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Joanna Gaines Loves Fake What?! A Spring Trend That Boggles the Mind

Joanna Gaines from “Fixer Upper” has been the driving force behind many hot home trends (hello, shiplap!). But the latest decor fad she’s pushing this spring is so weird, it has us worried she’s off her modern farmhouse rocker.

Ready for it?

Fake flowers. That’s right: Fake. Flowers.

Don’t believe us? The evidence is rather overwhelming. Her and husband Chip‘s immensely popular home goods line at Target, Hearth & Hand with Magnolia, is filled with faux flora, from white dogwood branches to bouquets of pink astilbe. Heck, they even offer a faux fern wreath!

And in case you think Jo’s just out to lunch with no clue what those Target product developers are pulling off behind her back, there’s proof her hands are in it: A video shows her arranging these bogus buds and espousing their many benefits.

“These are great because you can work with blooms that aren’t in season,” she explains in the video. “They’re extremely low-maintenance, and you won’t have to worry about them wilting.”

Thanks for the tip, Joanna, but we already knew that fake flowers won’t wilt. The big question on our minds is won’t they look fake? And, perhaps, tacky?

It’s hard to say how convincing these particular buds will look based on online product shots alone. But to some interior designers, the very idea of phony blossoms is a nonstarter. Just … no.

“I always encourage fresh flowers,” says New York–based interior designer Marina Umali. “They bring energy and vitality to a room that fake flowers can’t bring.”

And it’s not just how fake flowers look.

“Nothing can beat the fragrance and feel of fresh flowers,” Umali adds.

Nonetheless, certain experts point out that faux plants—following on the heels of fake turf—have come a long way since those fusty, dusty arrangement you saw in Grandma’s house.

“As the manufacturing process progresses, faux flowers definitely look more real now,” says RentHop real estate expert Shane Lee. “I buy flowers almost every week, and sometimes I can’t tell the difference between real and fake ones.”

Lee also says the type of fake flower picked can make a difference.

“Personally, I do not like big fake flowers, as it’s easier for my guests to notice that they’re fake—imagine a fake lily versus a few fake daisies,” says Lee. In other words, the smaller the petals, the better.

Of Jo’s Target line, “white dogwood will probably look the best in my opinion,” Lee says.

How these counterfeit cuttings are presented can make a difference, too.

“It also depends on the vase. [Joanna’s] mini jug vase [shown below] certainly has a simple and chic style, and it seems like a great option,” says Lee.

And whatever you do, don’t go overboard.

“When it comes to fake, less is more,” says real estate expert Denise Supplee at SparkRental.com. “Clear vases with a few strewn in looks classy. Perhaps placing one on a dining table and another on a cocktail table would be fine, but much more than that is overkill for sure.”

And definitely don’t take this as a sign that fake flowers are ever OK outside.

“Fake flowers of any kind placed outside is a big no-no,” Supplee says. “I once showed a home that had plastic red flowers pushed into the ground.”

We doubt Joanna would have approved.

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Source: Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com » Real Estate News