Living with Flowers

Classy, vibrant and bursting with color, De Swert's floral sculptures, captured beautifully here by Webber, demonstrate that the simple elegance of nature's blooms can not only be enhanced, but elevated to the level of art. ""Floral design is much more than filling vases and containers,"" De Swert writes. ""It is the study of a flower's personality through its color, size, stance, and texture."" In this volume, the Belgian-born designer, whose works have appeared in such magazines as Martha Stewart Living and O: The Oprah Magazine, presents gorgeous floral sculptures marked by clean lines, defined shapes and vivid hues. The book is broken up by color, the ""red"" section featuring such striking pieces as red roses arranged in bowls of lemon leaves and the ""purple"" section showcasing a seemingly oriental-inspired creation consisting of anemones and grape hyacinths in goose eggshells. There's no question that the book's 125 full-color photographs are the main course-De Swert's brief introduction is printed in small, barely readable gray lettering, and the flower arranging tips at the end occupy only one page. Most readers, however, will be more than satisfied by the visual feast contained herein.