FLOWER PEOPLE for the
15 FRESH CUT GERBER DAISYS WITH SUPPORTING GREENERY
FREE 3 DAY DELIVERY
$54.99
A CAPTIVATING ANDCOLORFUL CENTERPIECE FOR ANY SETTING
WELCOME LETTER
COLOR, COLOR, COLOR! Flowers paint and inspire our world in astounding ways, especially at this time of year. For pure inspiration, let us show you how the White House does the holidays. It’s surely the ultimate celebration of color and brilliance. In this issue, we also take a look at three budding entrepreneurs who are making their mark in the floral world. These represent a new generation of business leaders who are doing it the right way - sourcing local growers, choosing ethical business practices, and expanding their companies in novel ways to involve their customers in hands-on floral design events. You’ll meet the founder of Florabrook, Caroline Lahti, whose “activations” have customers lined up for more. The Flower Hat’s Julio Freitas gives valuable advice to would-be florists and we learn how female-owned and operated Farmgirl Flowers delivers fresh, hand-tied bouquets all over the U.S. The worlds of interior design, real estate, art and fashion are equally influenced by the natural world, and in this issue, we introduce you to talented artist, illustrator and designer Danielle Duer. Her intricate floral patterning, reminiscent of Gustav Klimt, speaks to the infinite source of originality inspired by flowers which continues to refresh and surprise the eyes. Israeli fashion designer, Shahar Avnet uses bold, brilliant color and floral motifs with an ingenuity that has put her on the road to fashion super- stardom; international interior design firm YoDeZeen uses a powerful mix of muted dark blues, greys and blacks, gloriously offset by a flowing trellis garden in their restaurant design for Tolstiy & Tonkiy in Kyiv, Ukraine. And where would the realtors of the world be without flowers? Jenna McKay and Natalie Kraiem readily admit to their indispensability as a key staging tool in their top New York listings to both set the mood and help seal the deal. Our heartfelt thanks to the contributors, writers, designers and, of course, readers who make this magazine possible.
We love you!
As always, we would love to hear from you. You can contact me at ruth@coutureflowersmagazine.com
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 1
1 Welcome Letter 2 TOC 4 Holiday at The White House
STAFF
FLORAL INFLUENCERS
• Susannah Pask Managing Editor
8 Florabrook
• Rosa Berland Contibuting Editor
10 The Flower Hat
• Alexandra Bromson Director
14 Farmgirl Flowers
• Greg Concha Design
INTERIOR DESIGN
• Ruth Loiseau Director and Owner • Bruce Valicenti Interior Design
16 YoDezeen - Tradition Meets Technology 20 Jenna McKay - From Uzbekistan to Soho 24 Natalie Kraiem - City of Lights FASHION 28 Profiles in Haute Couture: Shahar Avnet ART 34 Danielle Duer’s Vision of Lush Modernity
2 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS AT THE
WHITE HOUSE
4 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
RUTH LOISEAU
Holidays at The White House is always a festive glory of color and brilliance! I was thrilled to work with Chicago based event planner, Nick Watts and the White House florist, Hediah Ghaffarian, who consulted with First Lady Melania Trump on this year’s Christmas décor theme of “American Treasures.” All the rooms were decorated, including the upper and lower cross halls, the Color Rooms, East Room, State Dining Room, the Vermeil Room, China Room, Map Room, Library, East Colonnade, the West Wing and the First Lady’s office Red berry trees line the Colonnade to create a very dramatic entrance and The Red Room features a decorated tree in its center. Two festively decorated, lit wreaths hang in the windows and the mantle also matches the room décor. The Blue Room tree is 18 ft tall, decorated with gorgeous blue velvet ribbon which carries the names of all 50 states, depicting this year’s “American Treasures” theme.
In the East Room, we decorated four large fresh trees with gold leaves and berries, gorgeous ribbons and laser ornaments and we put fresh garlands around the mirrors and above the four fireplace mantles. Four cities were chosen to represent the U.S. and a laser cut-out cardboard skyline of New York, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco echoes the theme. Plush garlands adorned with ribbon, ornaments and pears enhance Ladybird Johnson’s portrait in the Vermeil Room, and in the Library, we placed two matching trees with glass State Ball ornaments. Suzie Morrison, The White House pastry chef created an amazing gingerbread house, an interpretation of The National Mall including all the monuments and The White House. All the structures had lighting and the detailing was perfect. Holidays at The White House are such an amazing time. From the moment you walk in the door, it’s surreal! For me it’s a dream come true. There is a special atmosphere and vibe that is unforgettable. From our family to yours, we wish you happy holidays! Ruth Loiseau
6 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
Holidays at The White House are such an amazing time. From the moment you walk in the door, it’s surreal! For me it’s a dream come true. There is a special atmosphere and vibe that is unforgettable.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 7
FLORAL INFLUENCERS
FLORA
BROOK N
E
W
Meet Florabrook, a burgeoning floral enterprise based on the Lower East Side of New York, founded by Caroline “Flora” Lahti. Enterprise is probably the best way to describe the company, whose energetic (and decidedly cool) partners have found novel ways to extend their business beyond the usual flower deliveries, weekly switch-outs for corporations, private residences and hotels and special designs for select weddings, social events, dinners and company functions. Yes, they offer all of that - and in exceptional, original style we might add - but Caroline and her best friend since sixth grade, Lindsay, who doubles as the company photographer, have taken floral arranging to the next level by allowing clients to get their hands dirty, literally. Florabrook also offers what they call “activations,” which are experiential flower events such as flower arrangement classes, do-it-yourself flower pressing or a make-your-own bouquet bar. As Caroline explains, “Activations are experiences, such as a flower class or having us in your space to assist in making floral arrangements, flower crowns, bouquets or wreathes. It gives customers stuff to actually do while they shop in your store or attend your event.” Florabrook’s activations are a smart way to get clients involved with floral design from the ground up and help them and their customers experience and enjoy flowers in a whole new way. Activations can create a bigger buzz around a corporate brand, accelerate the hype and excitement of a new product launch and can be customized to fit any event, opening, launch or theme. By allowing clients to experience flowers in an active way, they have taken the passive flower arrangement delivery and made it into a living, breathing creation. Their clients love it. “We did one or two classes for a brand, then people started messaging like crazy. ‘When’s the next one?’ It was never
Y
O
R
K
my plan for the business and I actually hate public speaking, but we go with the flow and now it’s something we do regularly,” says Caroline. We wanted to dig a little deeper in Caroline’s background and found out that she grew up in the woods in upstate New York; coming from a family of entrepreneurs she knew she wanted to someday own her own business. After graduation she landed an office job in NYC, where she worked diligently for two whole days (she laughs at this) before realizing the corporate world just wasn’t her thing. Soon afterwards she found herself at another floral company where she stayed for a year. At age 23, she started doing succulent arrangements in vintage or cool containers and called herself “Succulents in the City.” She sold at tiny street fairs but was determined to get into weekly flowers, so she started reaching out to people that she wanted to work with. The news spread organically, and the company eventually grew roots. Florabrook now does a wide range of events, such as dinners, activations, meetings, pitches and launch parties, many in conjunction with outside event companies. We asked Caroline about her plans for Florabrook. “In the 4+ years we’ve been going I haven’t been such a sit down and plan type. It’s always been roll with what’s thrown at us and it’s been going well. I think that with doing a good job and being reliable, the company has been growing on its own naturally, and our events and weekly clients have been getting bigger. I just hope for that all to continue. A lot of people ask us if we plan to get a store, but I don’t think that’s the business model that suits us. I’m more interested in doing big things, than say a happy birthday bouquet delivery – it’s just more challenging and rewarding in my opinion” she says.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 9
FLORAL INFLUENCERS
Julio Freitas of The
FLOWER HAT Gives Advice to Budding Florists
WEARING HIS FLOWER HAT WITH PRIDE AND PASSION So, why is his company called The Flower Hat? Julio is a talented florist from Bozeman Montana where he runs a flourishing wedding business. He launched The Flower Hat brand two and a half years ago, although he has been a florist for over seven years. He started in floral design with “high-impact” weekly floral arrangements for a small coffee shop, employing techniques such as color blocking and repetition in larger arrangements. The business quickly took off and he started doing weddings. Julio’s husband is an interior designer and their company was originally an Interior and Floral Design business called Kirkham & Company. Back then, Julio would wear a flower-patterned baseball cap to set up weddings - and brides would tell him “I was wondering which hat you were going to wear to [set up] my wedding!” The hat became a thing, so when they decided to split Kirkham & Co. into two separate businesses, the name “The Flower Hat” was an obvious choice. Today, Julio still wear the hats for wedding set-ups and for “armload” shots for Instagram, and that has helped followers and clients alike associate him with “the hat.” We asked Julio to give advice to floral designers getting into the business: FIND OTHER FLORIST GROUPS “There are more flower farmers and farmer-florists entering the business, but when it comes to design, there’s a lack of information for those who are starting out,” he says. “With that in mind, I recently created a group on Facebook called “The Flower Hat Exchange.” The group is open to anyone who loves flowers, but the objective of the group is to exchange information on floral design topics such as mechanics, pricing, marketing, business, resources, etc. It’s geared towards professionals in the floral design world, veterans or amateurs, who have something to share or something to learn. It makes me happy to see so many already exchanging information, asking questions, coming up with ideas and solutions. It’s fascinating!”
just need the confidence to charge for their work. The other part of that issue is that, there’s not a universal answer for how much an arrangement should cost. There are so many costs and variables involved that it’s hard to give a blanket answer. What I would recommend is to create a business plan. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should at least have an estimate of sales (be it through weddings, retail orders, etc.), your costs associated with that (labor, hard goods, cost of flowers, etc.), your overhead costs (marketing, insurance, lease, salaries, etc.) and see what that bottom line looks like. To say that you should have a 3x mark up on your flowers doesn’t answer the question if that not’s what your market can handle or if that markup isn’t enough to cover your costs. Putting numbers in black and white will really tell you what your pricing structure should look like.
PRICING “The question I get the most is about pricing. I do live demo videos on Instagram and there is always a viewer that will ask me “How much would you charge for this arrangement?” My answer is always “How much do you think it’s worth?” Their answer is almost always spot on what I would charge, so the conclusion that I have come to is that sometimes florists
10 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
GROWING YOUR OWN FLOWERS “There is a new movement of florists who are growing flowers for their own work. I often get asked what to grow – and how much of it to grow?” The answer depends on a) how much space you have b) your hardiness zone c) your style of design. The amount of space you have
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 11
is key to decide how much of anything you should/can grow. Our production started on just 1800 sq. ft, which isn’t a lot. But we were able to harvest so many flowers out of that garden because we grew flowers that were highly productive, like zinnias, dahlias, foliages and grasses. Flowers that bloom all summer long are great if you don’t have a large area to grow on. Also, if space is limited, imagine that you must make your average order of bouquets, and focus on providing flowers for them. A few stems that come from your garden that are incorporated to any bouquet add such a special touch to your pieces. The second key component is your hardiness zone. We are zone 4b according to the USDA (United Stated Department of Agriculture, if you are in other parts of the world, check with your local Agriculture office). Hardiness zone 4B means our low winter temperatures average -20F and that limits what we can grow, either as annuals or perennials. I can grow anything above zone 4b, but 4a and below is risking it. I still have dreams about growing Gloriosa Lilies in my garden buy most likely that won’t ever happen! Lastly, grow things that will enhance your design style. I can’t go a summer without Chocolate Cosmos from the garden, but that’s because we tend to get clients that want more of that muted palette. If your clients are more into that structured look or bright wildflowers, Chocolate Cosmos are probably not a good crop for you. The good news is that most of the flowers that we grow are easy to grow from seed. My top 10 must-haves are: White Agrostemma, Crème Brulee Phlox, Dahlias (White, Burgundy and Café Au Lait), Zinnias (Zinderella and Cupcake Varieties), Cosmos (White and Chocolate), Ranunculus, Anemones, Silene, Strawflower (White and Apricot) and Rudbeckia (Sahara).”
MARKETING “Over the last 2 years, I have been able to grow our Instagram following from 3K to over 50K - and I always get asked how I did it. I highly recommend against buying Instagram followers. It’s not a sustainable practice for many reasons; those followers are just not real people. Instagram works in mysterious ways and it’s hard to know how the algorithms work, so instead of trying to figure out how to work the formula, I focused on what I do: I sell flowers.
I DEVELOPED MY OWN “RULES” AND FOLLOW THESE STEPS: • Declutter your feed - only post flowers. • Make each post cohesive with the next. That will give you a curated look that truly shows your work without distraction. • People will buy what you’re showing. If your ideal wedding is a muted/white palette, don’t show bright wildflowers on a regular basis. • Don’t use filters in photos so that you show the true color of the flowers. • Keep a clean background, so the focus is always the flowers. • Post as much as you can. It will give your account more traction. “Another question that I hear over and over is, “How do I get more clients?” or “How do I get clients at all, especially as a beginner florist?” The answer to these questions is also not a one-size-fits-all. I am in Bozeman, MT where a lot of the work is word of mouth, and I believe that is true for most places too. It’s the number one marketing tool through which we get clients. The wedding industry can be tight knit, so finding a team of other vendors that will recommend you to their clients is key.”
12 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 13
14 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
FLORAL INFLUENCERS
FARMGIRL Flowers FEMALE OWNED - AND OPERATED FROM THE HEART P H OTO G R A P H Y JA S O N L E C R A S
Farmgirl Flowers was founded in 2010 by Christina Stembel with very definite goals in mind; firstly, to innovate the online flower business by providing a better product and customer service experience for customers; secondly to build a better company based on integrity; thirdly to create good jobs and lastly, to support American farmers. It all started when she was working at Stanford University’s Law School in their events department - and had taken a hard look at their line-item budgets. She was genuinely surprised to find how much they were spending on floral decor, only to send the same expensive centerpieces home with the catering staff in the evening. She began researching the flower industry and found that a lot of the stems being used were coming from international growers and discovered how much waste there was in the industry. Most surprising to her was the fact that the e-commerce space for floral gifting was one of the few categories shrinking at the time. At the time, she had also caught the entrepreneurial bug. She’d been a hard worker all her life, having been raised in Indiana on a corn and soybean farm (hence the company name!) where one quickly become accustomed to hard work. “I’d always been a ‘rise and grind’ type of person but something about being in California, so close to Silicon Valley where it feels like everyone has a business plan in their back pocket, I got the itch to turn that work ethic into a business of my own,” she told CFM. When asked about the Farmgirl Flowers brand, Christina is justifiably proud. Among the giants of the flower industry in the e-commerce space, there are none that are female owned and operated. “Being a female owner and operator here at Farmgirl, I feel like I’m in a privileged position with my company because I am the customer. It’s that simple and that complicated,” she shares. One thing that surprised her when she started Farmgirl is that 80% of the flowers bought and sent during the year are purchased by women for other women. Valentine’s Day (and the heavy marketing around it) would have you think otherwise. The early important events in a girl’s life - recitals, plays, good grades on tests, birthdays – are often celebrated with flowers. Women know how special a bouquet makes them feel and want to share this with other women who they know it will mean the same to them too. As a woman in the e-commerce gifting space, Christina feels uniquely positioned to create beautiful, well-designed arrangements that will help to enhance these moments because she knows what she would love. Farmgirl Flowers ships all over the U.S. with the help of an amazing ful-
fillment team and the magic of FedEx Overnight. Their flowers are specifically sourced and packed with protective wrapping for travel, and they use a small hydration pack to make sure they arrive in good condition. They are also careful to select specific flowers that are better suited for shipping; this means some of their very favorites, like Cafe Au Lait dahlias, are off limits. They are able to deliver fresh, hand-tied bouquets to customers anywhere within the lower 48 states. Christina hires growers and employees with equal care. Her mission from the beginning has been to create a company that she would want to buy from, sell from and work for. This means that she does her best to create well-paying, equitable jobs in the Bay Area. She provides employees with good benefits including a 401K after one year of employment and she looks for the same company philosophy in her growers. This has become especially important since they started sourcing internationally. “Finding growers who are invested in their team, who treat them fairly and provide good jobs is one of the most important parts of my job,” she says. She fought hard to source growers only from the U.S. but found it wasn’t as easy as she though it would be, so she has added farms from abroad whose values and integrity align with her own. She’ll continue to buy the majority of flowers from U.S. growers (about 80% right now) but will be adding overseas vendors to make up for flowers they cannot source in sufficient quantities in the U.S. So, what’s next for Farmgirl Flowers? “World domination!” half-jokes Christina. “We still only own a tiny portion of the overall market share nationally. My goal is to grow Farmgirl to a billion-dollar company,” she adds. She’s on her way. Our goal is to provide the best flowers and customer experience every single time. We promise to do what’s right, and to do our very best, in everything we do. We’re proud to design each bouquet by hand and with heart, source our flowers from farms that live up to our high ethical standards, and to create good jobs. We’re committed to living our values, and to do our very best for our customers, team, vendors, and environment.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 15
INTERIOR DESIGN
Award winning architectural and interior design studio, YøDezeen was founded in 2011 by architects and fellow students Artem Zverev and Artur Sharf. They offer a custom multi-disciplinary approach to high-end design. YøDezeen has extensive international experience in both residential and commercial projects including restaurants, offices, fitness centers, private homes and luxury apartments. The Studio’s professional philosophy is to create customized unique aesthetic solutions for clients by mixing timeless designs with striking architecture. In fulfilling the goals of a client, YøDezeen incorporates luxury, comfort, and elegance in a strong bold statement to create a truly unforgettable environment.
16 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
YØDEZEEN TRADITION MEETS TECHNOLOGY
COUTUREFLOWERS 17
18 COUTUREFLOWERS
YøDezeen has design solutions for every market and they have created projects all over the world, although most are in Europe and the U.S. They don’t generally work on projects under 100 sq.m., unless the project is interesting, demands particular creativity or involves an important brand image. For example, they recently did an exhibition design for Vogue UA’s 5th Anniversary. They attribute the company’s success and growing recognition to their strong, cohesive team of bright young professionals who bring fresh, unique ideas to their work. Given that a restaurant’s interior design can often determine whether it will be successful or not, they approached the Tolstiy & Tonkiy restaurant project in Kyiv, Ukraine with a solid and timeless design in plush grey, dark blue, and black tones, concentrating on fundamental things like furniture, lighting fixtures and finishings, instead of unnecessary decorative elements. An incredible trellis garden wall and hanging overhead planters bring natural greenery into the interior, while 17th and 18th century paintings on curtains or wood create an aura of aristocracy. Tolstiy &Tonkiy is a restaurant for culinary fashion lovers and the YøDezeen team was inspired by contrasts in colors, in materials, in cuisine; fire, stone, metal and wood, black and soft lighting. The botanicals chosen for the restaurant design are essentially low-maintenance and require minimal attention. In this interior they used ficus pumila. They also chose to use flowerpots as well as a phytomodule system that consists of components that click together like LEGO, simplifying the maintenance process and the replacement of plants. The watering system works on the principle of groundwater with each plant drinking as much water as it needs. Artem and Artur feel that plants and florals provide an important organic element to a space, instantly freshening it up. “We think that greenery is always trendy; plants add touch of life and unique style to the interiors, that’s why we incorporate botanicals almost in all projects. Because plants in the space are as important as other design elements, we collaborate with professionals from floral design studios,” they explain. We asked YøDezeen about the trends they are seeing in European design for 2019. Their feeling is that a combination of technological innovation with traditional materials is now at the forefront of design. As society draws on its roots using inspiration from the past, the result appears as a re-interpretation of materials and craft technics. Materials are now solidly on trend! Wood, stone, glass and concrete are at the peak of popularity. “Functionality takes the form of poetry; it is endowed with charm and tangibility, visual and tactual as a new form of restrained luxury, without insincerity or affected theatricality,” they add. “Trends interchange at the velocity of sound, super-brands give way to young and courageous designers, over-consumption and over-production have engendered a movement of minimalists. As a result, it’s now all about “the mix”; designers are creating eclectic interiors and a mix of styles which best represent personality and passion.” The most up-to-date interiors of 2018 are an ode to comfort and personalism, rich unconventional colors combined with sophisticated taste, a careful mix of multi-faceted styles crossing beyond the normal design confines, they maintain. And what are other projects that are underway right now for the team? They have just finished one bar and three private apartments, with more homes and restaurants in the works. No doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of this extraordinarily talented company in the future.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 19
UZBEKISTAN
JENNA MCKAY’S JUMP INTO THE BLOOMING NEW
20 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
INTERIOR DESIGN
TO SOHO
YORK REAL ESTATE MARKET
Originally from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jenna McKay and her mother immigrated to the U.S. after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They moved to California in Jenna’s adolescent years, where she eventually joined the corporate sales/business development world working on Guthy-Renker’s beauty and fitness brands in Santa Monica. After successfully launching several brands in Europe, S.E. Asia and Canada, she realized that her passion for the business was gone and that she needed to pivot to a new industry. She went through a long, soul-searching process to figure out how to marry her marketing/sales/business development skills with something that she loved. She is obsessed with architecture and interior design, so real estate was a natural choice. She moved quickly, sold all her possessions in Santa Monica, got a one-way ticket to JFK and booked an Airbnb in Chinatown for three days. In those three days, she took the real estate test, found a brokerage firm to for and started hustling rentals all over Manhattan. She had always felt that New York would eventually be in her future, and now that she is here, if feels right to her. FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 21
INTERIOR DESIGN
“It was a whirlwind and looking back, I don’t know how I got the nerve to just pick up and leave. Thankfully, it worked out for me!” she says. She now works for Compass, a fast-growing start-up that is now ranked #4 in the nation by volume after just five years in the business. They are building the first modern real estate platform marrying technology with top agents across the US to make the real estate transaction simple and transparent. “Not a day goes by without me finding new properties and buildings to obsess about. I also love helping people envision their dream apartment, then making that dream a reality,” she explains. She and her team believe in the power of beautiful photography to market their properties. It’s the anchor they use to build out their marketing strategy, each of which is unique to the individual property. They are known for their creativity, and often use videos that tell a story rather than highlight the property features. She recently did a stunning video shoot at a Howard Street loft, listed for $1.995 million, with a ballerina dancing on top of the table to highlight the tall ceilings and the vastness of the space. Jenna has some unique listings. Perhaps the most unique is an historic duplex with a garden in Chelsea. It is a two-bedroom, two-bath home with a private backyard and a wood-burning fireplace. Clement Clark Moore,
22 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
who wrote The Night Before Christmas previously owned the home in a row of brownstones which comprised some of the first single family homes in Manhattan. They have since been converted to co-ops and considered a rare find in Chelsea. She considers the West Village, Soho, Tribeca, Greenwich Village and Chelsea the most desirable areas in the city to live, but she has a special fondness for the West Village because it perfectly blends NYC history with modern conveniences. “It also just has that vibe that can’t be described in words. It’s just magical,” she adds. When staging a listing for a photoshoot or open house, flowers are a critical component. She feels they bring an element of luxury and comfort that people are drawn to. Without flowers, tables and nightstands tend to look empty. She is a big fan of baby’s breath because it last a long time and creates a beautiful vignette when near a source of light, like a window or a skylight. And the biggest challenge for someone purchasing a property in New York City? “The biggest challenge is not knowing the process,” she says. “A lot of people assume they can figure it out or google the answers, but NYC has so many specific rules and regulations. Co-ops vs. condos, flip tax, mansion tax, how to find the right real estate attorney, all these questions
When staging a listing for a photoshoot or open house, flowers are a critical component. She feels they bring an element of luxury and comfort that people are drawn to. Without flowers, tables and nightstands tend to look empty. come from years of experience dealing with different condo and co-op boards, attorneys etc., - and that’s something only a real estate professional with years of practice can confidently advise you on.” Jenna says New York City real estate is a buyer’s market right now, but it is cyclical, of course. In 2008, property values crashed and then slowly readjusted as banks began to lend again and people regained confidence in purchasing real estate as an investment. Ten years later, she feels anoth-
er adjustment is due - this time, adjusting down from somewhat inflated prices. “The market is 100% based on supply and demand. As soon as prices come down to the point where investors and buyers start absorbing the inventory at a higher rate, that will signal to the market that it’s time to adjust the prices upward, which is when we will start the new cycle of moving toward a seller’s market. However, without a crystal ball, I really can’t predict much more than that!”
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 23
INTERIOR DESIGN
24 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
CITY LIGHTS Of
DEFINING HER DESIGN WITH FLOWERS If you are in New York this holiday season, the annual Holiday House design showhouse is a must see. It’s located in a spectacular Upper East Side home and showcases the talents of 20 renowned interior designers, with all proceeds benefiting the Breast Research Cancer Foundation® Natalie of Natalie Kraiem Interiors is participating for the third year in a row. Her design for a spectacular Parisian Master Suite was inspired by the city of Paris, “The City of Light” (La Ville Lumière.) “I wanted to design a glamorous master bedroom that felt like a Parisian Suite. I wanted to incorporate the glamour, textures, different sources of lighting, one-of-a-kind furnishing and elaborate flowers that you would find in a hotel suite in Paris,” she explained. In fact, she had just returned from Paris before installing her design, so the inspiration was still fresh in her mind. Her choice of flowers for the showhouse is always inspired by the Four Seasons Hotel George V and whenever she is in Paris, she makes it a point to stop by and admire their lobby and courtyard floral arrangements, which she finds impeccable. She has also been lucky to work with Emily, the founder of Bastille Flowers for the past two years at Holiday House. “I can fully trust the Bastille Flowers team to execute my vision to perfection. Their flowers are such good quality that they last a whole week without even changing the water. I am at ease leaving my flowers in their
hands, and I can relax, knowing my flowers are getting changed weekly by Emily and her team.” A gorgeous selection of flowers is always a priority for Natalie, and she pays particular attention to her choice because she feels it adds a warm, elegant feeling to her interiors. “Flowers add an important touch, “she says. “They define the design.” A busy 34-year-old mother of 3, Natalie Kraiem was exposed to fine design at an early age. She was born in Buenos Aires, although her family background is a mix of European and Middle Eastern, and she grew up exposed to beautiful china, furniture and accessories in her grandparents’ homes. They still inspire her to this day. Her mother is an artist and she instilled in Natalie a love for art, classical music and travel. Her father designed, manufactured and sold sportswear in Argentina - from this she gained a strong business mindset and appreciation for colors and textures. She had always loved interior design but didn’t necessarily see it as a profitable career path. Given that she was good at finance and numbers, she decided to major in finance and leave interior design as her “Plan B” for one day in the future. She worked in private banking for high net worth clients at UBS AG and attended interior design school at night. With this foundation, she was able to launch her own interior design firm 9 years ago, spe-
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 25
26 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
cializing in high end residential work. “I am very business oriented when it comes to design,” she explains. Natalie’s personal creativity is largely inspired by travel; visiting new sites, museums, restaurants and hotels “train” her eye and give her an immediate boost of energy and creativity. Work life in New York can get tedious, so she always makes time to visit exhibitions, showrooms or other inspiring places. When she is working in her studio and is hungry for inspiration, she often refers to her book collection with works from classic interior designers, like Jean Louis Denoit and David Collins. We asked Natalie about the trends she sees in interior design. “I see a lot of traditional architectural elements making a come-back. Wall paneling, plaster moldings and more elaborate details are definitely in style. I personally like to mix vintage and contemporary furnishing as well. I love finding the right balance between traditional and modern, because it brings such a diverse atmosphere while remaining timeless,” she tells us.
A GORGEOUS SELECTION OF FLOWERS IS ALWAYS A PRIORITY FOR NATALIE, AND SHE PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO HER CHOICE BECAUSE SHE FEELS IT ADDS A WARM, ELEGANT FEELING TO HER INTERIORS. “FLOWERS ADD AN IMPORTANT TOUCH, “SHE SAYS. “THEY DEFINE THE DESIGN.”
2018 was an amazing year for Natalie Kraiem Interiors. The press and recognition they received are helping to reach the right clientele, so business has been good. Natalie attributes much of the company’s visibility to the Holiday House project and she is proud to be involved. She has also spoken in 6 design panels, did two podcasts, and was featured in an episode of Open House TV New York this year, so the seeds have been planted for continued success to come. “I can’t wait to see the fruits come to life in 2019!” she echoes. The 11th annual Holiday House is located at 118 east 76 street. New York, NY and is open until December 2nd. All proceeds benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 27
PROFILES IN HAUTE COUTURE
THE DESIGNS OF
SHAHAR AVNET BY ROSA JH BERLAND
28 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
FASHION
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 29
DESIGN
Shahar Avnet is an innovative contemporary Israeli designer whose cre-
ing in the region. Shahar’s childhood home included a lush garden, and
ations reflect an artistic sense of the world. Shahar’s dramatically de-
today her own studio and home are filled with plants and flowers. Her
signed dresses have a regal luxuriousness that intersects the genres of
designs reflect this botanical legacy in her palette, drawings, and intri-
haute couture and fine art. She shares: “My vision is the fusing of art with
cate embroidery. She remembers the way her first object bridged the
the world of fashion, merging the intangible dimension of the mind with
line between imagining something and making it, the creative process
the physical body.”
of a simple pink scarf transformed when she ran out of pink wool and
Shahar describes drawing as her mode of expression and writing. Her
substituted gold….
imaginative work has been featured by Vogue Italia and Zendaya was
“When I was 15 years old my grandmother taught me to knit. The first
featured in her designs on the cover of W Magazine. As well, Shahar’s
thing I ever made was a scarf, a pink scarf to be exact, at one point I run
beautiful dresses have been worn by Chloe x Halle and Kelly Rowland.
out of pink thread and I decided to continue with gold thread. When I
Having just graduated from school in 2016, the creative’s dream to be-
finished knitting the scarf, I discovered what imagined in my mind came
come a fashion designer has happened quickly and with great success.
to life and that realization enchanted me, this imagining something and
Among her many achievements, Shahar has made a number of beau-
creating it. I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer. At the time,
tiful creations for Beyoncé including the powder tulle dress and jacket
I was not familiar with the fashion world. I and could not really imagine
seen in OTRII 2018 London performance and worn throughout the tour,
how I would fit into it.”
and as well a red dress appears on the tour album cover.
The designer’s process is an act of creating many works of art before
Such collaborations seem a far away from the designer’s beginnings.
the fashion design even begins. She starts with a journal and records
Shahar grew up in the north of Israel in a rural area, and her own mother
important ideas and events over the previous six months. This is fol-
is a professional gardener, her grandfather a pioneer in organic garden-
lowed by illustrating the sentences one by one with drawings, pictures,
30 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 31
and collages, resulting in a diary-like inspiration book full of color and texture. Shahar then begins to develop the silhouettes for the design, followed by finding materials and decisions about color and texture. The embroidery is based on the designer’s favorite drawings within her inspiration book, each embroidered artwork decorated with color and Swarovski stones. She describes the final stage: “During the construction, I match the silhouette with the fabric and the embroidery - and the garment comes to life.” Indeed, Shahar’s creations have an intimacy, that reflects not only her personal narrative and sources, but the way in which she imagines the woman who will wear her clothing. She believes that fashion is the first form of communication between people and that is why she spends so much time on every single detail. “When a woman walks into a room you see and feel her energy- clothes and fashion are a huge part of the way she carries herself and can help convey her true self. My designs are made with the kind of woman who walks into a room and is not afraid to celebrate herself, her confidence lights up the space. My brand motto is “Love Yourself.” I am trying to spread a very clear message to women based in self-love, let go of resentment or anger, do not hide, rather celebrate yourself, life, love and attract positivity and happiness,” Shahar tells us. Her designs are unconventional, yet very beautiful and romantic. She believes that there are many kinds of beauty, so she tries to convey a message of acceptance and inclusion. “Beauty is mainly based on a feeling or an experience,” she adds. “It is impossible to decide that beauty should be perceived a certain way, it changes like most things around us constantly change; something that might seem beautiful to one woman might not seem beautiful to another. My message is to encourage women be compassionate with themselves, to look within in a loving and non-judgmental way. I would like women to wake up and be excited about getting dressed, they should think- “who do I want to be today?” and not “what will people think?” Discover more at @shahar.avnet and at http:// www.shahar-avnet.com.
32 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 33
34 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
ART
NASHVILLE BASED ARTIST DANIELLE DUER’S
VISION LUSH Of
MODERNITY BY ROSA JH BERLAND
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 35
ART The colorful floral worlds of Nashville based artist Danielle Duer take many forms: drawings, illustrations, paintings, pattern and surface design, interiors and more. In each vignette or magnified portrait of a richly hued flower or imagined garden, there is one commonality - a robust and lush modernity that also evokes a purity of happiness and immersion in color. Special projects include Danielle’s work with Kelly Coty Design on Loretta Lynn’s new boutique in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Danielle’s wallpapers, fabrics, stage panels, wall murals and neon signs were inspired by the floral embroidery in Lynn’s early hand-made stage outfits. Danielle shares her vision: “I want my work to feel powerful and emotional. The colors are juicy and romantic. I want the whole experience of observing the piece to be sort of intense.... and move the viewer from excitement to calmness at once. For it to feel like an experience with a beginning and an end, a climax, and a conclusion. I want to lift people up and then let them blow back down gently. Ha! That is a fun dream right!?” Danielle has an incredible following on Instagram, so we asked her about how she works: “I work all the time, constantly researching, thinking, then sketching. I use procreate on my iPad for laying ideas out or mocking up concepts. Then I experiment big. I love to have shows with complete collections of fine art paintings that tell a story. I invite the audience to think about an idea that I have researched and contemplated, and subjects I believe people should think about or be inspired by. These paintings are often reused as smaller prints, licensed as designs on other things, sliced and sold as wallpaper, etc.... so all of those applications are in the back of my mind when creating a painting. Because my grandmother worked at a marker factory, she gave me boxes and boxes of reject markers as a child. I loved making marks with them and still love to incorporate fine marker-like details in my work. It feels like making music or dancing when I get to that point in the process, where I can layer the details on top. I can just relax and glide over the color, fast and then slow, curvy, and then sharp. This part feels innate, as I do not have to think about it, it just flows and has become a signature part of my work.” The natural world and the images of flowers and botanical motifs featured prominently in her work and personal life. Last year she read the book “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi. This began a personal research project examining the way in which death can teach us about living. It was an eye-opening reminder for her that
36 FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE
I work all the time, constantly researching, thinking, then sketching. I use procreate on my iPad for laying ideas out or mocking up concepts. Then I experiment big. I love to have shows with complete collections of fine art paintings that tell a story.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 37
ART
“we should choose to invite quality, love, passion, and kindness into our daily encounters. I think bringing flowers into my daily life does this for me at the simplest level. They are an important symbolic part of my work: alive, gorgeous, and coloring the world, all while emerging from dirt. If they can do it, so can I.” Danielle’s favorite flower is the orange rose and she particularly loves the way the dark orange colors of a bouquet of roses look against the fuchsia and purple colors in her house. Her grandmother was very proud of her rose bushes and when she passed away, it was important that they were transplanted to Danielle’s father’s yard. She named her daughter Aza Roselyn after these bushes. Danielle has recently finished a series of paintings entitled Origins, showcasing exuberant florals embellished with details and cut outs of wood heads and gold eyes, inspired in part by the ornate work of Gustav Klimt. This December she will install a largescale project including two resin backsplash pieces at approximately 8 feet in height, and in January she will be collaborating again with Kelly Coty Design on a special commercial interior in London. You can learn more about the diverse beauty of Danielle’s work at @danielleduerart or www.loveloveillustrated.com.
FLOWER FOR THE PEOPLE 39
The Art of Luxury Gifting with Real Roses that Last for Years
As the originators of the ‘Infinite Roses®’ – real roses that last for years without water – OnlyRoses has redefined the art of luxury gifting and home decor from London to LA for over a decade. Shop our freshcut, or long-lasting Infinite Roses online for nationwide delivery, or visit our boutique in Beverly Hills.
OnlyRoses Beverly Hills 9631 Brighton Way Beverly Hills 90210
T: 424-278-1111 www.only-roses.com @onlyroses