The lobby, gallery and public spaces are adorned with beautiful floral arrangements, tying into the season and subtly bringing an air of the outdoors into the hotel. 

We spoke to Ruth Monahan, the Creative Director of Appassionata Flowers, to find out how they create such stunning displays for The Westbury Hotel.

We have been lucky enough to create flowers for the Westbury for over seven years.  Not only is it such a gorgeous space to design florals for, but the interior gives us lots of inspiration, be it the artwork, sculpture or design.  We tend to move through the season with colours, flower types and ideas and design all blooms the week before they go in.

We change all the displays weekly and refresh during the week. Due to a hotel being quite a warm environment, the flowers will only last a week maximum.  We also adapt to season and for any events we need to theme the flowers around.

A hotel foyer is all about creating the ambience of that hotel’s personality. Fresh flowers that accessorise and enhance a hotel foyer emphasise the attention to detail and design that the hotel holds dear.  The flowers are always changing, so again add interest for both hotel staff and customers who see new displays and blooms weekly.

I love using amaryllis, as it’s fantastic to see them burst into bloom over the days.  Large twigs and berries create great impact, too.  Hydrangea is always amazing as the vibrancy of colours vary through the seasons and sometimes it almost looks as though they are clouds in the sky.

We always have fun with the big rugby weekends where we adapt the flowers to country colours and create vases with rugby balls etc.  Easter is always lovely in the hotel too as we accessorise a giant Chocolate Egg by Cocoa Atelier.  Christmas is great too – we plan it for three months and then create both the flowers and decorations to compliment each other. 

We also bring lots of Irish twigs and berries into the mix, along with amaryllis for high impact.

A favourite this year is lichened twigs with a collar of navy blue hydrangea, mixed with berries and Christmas elements like cinnamon and cones in a vase.

For a table, I think our ‘For a Cosy Gang’ teardrop display works a treat as it suits lots of dinner tables and looks so luxurious.

A bestseller Christmas display would be our Amaryllis vase, which can be placed in the hall, on a counter or given as a gift.  The amaryllis arrives closed but will open within hours of home and then should last 2 weeks. 

To keep flowers fresh at home, the biggest secret is to change the water and cut the stems every 2 days.  Wreaths or pine based table centres can be sprayed with water regularly.  The cooler the rooms the better for flower longevity at home.

We make over 100 wreaths for orders in the December weeks.  For making your own, we always advise buying a base and then using foliage from your garden for it, then adding in the festive elements you love yourself so you can dress your door with individual style and create neighbour envy on the street.

You can read more about Appassionata Flowers here.