A short while back I wrote about the floral trend bloomcore and places we can take inspiration from. Today I’m back writing some variations on this same theme: what is bloomcore, and where can you find it? I’ll share some of my own observations on this, and then I have some links you can follow for bloomcore-influenced homewares.

In a profusion of petals and leaves, the bloomcore aesthetic is one of a number of ‘cores’ which has spread across the social media scene over the last few years. Some ‘cores’ seem to align themselves more with aesthetics, like  cottage core, and clutter core while others appear more related to a way of being, like the environmentally- conscious underconsumption core. 

Floral aesthetics are having a moment! The Guardian writes of how the 'bloomcore' trend is growing - and to be honest, I think I was into floral aesthetics and bloomcore trends before I even knew what they were!

Whether all-over-print floral homewares and busy botanical wallpapers are for you or not, flowers have significance in society in many ways. Author Beverly Seaton in her 2012 book The Language of Flowers: A History (Affiliate link)* of flowers' importance in nineteenth-century society, noting how they had been worn, used as part of celebrations, and given as gifts (9).

The question of the significance of flowers leads me to a first source of inspiration for floral aesthetics. 

1. Victorian-era books 
Many books, with titles which form some variation on the theme of the language and meaning of flowers, were produced during this era. The Miniature Language of Flowers in black and white has some sketches, and mainly lists flowers and their associated attributes. The Artistic Language of Flowers has both, in addition to colour illustrations and some poetry. Seaton refers to these as 'sentimental flower books' (16), and a simple search on archive.org gives a hint at how popular this kind of a book was in the nineteenth century. For a more up to date collection of books on flowers and their meanings, follow this link to amazon (Affiliate link)*

2. Photography 
I have been collecting photos of flowers constantly since I have arrived in Singapore, as there is so much colour and beauty in the landscapes here. I'm always stopping by flowers along the footpath to capture different blooms. Here is a small selection of flowers for today!