At Home with Lavender Green Flowers

After a bizarre few months of worldwide problems, our team are back and busy with all things bright and beautiful. We have embraced the challenges that these unprecedented times have thrown in the way of our industry and are thrilled to be providing flowers for all kinds of celebrations… indoor or outdoor, intimate or distanced, we are beyond pleased to be back and have been nothing but impressed with the safe, sensible attitude that has been attached to every single part of the journey.

With some of our team working from home for part of the week, we don’t all get to see each other as much as we would like. With this in mind, we wanted to come together, albeit from afar, and hold a Come Dine with Me style challenge… with a LGF twist!

Lead by our new Sales Director, Fiona Price, our Design Team have each had the challenge of budgeting, designing, installing, and photographing a table set up in their own home. They have had to work closely with our florists to ensure the origins of each stem are known and sustainably sourced, they’ve had to work together as a team to ensure designs are not doubled up, they’ve had to transport the designs home themselves, navigating complications such as; public transport, long distances and potential spillages. And they have had to pop their David Baily hats on for a final photoshoot. – We think they have done a marvellous job.

First up was Lizzie Knott; Inspired by English kitchen and herb gardens, Lizzie was keen to use home-grown elements such as Artichoke, Nigella and Poppy seed heads in her designs. She worked closely with our florist team to ensure that all flowers and foliage’s would be English grown and complimentary of her home surroundings. Lizzie chose a selection of our rustic terracotta pots to give the design real relevance to its place on her conservatory-based dining table, and as you can see from her photos, it has worked perfectly.

Lizzies home-grown approach to design here is testament to her skills shown in everyday life working at LGF; whether it’s a dinner for 200 or a small family gathering, Lizzie is able to apply both exceptional design standards and a wholesome, sustainable (in every way) approach to her work, continuously delivering high standards and on brief floral displays.

What is your favourite element of this design and why?

“I love the natural ‘just picked’ look – as though it’s been freshly picked from the garden itself. I like the mix of fresh and dried flowers which I think depict the season perfectly and especially love the fact the dried Nigella and Cardoon heads have been sourced from my very own garden! “

How have your skills, gained from working with LGF, helped you with this design process?

“Working at LGF has really taught me the importance of storytelling and considering the smallest detail that makes up a table design, whether it’s the colour of the glasses or fabric/material used on the napkins, these all contribute to the aesthetic and concept you are trying to achieve. Working at LG has really given me an insight into the seasonality of flowers we use and where they’re sourced from and ensuring we use the best of the season within our designs. “

What similarities are there with this project to that of a project in a London venue?

“Lots of similarities! The space you are working in is such vital part of the concept and designs must be sympathetic to the environment. For the purpose for this project I have chosen to shoot the tablescape in my conservatory using the rugged stone wall as the backdrop which continues the outdoors / garden aesthetic perfectly. “

Up next we had Sofia Todd; As a self-confessed lover of relaxed bohemian styled flowers and foliage’s, Sofia created the above mood board to work with our florists on. After expressing her wish to have a wild and weathered autumnal colour palette, together they decided to use stunning Dahlias, burnt orange Helenium and hot pink Roses, complemented by soft fall grasses such as Pampas and Panicum and bleached foliages.

Sofia has worked for LGF for a number of years now. Her creativity, budget understanding and enthusiasm for design are traits that are apparent in every job she does. From Royal Ascot’s 1500 designs to an intimate dinner in her own home, she delivers every time, pushing boundaries and providing exciting designs that always delight.

Why did you choose the containers/vessels that you did?

“We have deep forest green walls in our dining room, a wooden table and our dinnerware is teal and green so I had to think about what would work with each of these elements. I wanted to use tortoise shell vases as these would have worked so perfectly with the florals and colour palette chosen but I decided that bottle green vases would work better at home. We have an eclectic mix of green vases at our warehouse which is what I love so it was easy for me to choose. I always think using a variety of vases on a long table is exciting and adds interest.”

What is your favourite element of this design and why?

“I love the bright tones used in the Roses and Dahlias which really enhance the design. The other elements are so soft and neutral that having those touches of colour really catch the eye.”

Jaz Osborn was next; Jaz went for a Harvest Festival theme and had the tricky job of transporting her designs via trains and tubes… so this was factored into her designs right from the beginning. Working closely with our Director of Floristry, Kielly, Jaz managed to create a design that would work all year round, but that fits with this season particularly well.

Jaz is a well organised and fun member of our team. Her designs are meticulous and versatile, which clients love as they are encouraged to think outside the box during the design stage. With clients ranging from Private Individuals to Corporates with strict branding guidelines, Jaz’s ability to diversify her work is a skill in itself!

Why did you choose this design?

“I love the explosion of colour and the warming tones that the flowers and fruits bring in, it just makes me want to sit down and start eating and creates a really inviting and joyful vibe”

Jaz opted for a natural moss table runner to add depth and interest to her grazing style design.

Why fruits?

“I wanted to go with something that could fit with any season, this design can very easily be switched up with different fruits and flowers to fit any time of year. Whether it be a colourful outdoor summer party or a cosier, warmer indoor dinner. For this time of year I picked more rich tones of oranges and yellows as wanted to create a warming and relaxed vibe in contrast to the cold outside mixed in with the deep plum tones from the pomegranates to add visual depth and create contrast. I chose to lay everything on a blanket of dried moss to bring the outdoors in and tie in with the feasting/ banqueting theme as well as with Harvest Festival. Flower wise orange roses and yellow sunflowers fitted perfectly, both colours bring in warmth and add texture, elevating the design as a whole”

Finally it was Fiona Price’s turn. As our newest recruit and our new Sales Director, Fiona was thrown in at the deep end with this task, and all whilst busy navigating through the way of the current climate. Recognising that many of us have been spending a lot more time outside recently, Fiona wanted to design a tablescape for the garden, with the aim to help make the experience of this brave new world more interesting and enjoyable.

Why did you choose the flowers and foliage that you did? 

“I love the contrast of dusty pink and deep burgundy, in floral design, fashion and interiors. I think it’s something to do with the two sides of femininity as I see them; gentle and soft alongside strong and bold. Waxflower is so often the unsung hero. I absolutely love it. It’s versatile across many styles and colours and yet hardy. Here I’ve used Waxflower to pull the light and dark colours together as one story. Texture is really important to me; Chocolate Cosmos at its best looks like velvet, whilst Ranunculus has the layers of thin petals similar to my all-time summer favourite, the Peony. Each petal is delicate but as a whole this flower is robust and impactful. The way the stems of these types of flowers flop and cascade over the sides of containers, looks sleepy and content, perfect for a relaxing autumn dinner at the end of a long day. Before I started to think about my tablescape I saw a shot of some pale Eucalyptus against a smooth bright pumpkin taken at our Store in South Kensington (one of my favourite places in the world).  I saved the image because I thought it was joyful and the immediate responseI had to it stuck in my head. I later incorporated it into my mood board. Good food and wine with friends and family is one of my joys and I used Rosemary intertwined with the fresh Eucalyptus to represent the wonderful cooking smells coming from the kitchen ready for dinner.”

What is your favourite element of this design and why?
“The way the flowers contrast with the gold urns and the effect that each flower has on the surrounding flowers, with the contrasting colours, shape and movement.”

Fiona’s passion and dedication is so apparent here with this challenge. Working with a new team, in a disturbed industry her skillset, drive and thirst for success is a huge asset for Lavender Green Flowers have on board. Although having only been in the company for a few months, Fiona is an incredibly valued member of the team, driving enthusiasm and passion forwards in to what we know will be a fabulous 2021.