You may call it the floral revolution. After all, over the last few years, impersonal and stereotyped bouquets have been gradually converting to eclectic, creative arrangements involving flowers we normally pick up in the fields, in the woods or off the street. Forget those hyper-expensive plants cultivated in greenhouse, and please embrace nature’s flaws and imperfections, whether they are seasonal flowers or small, unripe buds.
New-generation flower designers definitely endorse such mannerism-free philosophy: every year, they all gather in London to greet the upcoming summer on the occasion of Chelsea in Bloom – when shop windows relive as colourful and redolent installations conceived by the city’s best creatives. We selected four of them you may bump into in Albion e surely follow on Instagram, so to discover how sculptural flowers can be, if not drawing inspiration for your next centrepiece. Indeed, to quote the words of Ettore Sottsass: “Actual luxury means a beautiful window, with beautiful daylight and a beautiful bunch of flowers”.
REDValentino appointed floral designer Neeva Jay to spice up the brand’s London flagship store recently redesigned by India Mahdavi. The result? A jungle inhabited by hordes of tigers celebrating Chelsea in Bloom 2017. With a mix of daring nuances and contemporary modern taste, Neeva Jay is particularly keen on flower’s seasonal lifecycle. The company’s Instagram account is still moving its first steps, and yet offers very inspirational posts: do not miss their flowers “in bowl”!
Truth to be said, Philip Corps is more a sculptor than a florist, and his clash with flower design “just happened” randomly, as he often points out. His romantic take on the trade states, in a few words, that is all about the interpretation of people’s dreams. Corps’ work ranges from weddings to ad hoc installations and TV sets: see Poldark, the Tv series of 18-century inspiration where flowers play a key role in each character’s definition. His Instagram account is a pure energy injection, and a proper flower glossary too!
Larry Walshe has quite a sumptuous, vibrant, textural taste which radiates from his dramatic arrangements: his works intertwine with clothes when it comes to fashion maisons, and also with architecture as shown by his site-specific installation at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour – a galaxy of vegetal universes hanging from the ceiling. He takes care of his Instagram account and personal blog on a regular basis, providing invaluable tips on how to combine flowers for your wedding or bar mitzvah.
With a strong background in design, Willow Crossley has a degree in Fashion Journalism. And still, her close link with flowers is so istintive she must clearly live in perfect symbiosis with nature. Her wild, untameable arrangements like pink cabbage and parsley better than red roses, with all ‘ingredients’ coming straight from her private garden according to seasons. Her flowers/sketches combos are the best!