Fabulous fakery

Emma Wood’s stunning fake flowers and plants create an illusion of colour and greenery. Lynette Dobbin spots the real thing

Above: Peonies

Standing outside Emma Wood’s Chiswick home on a January morning, I enviously noticed the four cheerful window boxes planted with colourful cyclamen. Unlike my own sorry specimens, they are not drooping, there are no deadheads and the buds suggest that they will be flowering for weeks to come. Months, even. You have to scrutinise these particular cyclamen at close quarters to see that they are, in fact, 100% fake.

Inside the house – which doubles as the nerve centre of Fake It, the artificial flowers and plants business that Emma set up last September – I discovered more examples of her crafty fakery. It is a world away from naff plastic flowers with lurid green leaves; instead there are delicate hydrangea blooms with exquisite hand-painted fabric petals, orchid stems with yellow flower heads and irises that are spookily authentic, even to the touch. Alongside a bunch of ultra-realistic snowberries in the vase on the kitchen table there are stems of pussy willow, which also look and feel exactly like the real thing. And that’s because they are! Emma cheerfully admits that she has no qualms about mixing the real with the fake to create the desired stunning effect.

The inspiration for Fake It came when Emma, one of the partners in the well-known Chiswick florist Pollen Nation, was commissioned by an interior designer to supply artificial topiary window boxes for a property refurbishment. ‘It all started to snowball from there,’ she recalls. ‘I was always trying to come up with new ways to expand because it was hard to afford the rents on the High Road selling hand-tied bouquets for £25.’ When Emma started to display genuine-looking fakes next to the perishable stock most of her customers were amazed to be told that some of the blooms were artificial.

‘I want to overcome the perception that fake flowers are still the same as the plasticky naff things of 10 years ago. These days they can be so stylish,’ she explains. Emma is very particular about her suppliers and has travelled far and wide (even to Hong Kong) to source the best quality blooms and foliage in the most lifelike tones and textures. Apparently, you can even find fakes that smell, although she confides that the fragrances are definitely artificial.

Originally from north Wales, Emma took a degree in design management and then pursued a career as a women’s wear buyer for a number of high profile brands. ‘Even then, however, I always wanted to be involved in something which demanded more hands-on creativity and used my design skills,’ she tells me. A few Saturdays spent helping out a florist friend proved enough to convince Emma that she needed a change of direction; she promptly renounced fashion and re-trained with the celebrated floral designer Jane Packer. ‘It was an industry course that focused as much on the commercial side as on making up bouquets.’

Emma’s commercial background has stood her in good stead in getting the new venture off the ground. Fake It has struck an immediate chord and the company has already had positive coverage in the Evening Standard and several national lifestyle magazines. Word of mouth recommendations have resulted in commissions for private homes throughout the UK and Emma stresses that she is just as happy to work with individuals on smaller projects as she is with corporate clients. ‘Someone recently ordered six cyclamen. That’s no problem,’ she smiles (at around £5 a plant, they are not outrageously expensive).

Of course, restaurants, hotels and bars are an ideal environment for artificial plants and flowers because the real things rarely flourish in such dark and dry locations. The bamboo tree next to the bar in Sam’s Brasserie in Chiswick is a fine example of a genuine Fake It piece. ‘Restaurants do seem to love our installations,’ Emma says. ‘They look fantastic, don’t require any maintenance and allow the chefs to concentrate on the cooking!’

All Fake It’s exterior plants and flowers are weather resistant and the window boxes and door dressings can be changed on a seasonal basis; inside the home, arrangements can be created to complement existing colour schemes and containers and vases sourced for the ultimate finishing touch. Emma seems to have thought of everything; the result is the perfect service for the time-pressed and those lacking green-fingered flair – just don’t expect the flowers to smell!

For information call 020 8987 8544, email emma@fakeitflowers.co.uk or visit www.fakeitflowers.co.uk