It’s about time I revealed this little obsession of mine. I love botanical prints, the more scientific and instructional the better, and they’re finally back in style. Moving away from simple outlines and bold floral forms, botanical prints are all about the details. Roots, stems, stamens, offshoots – these are flowers as they really look, in all their glory.

Line drawings rendered with a thin-tipped pen and depth created by washes of ink are characteristic of original prints, with aged paper and slightly faded colours lending them a stylish vintage edge. But this is a style that’s quite easy to fake (which is lucky, since genuine prints are a bit pricey) as more designers and artists have started replicating vintage styles.

You can have botanical wallpaper, tote bags, stationary, ceramics, bed sheets…. I like the traditional print though. A collection of differently sized and shaped prints hung in frames on one wall make a beautiful statement. One of the best places to get antique and vintage-style botanical prints is Potobello market. From small, aged black and white sketches to large, colourful framed prints, they’re all there for the taking.

It’s the attention to detail that makes old-fashioned botanical pictures such as pleasure. The characteristics and tendencies of each flower is lovingly communicated, often including sketches of the bulbs and seeds and post-flowering form. A beautiful timeline of your favourite flowers makes a great edition to your decor.

Today’s Flower Friday is an ode to New York ‘Soap and Flowers’ shop Saipua. I don’t think I’ve ever seen flowers the way they do flowers. Some of their arrangements are heart-stopping. Note the use of feathers in the banner picture – that could go so wrong but they pull it off with such flair.

I must admit to spending hours mooning over their blog (written by the witty and charming Sarah). I fully credit them with making me fall in love with ranunculus, which appears prominently in almost all of their arrangements along with other pretty feminine flowers like blowsy dahlias, traditional English roses and ruffled peonies…

Amongst the show-stopping blooms are sprigs of foliage and mixed stems, and beautiful glossy berries and fruits. They are sophisticated and professional but thrown-together looking at the same time, sort of woodsy and wild. Here’s one of Sarah’s favourites (and one of mine too!)