You’ve invested in paper floral artwork – now how do you keep your blooms looking fresh from the field? Paper flowers are tougher than the name implies, and keeping them looking good forever is fairly simple:

Avoid displaying your flowers in direct sunlight

UV rays aren’t just harmful for your skin! They can break down the color in your paper flowers (especially greens) so avoid placing your floral artwork in direct sunlight*. Display behind archival glass can help but won’t entirely stop fading, so make sure your flowers are protected from direct sun.

*All of my stems are sprayed with a UV protective finish before they leave my studio, but this will not protect them from direct continual sun exposure!

Protect your flowers from dust

This one can be a little more challenging depending on the size or type of your paper floral artwork.

Use a glass cloche or dome

One of the simplest ways to keep your pieces free from dust is to to display under glass or acrylic. I have a collection of glass cloches sourced from both modern retailers and vintage stores, and I love using them as a classic way to display paper flower treasures. They immediately give a real collector’s vibe to a shelf or table, and keep the insides protected from dust or cooking grease. As an added bonus, a glass cloche can both provide some light UV protection as well!

For extra tall pieces, my absolute favorite one is this giant from Arhaus – its absolutely huge, and gorgeous.

Gently dust using air

For pieces you cannot physically protect from dust, a gentle dusting with compressed air or a hair dryer on cold/low can help. If using compressed air, use caution and spray from a distance to avoid condensation. Another tool to consider is a handheld manual blower generally marketed for cleaning photography lenses.

You generally want to avoid physically wiping your paper sculpture to make sure you don’t cause accidental damage or removal of pigment from the surface, but in some cases a gentle swipe of a soft makeup brush might be appropriate – be sure to confirm with the artist if you can!

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