There’s a difference between a room being decorated and a room feeling finished.

You can have the furniture in place, the walls painted and the lighting installed, yet still feel as though something is missing. Often, it’s the final layers of styling that brings everything together.

Flowers have long been one of interior designers' favourite finishing touches—and it's easy to understand why.

Spend a few minutes looking through the pages of an interiors magazine, browsing Pinterest or watching a home makeover programme and you'll quickly notice one thing: almost every beautifully styled room contains flowers.

So what actually makes a room feel finished?

Together with interior designer Claire Spackman from Enta Design Studio, we’re exploring five of the techniques designers use to add that final layer to a space — and why flowers play such an important role.

1. Introduce organic shapes to soften the room

Look around almost any room and you'll find plenty of hard lines.

Furniture. Doorways. Windows. Shelving. Stone. Glass. Metal.

One of the simplest ways interior designers soften those lines is by introducing more organic shapes.

“Flowers bring far more than colour to an interior. Their organic shapes, movement, texture and scent introduce a sensory layer that hard, static materials simply can’t. We don’t experience a room through our eyes alone, bringing something living into a space can make it feel softer, more connected to nature and ultimately more alive”

This is particularly useful in contemporary interiors, where clean lines can otherwise begin to feel slightly clinical.

2. Give the eye somewhere to land

Well-designed rooms usually have a visual hierarchy.

Rather than every object competing for attention, there are deliberate places where your eye naturally settles.

Artwork, lighting and statement furniture can all create these focal points, but flowers can do the same thing.

A generous arrangement on a kitchen island, dining table, coffee table, console or sideboard immediately gives the eye somewhere to land.

Scale matters here. A small arrangement can disappear on a large surface, while a larger arrangement can anchor the space and make the styling feel intentional.

“I think about flowers as part of the sensory experience of a room, not just its decoration. Sight, scent, texture and even the movement of a stem can change how we experience a space. Those small sensory cues can bring us back to the present, create a sense of calm or energy, and make a room feel more alive. For me, it’s about designing how you want a space to feel, as well as how you want it to look.”

3. Use colour without redecorating

A finished room doesn't necessarily mean a room in which everything perfectly matches.

In fact, introducing smaller accents of colour can help an interior feel more layered and interesting.

Flowers are one of the easiest ways to do this because they allow you to introduce colour without making a permanent commitment.

Our research found that 60% of respondents choose flowers specifically to add colour to a room, while 64% choose them to complement their home's décor.

That might mean rich burgundy stems against a neutral interior, soft blush tones in a warm scheme or greenery to bring freshness to a more muted palette.

It also makes it easy to change a room with the seasons.

“Flowers are an easy way to bring the seasons into your home without changing your décor. Keep your main pieces timeless, then introduce one or two seasonal stems or simply change the colours in your vase. It’s a small change, but it can completely refresh how a room feels.”

4. Add the details that make a room feel lived in

Beautifully designed homes rarely feel empty.

Books, ceramics, candles, textiles, artwork and flowers create the smaller layers that make a room feel personal rather than staged.

These objects don't necessarily need to be perfectly coordinated. In fact, a little imperfection can make an interior feel more natural.

“Sometimes a room can have all the right pieces but still feel a little static. Flowers bring something different their natural, irregular shapes and movement add a sense of life and imperfection. I love that they don’t have to be perfectly arranged; that little bit of unpredictability can stop a space feeling too rigid or showroom-like and make it feel much more lived in.”

5. Style the unexpected spaces

One of the easiest ways to make a home feel thoughtfully designed is to pay attention to the spaces that are usually forgotten.

The hallway.

A bedside table.

A windowsill.

The bathroom.

A utility room.

An awkward corner.

These smaller moments can have a surprisingly big effect on how finished a home feels.

“Don’t always put flowers where you expect to see them. A small arrangement in a bathroom, beside the bed, in a hallway or even a utility room can completely change how that space feels. I also love using branches in awkward corners. The principle is simple: place flowers where they improve the experience of using the room, not simply where there happens to be an empty surface.”

The secret is layering

Perhaps the biggest difference between a room that has simply been decorated and one that feels professionally designed is layering.

Furniture establishes the function of the room.

Lighting creates atmosphere.

Artwork adds personality.

Textiles introduce softness.

Objects tell a story.

And flowers bring organic shape, colour, movement and life.

Our Best & Bloom Home Styling Report 2026 found that:

• 64% choose flowers to complement their home's décor.
• 60% use flowers to introduce colour.
• 50% use flowers to create a welcoming atmosphere.
• 37% say flowers make their home feel more luxurious or thoughtfully styled.
• 47% say flowers lift their mood.

“As Best & Bloom’s research shows, flowers are often chosen to complement our homes and create atmosphere, but I see them as much more than a final decorative layer. They can bring softness, movement, colour and a connection to nature, while creating little moments of pleasure throughout the day. And when budgets matter, you don’t need to buy a whole new arrangement. Choose pieces you love, mix them with seasonal stems and change colours and textures throughout the year. Best & Blooms bouquets are incredibly realistic, so you can build a collection and keep changing the look. You could even add a subtle seasonal fragrance around the vase and suddenly you’re changing not just how a room looks, but how it feels and smells.”

How to finish a room like an interior designer: FAQs

What makes a room look professionally designed?

Professionally designed rooms tend to combine good proportions, a clear focal point, layered lighting, complementary colours and a mixture of textures and shapes. The final layer — including artwork, books, ceramics, textiles and flowers — helps the room feel considered rather than simply furnished.

Why does my room still feel unfinished?

A room can contain all the necessary furniture and still feel unfinished if it lacks layers, contrast or a focal point. Try introducing artwork, textiles, decorative objects, flowers or foliage and consider whether there is somewhere natural for the eye to settle.

How do interior designers use flowers?

Interior designers use flowers to introduce colour, organic shapes, texture, movement and softness. Larger arrangements can also create focal points, while smaller arrangements can add interest to overlooked areas such as hallways, bathrooms and bedside tables.

Where should you put flowers in a room?

Kitchen islands, dining tables, coffee tables, consoles and sideboards are natural locations for larger arrangements. Smaller arrangements can be used on bedside tables, shelves and bathroom surfaces, while taller stems or branches can help fill awkward corners.

How big should a flower arrangement be?

The arrangement should be proportionate to the furniture and room around it. Large surfaces such as kitchen islands and dining tables can usually accommodate larger arrangements, while smaller surfaces require more compact displays. An arrangement that is too small can become visually lost.

How can you make a room look more luxurious?

Rather than simply adding more decorative objects, concentrate on scale, texture and layering. A few substantial, thoughtfully chosen pieces often create greater impact than lots of small accessories. Flowers can introduce another layer of colour, texture and organic shape; 37% of respondents to the Best & Bloom Home Styling Report 2026 said flowers make their home feel more luxurious or thoughtfully styled.

Where can I get interior design help for my home?

For professional interior design help, Claire at Enta Design Studio offers a range of services, from quick advice on an existing room to complete room transformations and larger renovation projects. An initial discovery call is free of charge.

Interior design services include a Home Design Consultation for £125, with an in-home visit of up to two hours within a 40-mile radius; an online Room Refresh for £95 per room; a Room Redesign for £295 per room, including a mood board, colour palette, 2D layout and sourcing list; and Room Reimagined for £395 per room, which also includes a realistic 3D visual. For a completely new scheme, Room Transformation costs £495 per room and considers the layout, furniture, colour, lighting, materials and finishing touches as one cohesive design. Claire also offers tailored interior design services for whole homes, renovations, commercial spaces and development projects, with pricing available on application.

Where can I buy pre-styled, realistic artificial flowers?

Best & Bloom offers pre-styled artificial flower bouquets designed to give you the look of professionally arranged fresh flowers without the maintenance. Each bouquet combines carefully selected, realistic artificial flowers and foliage, arranged with natural shape, movement and texture in mind.

Available in a range of colours, styles and sizes, Best & Bloom's luxury faux flower arrangements arrive ready to style, making them an easy way to add long-lasting flowers to your home.

View more at: https://bestandbloom.com