ABANDONED BEAUTY

Bring love into your home with the leftovers of nature and second-hand treasures

- TARA SLOGGETT

Never has there been a time when we spend so much time at home and appreciate the nature around us. Combine the two and you have something really special. Bring the rawness and innocence of nature into your home with delicate dried specimens, pods, flowers and grasses.

ABANDONED TREASURES

There's nothing quite as satisfying as creating something beautiful that costs virtually nothing. Grasses and dried bushes, fallen pine cones or twigs picked up while walking on the common can be transformed into architectural autumn decor with little know-how. You can even extend the life of your garden or any shop-bought flowers by using dried hydrangeas and eucalyptus in bouquets around your home over the cooler months. If you're heading beyond the garden, always be conscious of where you're foraging. Only forage where there is plenty of everything, and if in doubt, ask. You'll find most people only too happy to share.

↑ Structure and Form

Whenever you're picking up materials to bring indoors either from the garden or your local area, think about form and texture. When dried, most flowers, branches or grasses will take on the classic autumn hues, so variation in texture and form will create interest in your bouquets.

DISPLAYING AT HOME