Palm Royale Posh: How to Decorate Like a Retro Hollywood Star
Anyone with a modicum of taste right now is looking backwards not forwards – and that’s because retro is all the rage.
When you pick vintage you look glorious. And while most of us can’t afford to keep up with modern aesthetics, dashes of old glamor will always make you look like a style sophisticate.
Ines Garstecki, owner of the Los Angeles floral design studio Flowermaid, is the set florist on the wildly popular Apple TV show Palm Royale. Capturing the imagination of viewers thanks to its retro them and bold set decoration, the show’s opulent blooms never look anything less than spectacular.
Go Big, Go Bold
“Budget was never an issue and we often got to splurge on the most expensive flowers such as yellow Bartzella Itoh peonies (which were used for the charity and auction ball in Episode 1 and 2),” says Garstecki, of her work on the show that stars Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney and Carol Burnett.
“We also used seasonal varieties like calla lilies, Belladonna delphiniums, dahlias, cosmos and Rudebeckia, which are perfect for Seventies colors.”
Here, ahead of the show’s second season, Garstecki reveals how anyone can recreate a nostalgic floral look that packs a powerful Palm Beach punch.
Palm Royale Centerpiece. Photo courtesy of IG @Ellensetdec
Design an Elegant Cocktail Hour Centerpiece
The Washington Post called ‘cocktail dinner’ the biggest trend of 1970, so your own cocktail hour should be accompanied by a lavish buffet and an array of beautiful florals. Don’t hold back. This is about making big, bold statements.
Create a dramatic multi-tiered centerpiece by placing vibrant flowers on the top tier and an array of plump shrimp and seafood on the lower tiers, similar to Maxine’s (played by Kristen Wiig), in Palm Royale.
Use bright colors like orange, peach, and hot pink (the ultimate Palm Beach palette) for an eye-catching display. Up the elegance factor with fuchsia dendrobium orchids sprinkled artfully over the buffet.
Palm Rayale Bar Photo courtesy of IG @Ellensetdec
Enhance Your Bar with Beautiful Blooms
Even if you don’t live in a sprawling mansion with glorious Palm Beach views, you can easily elevate your house bar (or bar cart), with a dazzling array of stylish floral arrangements.
If you lack mid-century-shaped vases, opt for timeless crystal vases, brass, or silver bowls. These classic containers not only hold beautiful blooms but also exude an air of sophistication, suggesting a background of old money.
Many of these containers can be sourced at consignment or thrift stores and will add a subtle yet classy addition enhancing the overall ambiance of your bar area.
Palm Rayale Space Inspired Arrangements. Photo courtesy Ines Garstecki, Flowermaid LA
Create NASA-Inspired Floral Displays
As they do in the first series of Palm Royale, you too can celebrate the spirit of the 1960s space race by commemorating the Apollo 12 moon landing. Use silver containers or creatively cut-in-half disco balls to hold an arrangement of blue, red, and white flowers.
Incorporate starburst-like flowers such as blue echinops thistle and nerine, arranging them in geometric patterns for a visually stunning tribute to the Sixties fascination with the early days of space travel.
For foliage use era-appropriate leather leaves, plumosa, tree fern, and lemon leaves.
Palm Royale Banquet Hall. Photo courtesy Ines Garstecki, Flowermaid LA
Embrace Abundance with Lavish Retro Displays
In true Palm Royale fashion, you must always supersize your floral ambitions. The more flowers you can use – think along the lines of the size of Elizabeth Taylor’s infamous diamond collection – the more impressive your décor will be.
In a socialite’s mansion, every table would be laden with blooms, just like the show’s matriarch character Norma, played by Carol Burnett. And that means all available surfaces should feature at least one floral arrangement.
Traditional flowers such as carnations, gladiolas, and baby’s breath were a staple – and the kind that Linda (played by Laura Dern) would use in her book club – but channel your inner socialite by mixing in unusual options such as peonies, garden roses, irises, and Helleborus.
Palm Rayale A-line Arrangement. Photo courtesy Ines Garstecki, Flowermaid LA
Mix Vintage with Geometrics
Reflect the geometric design trends of the late Sixties and early Seventies by incorporating A-line, L-line, and clean round shapes into your floral arrangements.
You can easily mimic these swinging Mary Quant-inspired designs in your centerpiece for a rectangle table, for example. For your bar, a cone-shaped arrangement will add a suitably stylish and retro touch.
Mixing and matching these geometric designs with bright, sunset-inspired colors will perfectly capture the vibrant and dynamic aesthetic of the late sixties. And forever more, you will be known as Palm Royale posh!
Ines Garstecki is the founder of Flowermaid, an LA-based floral design studio.
