FLOWERS: FAUX OR NO?

I have gorgeous memories of growing up in Bangalore, and one of them is my mum bringing home massive bunches of fresh flowers every other day. We had a small city apartment back then with no garden; now thankfully, mama Shetty has a massive garden in to tend to all year round which keeps her pretty busy. But I got so used to seeing a zingy bit of greenery around the house that it makes me a little sad that I have no plants at home these days. Since I travel so much and am the opposite of green-fingered (black-thumbed??) it seems too cruel to buy plants only for them to fill our bin liner the following week. My solution is fake flowers. I know, I know, they seem beyond tacky. But hold the phone. These days, you can buy flowers that are so realistic, I bet you'll have your nose wedged in them to get a whiff of their scent before you twig (pun very much intended) that they're fake. 

One of the best places to get faux flowers is from interior designer Abigail Ahern. I went on one of her design masterclasses the other day, held in her jawdroppingly stunning London home, and all around the house she had massive jugs filled with flowers so pretty I had no idea they were fake. Yeah they're a little pricey, but remember that they never die and you'll probably move house eight times before you even contemplate getting rid of them. For me, I'd probably opt for the hydrangeas - big fat luscious blooms are so my thing - though these dusty pink roses are stunn.