London Venue Focus: The Royal Hospital Chelsea

Best known for hosting RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The Royal Hospital Chelsea is also a fabulous London venue for events big and small. As one of its accredited event’s florists, Lavender Green Flowers has created event flowers at the venue for over 10 years. It is one of the five venues that our florists work most frequently at. Here we talk to Events Manager Emma Crunden about event flowers at The Royal Hospital Chelsea.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea hosts many events each year. From the world famous Chelsea Flower Show , which has been held on site annually since 1913, to the Live at Chelsea music concerts that take place each June. Lavender Green Flowers, one of London’s top event’s florists, has been designing event flowers for venue for over 10 years.

As well as the big annual events, the team at The Royal Hospital Chelsea plan weddings, charity events, corporate days and even host large-scale photoshoots and filming in the venue’s three main event spaces.

Events Manager Emma Crunden tells us “The Great Hall is popular for gala dinners and wedding receptions largely due to the high ceilings and iconic oak tables, while The State Apartments are more intimate though just as impressive. They are perfect for private lunches, dinners or cocktail parties. The Royal Hospital Chelsea’s third space, Wren House, is light and contemporary, working well for corporate away days and small networking events.”

Lavender Green Flowers has been a preferred florist at Royal Hospital Chelsea since 2007, working with the events team on a huge variety of floral arrangements.

“In the Great Hall we see a lot of ivy and glass-drop vases which look lovely against the oak. The Council Chamber ins The State Apartments  is full of beautiful portraits, all of which have a hint of blue. Florals in light blue hues really lift the space and tie in with the artwork on the walls, while at Wren House, big arrangements on the windowsill at the end of the long entrance hall provide a gorgeous welcome, with pastel colours complementing the cream décor” Emma explains.

Every year, Lavender Green Flowers creates a welcoming installation or centrepiece for a client during Chelsea Flower Show. Alice Couzens, Account Director at Lavender Green Flowers explains: “This ties into either a current trend at Chelsea Flower Show, the brand’s message or a designer they may be sponsoring so we really get to get stuck in in the initial planning meeting and all come up with how we are going to translate this to both work within the space (it can be a bit of a wind tunnel!) and convey this interpretation or message to their guest.”

As with many historic venues there are some logistical challenges that florists need to get around when planning their event flowers. This is not out of the ordinary for Lavender Green Flowers, who’s team of expert florists can work around anything. Emma tells us “Our only rules are no naked flames inside and no spiky plants which might damage paintings. Although, one of the challenges florists do have is working around the fixed lamps on the tables.”

Alice says: “We are used to working around venue’s characteristics to ensure when placing or incorporating our event flowers we are sympathetic to them. Including the fixed table lamps at The Royal Hospital Chelsea within the floral design not only creates a more cohesive look, it brings parts of the space into the florals.”

Having worked with the venue for so long (and on so many occasions), Lavender Green Flowers knows how to deliver on client’s briefs and create flower arrangements and installations that complement the historic venue.

Emma says: “Lavender Green Flowers team are always very efficient! We normally only need to meet just once with all the event suppliers and the client a month or so before to iron out any queries and then follow up with a venue event brief the week prior. The warehouse team at Lavender Green are brilliant at sending across risk assessments and regulation details for our security when requested. Setup and breakdown is always extremely smooth!”

Lavender Green Flowers is renowned as one of London’s finest florists, with over 28 years’ experience producing flowers for the country’s top galleries, museums and historic houses. From weddings and receptions to private parties and corporate events, thoughtfully crafted arrangements and installations take inspiration from the latest trends in floristry, fashion and art.

To make an enquiry, call 020 7127 5303, email [email protected] or visit the Chelsea flower shop at 46 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HH