Flower Collaboration

Photo Rodney Bailey

While I was doing flowers at our restaurant Rupperts we often travelled to Europe, mostly Paris where would eat at places like Pierre Gagnaire to experience just what three Michelin stars means. I would also always check out George V to see what they were doing with their flowers in the lobby as well as my favorite small neighborhood flower shops and Christian Tortu. Looking back I feel this had a profound effect on my designs.

Of course this was the Nineties and everything was highly stylized, however you could always count on the floral designer at George V to keep thing simple–Abundantly Simple. The color schemes, the use of huge bunches of the same flower and the simple tying off of bunches and laying them slanted in a vase.

I basically did three arrangements at the restaurant: One in each of the two rest rooms and a large arrangement either in the front or the middle of the dinning room... I liked the element of surprise once you got in the bathrooms and also the idea that one could experience the flowers in solitude.

My arrangements at first were mostly greens and whites and if I used color I did not stray to far from monotone... I still find an abundance of one type of flower completely satisfying...

Most of my flowers are now used for weddings and other special events. Often I am forced outside of the simplicity I cherish. I still use local and seasonal flowers carefully sourced from a variety of growers. However I often find that some of my greatest pleasure comes from a collaboration between myself and the client. A recent request for a garden wedding, where specific varieties of flowers and scent were more important than color, led me to subtle beautiful arrangements that are among some of my favorites that I have done this season. Next weekend I am doing a colorful wedding...although mixing the vibrant hues of late summer flowers is not the direction that I naturally go I am excited to work with this bright color palette. I look forward to preparing arrangements that will result in a collage of the brides and my own likes and dislikes.