Flower May/June 2023

“How will we know it’s us without our past?”—John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath AS I TYPE THIS LETTER, I’m hearing the soft stew of the Delta Air Lines Sky Club playlist, periodic flight update announcements, the PSA of the Atlanta mayor urging us to play our part in the fight against human trafficking, and the low hum of human conversation. This is the soundtrack of my travel life. I’m not complaining. I’m cataloguing and rejoicing, for it signals I’m going someplace wonderful or am returning home from someplace wonderful. Both are good. As it happens, I’ve just had the pleasure of visiting, for the first time, St. Petersburg, Florida, where I attended the glorious Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). But really the whole trip…

Attention to Details: Lighting Whether you are building from the ground up or giving your home a decorative refresh, the right lighting can make all the difference in every space. Lighting fixtures punctuate a space, and the quality of the lighting can change the mood of a room. We’ve asked designers to—dare we say—illuminate us on lighting, both stylish and practical. Learn about layering lighting for a relaxing bedroom, and get the latest trends and tips for kitchen luminescence. Find our guide to selecting beautiful lampshades and navigating the light bulb aisle to choose the options best suited for each space and fixture. Find the features at flowermag.com/lighting British Gardens As all eyes turn to London and Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, we’re…

Charm School by Emma Bazilian and Stephanie Diaz (The Monacelli Press, 2023), $55 Everyone loves a good comeback story, and there’s one happening right now in the decorating world. Schumacher Books, a division of FSCO Media, has teamed up with Monacelli to explore the old-school techniques that are showing up in fresh ways. Discover how to execute traditional design for the next generation while exploring timeless rooms by talents such as Celerie Kemble, Markham Roberts, and Ashley Whittaker. French Blooms: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Paris and Beyond by Sandra Sigman (Rizzoli, 2023), $40 While living in Paris in her twenties, award-winning floral designer Sandra Sigman discovered that the French view each floral arrangement as a work of art. Here, she shares the design principles she learned and offers tutorials for…

Dorset and London-based floral talent Tattie Isles thinks way beyond the petal. The designer focuses on the mood more than anything—what she wants guests to experience as they enter and engage with the setting. “It’s decidedly about surprise,” she says. “I like people to be transported and to question whether they imagined something or whether it really happened,” she says. Tattie focuses on the effects of light, movement, scale, fabrics, and even the music when executing her vision. While flower arranging is a vital part of her creative process, she really relishes the theatricality of putting together an event and making it come to life. Tattie ignores trends and doesn’t really take notice of what others in the industry are doing. Her jumping-off place also doesn’t involve the palette or…

When you think of impressive mid-Atlantic gardens, estates such as the du Pont’s Winterthur and Longwood spring to mind. However, there’s a newer garden on the block that is making a name for itself, particularly because of its improbable story. The Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek sprouted without inherited acreage or a wealthy donor. Its locale in a rural area about 30 minutes from Bethany Beach is not far from where many skilled retirees looking for “a give-back project” have settled. A band of these visionary volunteers came up with the idea of creating a lovely, sustainable garden nearby. To jumpstart the project, Executive Director Sheryl Swed and President Ray Sander, who are married, put “a little something in the kitty,” as Sheryl says. The next step was to…

Behind the Scenes As a child, Kelly Marie Thompson used to sneak behind the peony bushes while playing hide-and-seek in the backyard of her family’s Chicago bungalow. “Every inch of that yard brimmed with rose bushes and snapdragons and was shaded by a big apple tree,” says the floral designer. “I honestly can’t think of a time when I wasn’t surrounded by flowers. They’ve always been a part of my life and my memories. It’s hard to know if I found them or if they found me!” Although her training is in painting and printmaking, Kelly Marie followed her heart and ventured into floral design after working in the floral department of a local store. In 2002, she founded Fleur Inc., a floral design studio and boutique in Chicago’s eclectic…