As spring begins to peek around the corner, it's time to uncover new ways of bringing nature into our homes. Our latest discovery? A Swedish invention that makes our homes greener and our flowers stand taller
Who doesn’t dream of a meadow amidst the four walls of their home? To wake to the greetings of tall-standing stems, bright spring flowers and flora-filled energy? Sure, vases can do the trick, holding the water and stems, but what if you could go further? What if there was a way for the blossom to stand perfectly without a receptacle or soil bed to bolster it? Well, there is a way, and it’s a Swedish invention.
Hanataba – which means bouquet in Japanese – was created over five years ago by Christian Jonasson. Jonasson, a former sound engineer, came across a floristry school in Japan when visiting over 20 years ago. Astounded by the difficult and tedious techniques used to bend and tie stems into bouquets and arrangements, an idea came to Jonasson: to create a tool or technical solution to bind the blossoms in a spiral, with no complex techniques required.
“It’s like a way to DIY a professional florist bouquet or arrangement, without the need to know the skills or the technique. It’s made for the person who loves to buy flowers or pick them from their garden and make absolutely stunning arrangements in a matter of moments,” explains Jonasson. “You don’t even need a vase to use the Hanataba, you can just prop the flowers up on a shallow plate, water them and they’ll stand by themselves - that or you can use completely dry flowers over any surface you want”.
While tools for holding flowers in place have been around for quite some time, there wasn’t anything on the market like what Jonasson had in mind. “I got caught up in the idea that the bouquet could be lifted out of the tool, machine or whatever it was going to be, but didn't get ahead. I was clear that it would take two levels or discs with a number of holes in which the stems went through. With a twist, the spiral would be accomplished. But how do I get the bouquet off?” he thought.
Years later, from their home in Malmö, the answer came to Jonasson. “The tool didn’t need to be taken off the bouquet, it just needed to be designed so it became part of the bouquet.” Then and there, the first prototype of the Hanataba saw the light and just a few years later, the concept-tool-hybrid is gaining followers amidst floral enthusiasts and nature admirers alike. The simplicity of the tool paired with the breathtaking results make for the perfect home-decor addition, no matter the time of year.
Jonasson has also expanded into kenzans, commonly known as flower-frogs, which hold stems still and tall. While the kenzan itself has been around for some time, Jonasson took the concept back with him to the drawing board and came up with the kenzan ring. While mimicking the original design, this ring-shaped reiteration uses an optical illusion to quite literally create a meadow, owing to the way the flowers are propped up. A vision for sore eyes.
Jonasson's designs are available to purchase online at https://www.hanataba.se/.