Welcome back to Behind the Build! In this blog series, we take you into the world of our botanical building sets. We explore our favourite brick flowers: from their symbolic meaning to the build experience and the best styling tips for your interior.
In this fourth edition, we are taking a trip to the tropics with an absolute showstopper: the Paradise Bird. Known for its striking, architectural shape and vibrant colours, this flower brings an exotic and modern flair to any space. And because it's built from bricks, this tropical beauty will thrive in your home forever, no matter the climate!
The Inspiration: Freedom, Joy, and Excellence In nature, the Bird of Paradise (officially known as Strelitzia) gets its name from its incredible resemblance to a brightly coloured bird in mid-flight.
Symbolically, the Paradise Bird represents freedom, joy, excellence, and success. Because of its royal and exotic appearance, it is often associated with paradise and a unique perspective on life. Gifting a Paradise Bird botanical building set is a wonderful way to celebrate someone's unique personality, a major promotion, or a graduation. It essentially says: "Spread your wings and fly!"
The Build Experience: Crafting the Crane Building the Paradise Bird is a truly unique experience because its anatomy is so different from a traditional round flower. It feels more like building a modern, architectural sculpture. Here is what you can expect when you open the bags:
- The Stem & Angled Joints: You start by constructing a tall, strong green stem using interlocking pins. A clever detail in this phase is the use of angled connectors to create a natural-looking offshoot for the leaves.
- The Giant Leaf: You build a massive, architectural green leaf using a long, specialised wedge piece, creating a lush tropical base for the flower.
- The Colourful Crest: This is where the magic happens! On top of a sturdy red and yellow base , you carefully attach the striking orange slope pieces , delicate white rods , and the distinct purple curved "horn" piece.
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Taking Flight: By angling these brightly colored pieces upwards and outwards on the base , you perfectly mimic the aerodynamic look of a tropical bird taking flight.
Mix & Match: Styling Your Paradise Bird The Paradise Bird is the ultimate "Focal Flower". It has a very distinct, architectural shape that demands attention, making it incredibly fun to style in a DIY bouquet.
Here are the best pairings from the BuildABouquet collection to create a stunning arrangement:
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The Exotic Jungle: Lean into the tropical theme! Pair the Paradise Bird with the tall, vibrant Multi-Color Lupine. The contrasting shapes and bright colours create a lush, jungle-inspired arrangement.
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Warm & Vibrant: For a fiery, attention-grabbing bouquet, combine it with the classic Orange Rose to highlight the warm orange tones of the petals.
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A Unique Twist: Mix it with the intricate Passion Flower for a highly detailed, deeply botanical look, or add some Hypericum Berries for wonderful extra texture.
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The Modern Soloist: Because the Paradise Bird is so sculptural, it looks breathtaking on its own. Place a single stem in a sleek, minimalist vase for a high-end, contemporary art gallery vibe.
Join the Community Have you brought the tropics indoors with the Paradise Bird? We would love to see how you styled it! Snap a picture of your never-wilting creation and share it on Instagram using the hashtag #BuildABouquet.
Your craft, our community We’ve created a space where the passion for botanical building sets blossoms into shared experiences and unique creations. Here is how you can join the fun:
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Join Discord: Hop into our Discord server to meet other flower fans, share ideas, and be the first to get updates.
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Craft your vision: Submit your own bouquet concepts based on our community theme. Whether it's digital art or a photo of a prototype you built—we want to see it!
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Watch it bloom: Vote for the community's favourites. The winning design will actually be produced by us as a limited edition set, so everyone can buy it!
Join the Discord