Floral Arrangement Ideas Using Lanterns

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again- think outside the box when it comes to floral receptacles. If it has an opening, you can put flowers in it. Nothing is off limits. You’ve got your standard vase, then jugs, urns, pitchers, tea cups, jars, pots, and bowls – I’ll even share a few other favorite out-of-the-box ideas at the bottom of the post. But first, I’m sharing floral arrangement ideas using lanterns – one of my favorite ways to step up that flower game just a tad. If you have watched my Insta-stories recently, you know I am going to have more than enough limelights to last me for a while.

huge hedge of limelight hydrangeas on side of house

See? So, since I will be cycling through the same blooms, I will look to my receptacle to mix things up.

So… lanterns! You have open-top lanterns, open-side lanterns and lanterns that have glass doors. Depending on which you go with, you can adapt your own arrangement to the lantern you are using. I’ll start with an easy one. Using a summery bamboo-style lantern, there was already a glass hurricane inside to hold a candle. I filled that sucker with water, placed it back inside, and arranged flowers as I would inside any vase.

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Floral Arrangement in Lantern- large white woven lantern in foyer with flowers

It’s hard to make this one look bad but depending on the size, you may have to use a lot of flowers.

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Next, I used a small enclosed lantern with cutouts along the top/sides. I filled a small highball glass with water (make sure what you use will fit through the door of the lantern) and then stuck small stems around the open areas.

Floral Arrangement in Lantern- living room flowers in gold Pottery Barn lantern and wingback chair

It can be uneven, constructed with little effort, and still look fabulous. The more whimsical, the better!

Floral Arrangement in Lantern- ideas for flower arranging with sunflowers and hydrangeas in gold lantern

The is also an easy way to get by with using fewer flowers. Based on the bunches of flowers I split between arrangements, there are only about $2 worth of flowers in this small gold lantern.

Floral Arrangement in Lantern- sunflowers and eucalyptus in small gold lantern

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This open sided vase has been one of my favorites to use in floral arrangements. Last summer, I used it with a little moss in the bottom, again, using a kitchen glass as the vase. I’ve also used it during the fall with leafy branches springing out and in the winter with holly and pinecones.

Peonies Floral Arrangement in White Pottery Barn Lantern

This was a simple arrangement using only a few springs of eucalyptus; even if you don’t have flowers, head to your backyard with some snips and see what you come back with.

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If you are inspired to use a lantern in your next floral arrangement, I would love to know! You can always email me photos of your projects at [email protected].

A few other ideas for floral arranging? What about in a basket?

basket of flowers

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I wrote an entire separate post about using terrariums HERE.

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And my classic ice bucket has seen more than one arrangement in its day 😉

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Lastly, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is going strong (and I continue to find new things every day I order to try out). The sale is still only available to cardholders, BUT, it will be going live to everyone on Friday! The best part- while a LOT has sold out in the early access phase, they are working to restock before it goes live to the general public on Friday. You can still mark items as favs on your wishlist so you’re ready to go at the end of this week! I’m still eyeing this oversized plaid Free People tunic, hoping it is re-stocked in black and white for football season 😉 (Go Dawgs!) My first big shipment is supposed to get here today so I hope to share more about that later this week. In the meantime, here are a few of the things I have ordered; to see the full post, visit my honest guide HERE.

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25 Comments

  1. 7.18.17
    Joan Mechlin said:

    My dear Kelley, you are so full of good ideas, I’m going to remember every one when it comes to needing a vessel for my floral arrangements

    • 7.18.17

      Joan, you are the sweetest! I get bored so looking for different vessels is a good way to keep me entertained 😉

  2. 7.18.17
    Linda said:

    You have the best ideas! I have been pondering two white lanterns that I picked up in a flea market and didn’t know what to do with them but now I am inspired!

    • 7.18.17

      Linda, thank you! So glad to give you an idea – I bet those would be gorgeous on a table!

  3. 7.18.17
    Joni King said:

    Now I’m really inspired to do some floral arrangements. Thanks for all the great ideas! I especially love the wine with the peonies; but then you probably already knew that I would. Hugs!

    • 7.21.17

      Joni, I absolutely did haha. I love that you can get away with fewer blooms to pull off a statement 😉 PS: You are the BEST!

  4. 7.18.17
    Margaret Goodman said:

    GO DAWGS, is right! 🙂 Please, please, please, in a month or so, show us some pregame entertaining ideas! I know you will have some wonderful recipes and great red and black decorating ideas! I can’t wait! Thank you, Kelley Nan!

    • 7.21.17

      Haha yes, Margaret!! And I absolutely will; thank you so much and wishing you a wonderful weekend!

  5. 7.18.17
    Kim said:

    Hi Kelley,
    A quick question about the pottery barn chair ….. since I have no PB near me I wondered how comfortable is this chair and do you think it fits a short person well ??
    Great flower arranging ideas.

    • 7.21.17

      Hi, Kim! I am short and it does- especially with a pillow in the back. It is comfortable with a lot of support for a chair to sit in, but it isn’t the kind of chair I would curl up in to binge-watch Netflix, if that makes sense 😉

  6. 7.19.17
    c said:

    This is such a great decor idea! Will definitely be doing this for my outdoor meals.

    • 7.21.17

      I am so glad you like it! So many options 😉

  7. 7.19.17
    Gina said:

    Love your bright and cherry ideas …. Keep up the great work

  8. 7.19.17

    Very cute ideas, Kelley! I love having fresh flowers around so having fresh ideas to display them is always a plus!

    • 7.21.17

      Brenna, thank you! I agree- always looking to mix it up 😉

  9. 7.20.17

    A highball glass! That’s a genius idea!!!! I am always struggling with what to use for water inside other items and I never thought of that. I am so excited to try it out. Thank you so much!

    • 7.21.17

      Wendy, you are so welcome! Yes. I always raid the kitchen cabinets first 😉

  10. 10.24.17

    I like your ideas on floral design. I love how you used old lanterns and use it as a vase. It’s my wife’s birthday soon, and I know how she will love to receive flowers on her birthday. I want to step it up a bit more and not give her generic flower gifts. I think I’ll give your ideas a try. I agree that you can never go wrong with these, but I’ll be sure to check with the experts just in case.

    • 10.26.17

      Absolutely love flowers for any occasion (or non-occasion)- I think she will love them!

  11. 5.10.18
    Joanna said:

    What a wonderful reminder to use unusual containers for flowers. I use water pitchers for both flowers and branches. Time to branch out ?

    • 5.10.18

      Joanna, I love looking around and just seeing what I may be able to stuff some stems into, and then figuring out how it can hold water!