Oxford - 7 Piece Curated Set

The Oxford curated set comes with seven ceramic flowers: an echeveria, a hawthorn, an azalea, a chalksticks succulent, a cornflower, a peony and a larkspur. Each one travels separately boxed, with the hanging keyhole already in place. Seven gave the greens, greys and navy enough room to make their case without the mantel looking like a crowded noticeboard.

Good above fireplace wall decor needs presence without clutter, and Oxford's olive green, grey and navy blooms give a mantel that settled, long-established look. Ceramic keeps its colour and shape for years, so nothing droops by the second winter. I like a mantel arrangement that looks inherited, even when it arrived last Tuesday in a cardboard box.

The Oxford ceramic flower collection includes olive green, avocado green, oatmeal, grey, navy blue, peach mocha and lime yellow. The reactive glazes respond to changing light, so the greys go almost silver by day and the navy deepens at night. It is a palette that sits comfortably with brick, stone, dark wood and very full bookshelves.

To arrange the Oxford set above a fireplace, centre the Avocado Green Sorbet Peony and let the other six fan out on either side in a gentle arc. Put the Lime Yellow Larkspur toward one end so it reads as an accent rather than a headline. Then step back to the far side of the room. Mantels are seen from the sofa, not from the ladder.

Hanging the Oxford curated collection is simple, since every flower has a keyhole on its back that sits on one screw in ordinary drywall. Above a fireplace, check whether the wall is brick or stone and use the right anchor if it is. Otherwise you need seven screws, a pencil and a level. The level is optional, though your guests will notice.

Oxford ceramic flowers need only an occasional pass with a soft cloth. The glaze is colourfast and waterproof, so dust or a little soot lifts off with a damp cloth. They do not wilt, fade or drop petals onto the hearth. That alone puts them ahead of most things people have traditionally propped on a mantel.

Yes, each Oxford flower is also sold on its own product page, so you can buy them individually. The seven were picked as a group, though, to balance one another across a mantel. Taking one away is like removing a single book from a matching set. Entirely possible, but the shelf will look slightly offended.

The Oxford ceramic flower set suits a living room with a fireplace, a library, a den or any room with dark wood and deep paint colours. It also works in a dining room lit mostly by candles. The common thread is a room built for staying put. Oxford is not a set for rooms people hurry through.