What is your education? I have a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design, which is an interdisciplinary education in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, with emphasis on social justice and ecological sustainability.Why did you choose to be a florist? It chose me. I walked into a flower shop one night after being hunched over a drafting table for hours and boom — I caught the flower bug!
When was Garden Party founded? 1995 in Seattle, after graduating from The London School of Floristry and several years of working with well known floral designers.
Describe your style. My style is ever evolving, but mainly I am a “wild formalist.” I begin with the fundamentals of design and then add some “quirky/unexpected/free-form” elements, incorporating color, texture and a wide variety of botanicals from commercial growers, my own garden and the wilds of nature. My goal is always to personalize arrangements in ways that compliment and embellish the people in the event. I’m known for bold use of color, structure and texture, and for arrangements that make people feel joyful.
What is your specialty at Garden Party? Letting the client speak; listening and hearing their story. Each event has a reason and a focus, and most brides have a dream. My goal is to translate and transform the stories and dreams into the language of flowers. Big or small, the stories are all personal and unique, just like nature’s beautiful bounty. I recently incorporated a freshly picked stalk of Brussels sprouts into a table centerpiece for the funeral service of a gentleman whose passion was growing Brussels sprouts and sharing them with family and friends all over the country. Because of the time of year, that stalk of sprouts was the most difficult ingredient for me to procure for the event, and yet it became the most significant part of the service for his family.
What is your philosophy at work? I became a florist because I love flowers and sharing that passion with others through my work. My team and I are committed to designing beautiful arrangements that merge our style with the client’s sensitivities.
Work Manifesto: I love my role in events and enjoy working collaboratively with other creatives to know the full vision behind each event, but I don’t want to be an event planner or caterer or baker. I want to focus on my skills as a florist. My most successful events as a floral designer occur when my clients and I establish a mutual trust that permits me to incorporate their vision into the perfect botanical expression.
What is your secret indulgence? Finding vintage clothing and vases at thrift stores. If you had to chose another career what would it be? The voice of a Disney character
Computer or Typewriter? Typewriter
Martini or Manhattan? Manhattan
If you could keep five possessions what would they be? My wedding rings, a landscape painting we purchased in Paris, my bible, our vinyl collection and a vase.
What skill would you like to learn? To sew.
Who do you most admire? Political watchdogs and hospice workers. Not in that order.
What artist do you listen to while you work? Amy Winehouse, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Gregory Porter, Alabama Shakes, Tony Bennett, Ted Talks.
Best work compliment? A bridesmaid tapped me on the shoulder before the wedding and said, “ If I could turn Adrienne (the bride) into flowers she’d look just like these (her bridal bouquet)”! I still have it saved on my phone