About This Program
Most florists work within familiar shapes: round bouquets, linear centerpieces, horizontal garlands. Sculptural floral design breaks those conventions deliberately and with purpose.
The ikebana foundation
Ikebana is not just a Japanese aesthetic - it is a system for understanding negative space, line, and asymmetry in a way that Western floristry rarely teaches. This course begins with Sogetsu school principles: the three main lines (shin, soe, hikae), their proportional relationships, and how to apply these rules before breaking them intentionally. You do not need prior ikebana experience, but you do need comfort with basic floral mechanics.
Working with non-floral botanical materials
Sculptural arrangements frequently incorporate branches, seed pods, bark, dried grasses, and manipulated leaves. We cover sourcing, preservation techniques (glycerin treatment, pressing, air drying), and how to integrate these materials structurally rather than decoratively. A branch is not decoration - it is architecture.
Scale and spatial thinking
Large-scale botanical sculptures require understanding how a piece reads from different distances and angles. The course includes exercises in designing for gallery settings, commercial interiors, and event installations where the arrangement is the focal point of a room, not an accessory to a table.
Practical output
By the end of the program, you will have completed four documented pieces of increasing complexity, suitable for a professional portfolio. Each piece is reviewed by the instructor with written notes on composition, material choice, and structural integrity.