Welcome to my studio! This week’s arrangements somehow turned into a whole evening out.
The first one feels like a black-tie party with slow dancing, red lipstick, and somebody getting way too confident after champagne. The second arrangement feels like later in the night when the music gets softer, people start laughing louder, and someone says, “Okay, but don’t tell anyone this…”
I love when flowers start behaving like people. Somewhere in the middle of arranging, these pieces stopped feeling like compositions and started feeling like scenes from a very elegant, slightly chaotic night out.
Let me show you!
Black Tie Event
Old jazz, champagne, and a couple slowly waltzing across the ballroom.
While arranging this piece, I kept imagining a couple slowly waltzing across a ballroom.
The black and white vessel became the man in the tuxedo, calm and confident, gently leading with his arm stretched outward. The roses became the woman with bright lipstick, elegant and fully aware that half the room has stopped talking to watch them dance.
The branch was my Shin and Soe, creating that sweeping movement through the arrangement, while the roses settled in as the Hikae, bringing warmth and romance.
To me, this feels like old jazz music, champagne, and someone falling in love all over again.
After Midnight
Gossip, whispers, and someone trying to stay elegant after saying, “I’m fine.”
The black geometric vessel feels like a mysterious person that no one noticed but somehow everyone is talking to.
The little yellow blooms look like two friends leaning over to whisper gossip they absolutely promised not to repeat.
And that tall branch reaching upward feels like someone trying to stay elegant after saying, “I’m fine,” for the second time.
The branch is my Shin, creating movement and height, while the two long blooms and softer greenery acted as the Soe, letting everything loosen and spill naturally through the arrangement.
The pale-yellow carnation settled in as the Hikae, bringing warmth and that calm “I’m pretending I have my life together” energy.
To me it feels like people saying “just one more drink” three times in a row.
Quick Ikebana Tip
One of the things I love most about Sōgetsu free style is how quickly it turns into storytelling. You start with flowers and branches, and suddenly your arrangement becomes its own little world. I hope sometimes you try it and see where the materials take you.