Flowers provide me with seemingly endless inspiration, so it should come as no surprise that I couldn't resist the allure of thousands of beautiful orchids.
The New York Botanical Garden has their 9th annual Orchid Show exhibition in full swing, and it couldn't be more astounding.
The theme of the show this year is "On Broadway," and features the creative work of Tony award winning set designer Scott Pask, and entertainment designer Drew Hodges. The individual spaces in the Orchid show are modeled after iconic Broadway theatres, including the Walter Kerr Theatre and the New Amsterdam Theatre.
I stopped by the show last week and couldn't get enough of the beautiful floral spectacle.
1 This was the view at the Botanical Garden entrance. This building held the garden's selection of award winning orchids.
2 The award-winning orchids.
3 Gorgeous. But it was about to get even better.
4 The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. A beautiful 1902 Victorian glass house. This where the Orchid Show is housed.
5
6 It was such a beautiful day for looking at flowers.
7
8 The moisture inside immediately fogged up the camera lens!
9 What a gorgeous sight to walk into.
10 This space was inspired by the Walter Kerr Theatre, commonly known as the "Ritz."
11 Here, the orchids are the performers.
12 The NYBG has palms from around the world. They were a beautiful compliment to the orchids.
13 A close-up of the "curtain." It looks like they made the curtain out of garden hose. How clever!
14 The dome of the conservatory.
15 Here is the second space of the Orchid Show. It was inspired by the promenade at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
16 The designers used a technique called "forced perspective" to mimic the scale of the theatre. The columns diminished in height and were spaced closer together as I walked through the space. This made the space seem much larger than it was.
17 It wasn't long before visitors started photographing the orchids. Who could resist?
18 The lighting in this space was amazing.
19 A view of the orchid-covered arches.
20 Orchids peeking from above.
21 Every Broadway show has divas. Each column in the space had orchid "divas" spotlighted.
22 Another diva.
23 The "understudies" around this diva are striking.
24 Pink pansy orchids.
25
26 Yellow pansy orchids.
27 Asian corsage orchids.
28 The color of these are unbelievable.
29 Sweet and romantic.
30 These shapes are marvelous.
31
32 Nun's Cap orchids.
33 Another beautiful form.
34 These orange orchids stopped me in my tracks.
35 Darwin's Star orchids.
36 It looks like an artist has water-colored on these.
37 The purple and white ones are lovely.
38 Moth orchids.
39 More beautiful painterly strokes of color.
40
41
42 These Newberry orchids have the most graphic pattern.
43 Love the details of these orchids.
44 Breathtaking.
45
46
47
48 The subtle touch of color on the tips of the petals is wonderful.
49
50
51 I adored the creamy look of these orchids.
52 The purple veins are marvelous.
53 Another romantic orchid.
54
55 I love how the color is spraying out of the middle of the bloom.
56
57 These orchids remind me of a crowd of faces.
58
59 Perfection.
60
61 The pattern on these is wild.
62
63 The third space had this amazing orchid chandelier. Martha raved about it when she was here.
64
65 Imagine having this in your home. I can only dream...
66 They set up orchids around the chandelier as an "audience."
67 More beautiful audience members.
68 The chandelier had this glassy reflecting pool underneath.
69 Golden Gate orchids.
70 Love this color combination.
71 Martha's crew was there taping b-roll for her television show.
72 Some more beautiful orchids displayed in a tree.
73 I couldn't resist photographing this amazing tree arch.
Going to a phenomenal showing of flowers like the Orchid Show may inspire you to incorporate some of that liveliness into your own home. I always have flowers throughout my apartment. I love the freshness plants add to my space, along with the naturally bright splash of color. Flowers are also one of the most versatile decorating elements because you can change them out at any time to achieve an entirely different look.
Here are my current floral muses.
1 A trio of arranged pussywillows in my livingroom.
2
3 A dramatic arrangement of magnolias.
4
5
6 These daffodils stand so well against the neutral tones in my living room.
7
8 Daffodils are so sweet.
9 Another beautiful shape.
10 This jasmine plant adds a fresh touch to my desk.
11
12 Some beautiful tulips on my dining table.
Kevin Sharkey 
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 3/22/11 at 4:34 am
Gorgeous! It is a wish to visit The New York Botanical Garden one day, amazingly gorgeous photos of their orchids, Love. Beautiful floral muses in your apartment a real inspiration. Thank you a beautiful post this morning. Happy Spring!
From: Kristina | 3/22/11 at 3:16 pm
Lovely! Have you ever been to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA? Their orchid collection is stunning. Its one of my favorite places to paint flowers and find gardening inspiration.
The forced magnolias are really visually breathtaking, I've been pretty interested in forcing blooms recently. I have a few tulips and some forsythias going right now.
From: Kath | 3/22/11 at 6:52 pm
Love the relaxing, neutral tones in your living room! The daffodil yellow combined with your furnishings declare the arrival of spring beautifully.