Your Space Our Design: Flower Design- Contemporary or Traditional?

What can I say about flowers except that I absolutely love the color, texture and vibrancy that they add to any space, big or small, fancy or basic. It’s my opinion, that without flowers, a wedding or event is unfinished and can come off looking flat. Flowers bring life to a room and are a fabulous way to tie in color schemes and add drama to beautiful linens and luxurious gowns, oh yes and don’t forget the tux! As a designer, I never limit myself and always push the envelope when it comes to creating new and interesting designs- and flowers are no exception.

I love to draw inspiration from other designers and gain new perspectives by seeking out talented people and seeing what they have to offer the world. On a recent episode of Oprah, she featured flower designer Jeff Leatham. Before this show aired, I had never heard of him and as the show progressed I really started to get inspired by his contemporary style of work. He takes seemingly ordinary flowers and transforms them into works of art using beautiful glass vases and nouveau ways of arranging flowers.

Using one color and variety of flower per vase, Leatham creates a thing of beauty by stretching the imagination with his many uses of flowers. In fact, he turned the Oprah show set into a luxurious floral wonderland by placing thousands of stems over existing structures like a pergola and what seemed like endless yards of lattice. The end result was a colorful floral marvel that was unrivaled by any set design I had ever seen.

Like Jeff Leatham, I order all of my flowers from Europe and Asia. This means that they are the highest quality and the freshest flowers available. It also means that I order in bulk which gives me more creative freedom when it comes to thinking up ideas and working with the client to achieve perfection for their special day. When the room is full of flowers it really adds that sense of romance and magic!

If traditional flower design is more your style, then look no further than Colin Cowie. Cowie is a world renowned interior and event designer and has catered to many famous people including Oprah Winfrey herself. With designs that spare nothing, Cowie incorporates fine linens and extravagant flowers as well as high end accessories into all designs. He drapes incredible fabric from ceilings and groups flowers together in exquisite arrangements.

Like Cowie, I love the traditional side of event design. I have been surrounded by this genre of décor for my entire life, so it only seems natural to draw from that experience and incorporate it into the craft. When I began event design last year (2009), I knew I wanted to use large amounts of flowers as well as good quality linens and accessories as the backdrop to my service. Obviously, most budgets are not going to be able to afford yards and yards of silk as a ceiling treatment and unlimited vases of flowers, however I feel it can be done to a tasteful degree and still be affordable for almost any couple.