Have you always wanted to be a floral designer? We're taking a break from The Pollen Lounge's usual Features to bring to you a very special contest. Sketches must be submitted by Saturday, July 27th, 2013. As part of the Wounded Warrior Project benefit event by Trueheart Events on September 22nd, we invite YOU to submit a sketch for our last table to be designed, for the nominated show "Veep". The event will take place at the Avalon in Hollywood where guests will be treated to the red carpet, VIP treatment and watch the Emmy's live. See Carly and her designer's sketches below (see, even pro's draw like school children;) GIRLS, Mad Men, Modern FamilyGame of Thrones, Breaking BadBig Bang Theory, Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Homeland
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Filed Under: Events What I love about James Farmer is that you recognize his style immediately, and to me, that defines what an artist is, in any form. He's sort of a Jack-of-all-Trades sort of character, with a background in gardening, cooking, and floral design. His style is filled with lush blooms, over the top, and almost taking over the room. I like that bold statement. It feels right. If anything, it feels original. Forget that 2:1 ratio, or any ratio for that matter-- these blooms take over without a cause, a rhyme, or reason. Above: Lilies, hydrangea and fern taking over a dining room table.
Below: Orchids, Bells of Ireland, hydrangea, and greens overflowing a mantle. Filed Under: DIY, Events You know that nearly everything I do is somehow related back to food. When it comes to design, especially floral design, it can all be tied together. When we slice stems, cutting them just so, break apart hydrangeas, dunk them; these are all sensory experiences just like cooking. I met Vegan Chef extraordinaire Leslie Durso through our mutual friend, the very talented photographer Laura Grier, and got circled back with her recently. Her team sent me these images of the edible arrangements she makes from fresh farmer's market produce. Of course I had to show this off! Leslie Durso started with bundles of inspiration from the local Farmer's Market. She used fresh lettuces, kale, chamomile, lavender, sage, lemon verbena, basil, mint, bay leaves, peaches, rosemary, fennel, and parsley. I love this look so much! And it is indeed very eco:) Thanks for sharing!
Leslie Durso Facebook, Twitter Filed Under: Showers First off, I want to say that I love the name PEAR Planning. It just resonates as what it is- festive, fun and fresh. Secondly, I noticed immediately that their website was user-friendly. especially finding the social media buttons. I could tell that the owner Shannon was forward thinking and just really like her whole branding. That's the businesswoman in me talking; now onto the main event. Per Shannon, "This was for PEAR first launch of our new division PEARbaby. It also happened to be my only sisters baby shower :) for twins! When designing the floral I had three specific words in mind - {modern} {relevant} {bold}. They flowers were by Whistle Stop Florist. My esthetic for design focuses on those defining words and what seems to set us apart from the current Trend of vintage pale and soft." I agree with you Shannon, which is probably why I love this so much! What I noticed about this shower were the details. I love the green buttons strung from wire above, and how the florals are gender-neutral, modern, fresh, and still sophisticated. I love the color palette too! How gorgeous is that?!?! So good!!!!! I'm not a huge fan of iris (in the largest arrangement), but it just goes so well with everything. I also don't love bud vases, but again, this is done so well! Shannon told me, "The theme for the event was the "perfect pair" and we gravitated toward the green aspect of a pear. My sisters favorite color is purple so it was only natural when the florist recommended eggplant anemones I was in love. We also brought in ceramic abstract pear vases to give a nod to the theme but not overwhelm the event with it. Color coordinated buttons were used as an accent since commonly used in children's designs. We wanted to keep the floral arrangements intriguing and read as a piece of art. It was the florals that completely transformed this event into a special occasion." All photos are by Alice Patterson Photography And this is totally irrelevant to the shower flowers, but look at the details below- swoon! I love the advice card and the sonogram pic! Darling!
Filed Under: DIY, Events, Weddings I asked Darlynn why she chose to use these crafty fake flowers for her wedding, and everything that went into it, so lets find out what she had to say! Definitely check out her blog The Little Blog Dress while you're at it. And her ring on there- to die for! I'm not materialistic (except when I am;) While I do think this is an alternative for the nontraditional bride, I think these are great for any kind of celebration. I was surprised at how much I liked the ceremony pew "flowers"! Per Darlynn: "Flowers make me sneeze and I didn't want to be miserable all day! Plus, I can buy 1000 coffee filters for $5.98 and thought that was really a good way to save money. :)" "I actually looked at felt flowers but saw the idea of the coffee filter flowers, experimented by spray painting them (don't let ANYONE talk you into using food coloring, ha ha) and just loved them. I made about 100 of them put them in thrift store vases that we painted cream." Here's one of the tutorials she used to create her wedding flowers from She Likes Ruffles.
Thanks for sharing and good DIY work! Little Blog Dress Facebook, Twitter The cool part about Winston's Flowers is how they stay current in design and trends, which is unusual for a florist that dates back to over 20 years ago. Most florists that started in the 80s end up sticking close to those styles that were trendy back then. When you walk into their shop, you're immediately brought into a very modern space, filled with tight blooms and unusual designs. I am absolutely in love with the top right design. I actually had a client request something similar (okay it was very different), but of that size and aesthetic, so it's cool to see what it would look like. Sometimes in floral design you have this idea in your head, but because of time and materials, you can't always make it ahead of tim. I think this entire structure is brilliant. Everything is clearly custom made and the color scheme is divine. This uses a nice balance of greens to florals. The red anthirium, is placed just right. I popped into their Greenwich, CT shop during a day trip.
Below: A typical small arrangement, done in color blocking; a very modern, tight pave style. Filed under: Editorial, Events I own all of his books, and have had the pleasure of touring his studio space in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. And this Fall I will be working with him! Really, to me, there is no one above David Stark and his team of creatives at David Stark Design. He started as a painter at my brother's alum RISD and then partnered with Avi where they opened a very modern, edgy and overall badass design studio. After their long career together, David broke off on his own. I've been so lucky to get an insider's look into some of the most creative and smart people in the business. First I got to tour Martha's office this past summer, which deserves its' own post, and then got to see David's multi-level studio which expands into a huge workspace filled with every imaginable material that one could or would want to play with. They employ designers in all fields from graphic design to sculpture to carpenters. What I like most about the direction he's gone in is that they use materials in creative ways versus just having normal centerpieces for an event. Recently they did a paper exhibit at The Whitney which looked like something out of Tron, and created a "bodega flower backdrop" for a Step and Repeat. Seriously, cool!
Filed Under: Events I had the opportunity to go to the opening party for the Red Bull Music Academy in May at their new offices in Chelsea. Immediately, in on one of their floors filled with various recording rooms, and open offices, I noticed these plants along the wall and in hidden spots. I love this creative tie-dye effect making the plants a real piece of art. The colors are playful yet modern, artistic yet serious. I think this is very well executed and fit the space perfectly well. When doing flowers, not only is it important to take note about the space, but about the message the client is trying to convey. This is a great idea for a party or to spruce up a room in a funky way. You could use spray paint, or get floral spray paint available at craft and floral supply stores. With these sprays, you are enhancing the color versus changing it, so that a red will become redder, etc. Photography by Matthew Cylinder
On hiatus this week due to Mother's Day and filming an ABC segment this weekend. Check back next week! xo Carly
Filed under: Editorial, DIY You already know my love affair between fashion, art, music, and flowers. It just makes sense. I was so impressed by these really great flowers done by the eat/drink/garden goddess herself, Ms. Valerie Rice. Not to mention, I've never seen a sexier apron than the one she's created. I didn't even know that aprons could be sexy-- but turns out that they can be! Who knew?! When I first started Flour LA, I used to always give friends flowers for their birthday. But then pleasure became work, work became less than pleasurable, and I started to bring booze instead of blooms. But lucky for Val's friends, they still get these amazing arrangements! Valerie created this Pucci-inspired arrangement for her friend who loves Pucci. I love replicated patterns in florals, and Pucci definitely has a signature look that makes it easy to follow. Above: Pucci inspired flowers, featuring ranunculus, sweet peas (my all-time fav flower), fringe parrot tulips, and crespedia (billy balls). The colors work well, and the white really creates such a fresh look. Orange, yellow, and pink always look good together too.
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