to arrange the blooms. Very frustrating! It’s much better to cut the ends of the stems, just like you would if you were cutting real flowers for an arrangement. Your flowers will sit better in the vase you choose and be much easier to arrange.

Smart Tip For Cut Flowers

Save the stem ends. I pop them into a plastic bag and label it with the name of the flowers. Use florist tape to reattach them to the stems if you need to extend them for another arrangement.

Add Water To Your Vase

This is one of my favorite tips. If you are using a glass vase to arrange your artificial flowers, add a bit of water to the vase. It’s such a simple thing, but it makes your flowers look much more believable.

Use Real Along With Faux

Using real organics along with faux flowers is the best way to create a real look. Try adding real greenery, blooming branches, curly twigs, or even a few fresh flowers alongside artificals. One of my favorite tricks is to use real hydrangeas with artificial ones to fill out an arrangement. Real organics help artificial flowers feel fresh.

Keep All Faux Flowers Away From The Elements

Just like any other decor in your home, artificial flowers need a little care. Here are three things to keep them away from…

• direct sunlight
• heat sources
• getting wet

These three are the enemy of real-looking fakes! Your blooms will last longer and look nicer kept away from these culprits.

Cleaning Faux Flowers

Faux flowers can collect dust and dirt. Every now and then, give them a little refresh.

Here’s what works well…

• Use a hairdryer on a low cool setting to blow off any dust.
• Gently wipe flowers with a microfiber cloth or soft paintbrush.
• Deep clean flowers if needed by misting them with a mixture of vinegar and water, then wiping them with a microfiber cloth.
• Air dry artificial flowers.

Putting Away And Storing Artificial Flowers

How you store flowers you are not using makes a big difference in how they will hold up from season to seaonn Here’s a few smart tips…

• Store flowers in a cool, dark place, away from heat and humidity.
• Use airtight containers to keep them dust and pest-free.
• Avoid crushing them by storing them between layers of tissue paper.

A vase of pretty flowers brings beauty and life to a room, even if they are artificial. Follow these tips to keep your faux flowers fooling everyone’s eyes for years and years!

Frequently Asked Questions

Happy flower arranging, friends…