For a recent Floral Fundamentals special, one of our favourite floral artists, Claudia Tararache, created this piece called Falling into Christmas. In this chat, she shares the inspiration behind the design, her creative process, and how Porta Nova Red Naomi® roses helped shape a festive composition that feels natural, expressive, and rooted in the quiet warmth of the Christmas season. She also shares with us how she would bring Freddie Mercury’s energy to life through floristry magic.
Your piece, “Falling into Christmas,” beautifully balances natural textures with the elegance of Porta Nova roses. What was the inspiration behind this design, and how do you feel it captures the spirit of Christmas?
Falling into Christmas” was inspired by the idea of a suspended moment — that instant when the quiet of winter meets the raw joy of the holiday season. I chose to work with Red Naomi because its velvety depth expresses both emotion and nobility.
The vertical, almost gravitational shape suggests a gentle descent into the Christmas atmosphere: warm light, the scent of branches, small red berries that seem to pulse like memories. It is a design about generosity and delicacy, about the natural rhythm that brings us together again.
Take us through the making of this design and some of the techniques you used to combine the different flowers into this festive composition?
- The creative process began with constructing a suspended focal point: a perfectly rounded Oasis sphere, secured with wire to achieve a clean, floating effect. After shaping the sphere and covering it entirely with Porta Nova Red Naomi roses, I started enriching the design with festive botanical textures.
- Using floral adhesive, I applied seasonal materials such as cranberries, ilex berries, pinecones, fir branches and star anise, placing them in accents and clusters to create rhythm and a natural winter atmosphere. Along the cascading line, I also integrated Vanda orchids in deep, velvety tones, bringing an elegant contrast to the roses and adding a refined, jewel-like expression to the composition.
- To visually connect the sphere with the vertical extension, I used a combination of wiring and fine binding techniques. These allowed the branches, berries and orchids to fall organically while maintaining the lightness and stability of the structure.
- The final result is a dialogue between precision — represented by the perfectly shaped Red Naomi sphere — and freedom, expressed through the cascading textures enriched with Vanda, winter greenery and fruit details. Together, these elements create a festive, sculptural and poetic composition that captures the warmth and richness of the Christmas season.
What trends do you see shaping this year’s Christmas season in Romania, in terms of colour, materials, or design styles?
In Romania, I see a clear shift toward a more natural and authentic Christmas aesthetic. People are looking for emotion, not just decoration. Colour palettes move toward deeper tones — intense reds, burgundy and forest green — paired with subtle metallic accents.
Another growing trend is the use of organic materials such as branches, fibres, berries and winter foliage, complemented by succulents, which add an unexpected modern touch and a fresh, structural element to festive designs.
Flowers remain essential: abundant, expressive and used to create sculptural shapes rather than compact arrangements. Overall, the Christmas mood is becoming more poetic, more conscious and closer to nature.
If you could design a Christmas arrangement for any famous person (past or present), who would it be and what kind of design would you create for them?
I would choose Freddie Mercury — one of my all-time favourite artists. His presence was powerful, theatrical and deeply emotional, and I would design a Christmas arrangement that reflects exactly that energy.
I would create a sculptural composition with dynamic lines and dramatic contrasts, built around Porta Nova Red Naomi roses. I would incorporate natural textures that evoke rhythm and movement — much like his stage presence — along with rich botanical elements that convey intensity, passion and depth.
The arrangement would become an organic, expressive tribute to Freddie Mercury’s sensitivity and strength, translating into floral language what he communicated through music.
Article in collaboration with Floral Fundamentals,
Photography by i.a.p._flowerphotography
Designs by: Claudia Tararache
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Their rich, velvety red hue and full blooms make them stand out beautifully. They embody elegance and strength, making them perfect for this solemn occasion.
