I am incapable of living without being surrounded by flowers and plants in my home and outside also. I am very restricted as my first floor Victorian flat only has two bedrooms and my outside space is only three square feet. However I make the most of every available space, both inside and outside, to showcase nature at its most colourful and beautiful.
My father was a florist in New Zealand for 54 years and many years ago I also trained and worked as a florist for five years, both in NZ and London. We always had an abundance of flowers in the family home and the most stunning garden which was my dad's pride and joy. I am forever taking photographs of gorgeous flowers & plants when I'm out and about. The colours and textures of nature really get my creative juices flowing and heavily influence my interior decoration and styling. One of the most inspirational places for me is Petersham Nurseries; it's like my "mecca" as it stimulates the senses and fills me with so many creative ideas. And of course I want to buy everything in their shop! I help out in my friend's florist shop from time to time and I always feel a wave of nostalgia when I step inside her shop.
Buying flowers can be expensive so I tend to source them from outdoor market stalls and supermarkets as well as some more interesting types from my local florist. Flowering plants especially orchids, plus succulents and green plants last much longer and therefore better value for money but you can't beat a vase or two of beautiful cut flowers. I wish I had a garden full of interesting greenery to enhance my vases of flowers; I usually resort to my local florist for that. I have a local Common directly across the road from where I live and shortly it will be full of Cow Parsley and other wild flowers which are so tempting to gather by the armload and bring indoors. Unfortunately the council has placed signs everywhere that state it's illegal to pick the flowers!
I have a huge range of vases, jugs, jars and bottles in which to display the flowers I buy and am forever buying more of these in charity shops, market stalls, car boot sales and vintage or antique shops. One of my favourite places to buy containers is Phoenix on Golborne. I usually try to buy ones with narrower openings as they require less flowers and display the flowers more beautifully. Here is a very small sample from my current collection.
Colour consultation is a large part of my business. Most people are afraid to use colour but always seem to appreciate it if someone else has used it. I encourage my clients to look at nature as any colour combination works so why can't it work in the home. I suggest that they try colour first by introducing vases of flowers and buying some brightly coloured accessories.
These are the flowers and plants currently in my flat - a real mix of colours and textures but boy, do they cheer me up, especially when the London sky is grey and dull which unfortunately is a lot of the time.
