10th Annual Tulips & Pansies – The Headdress Affair
Last Thursday saw a major spectacle at Gotham Hall for the 10th Annual Tulips and Pansies: The Headdress Affair. Hosted by VillageCare to benefit its network of AIDS services in Manhattan, the runway show showcases the design of 19 floral design companies paired with clothing designers. As a first-time participant armed with Betsey Johnson as our supporting designer, we gladly took the challenge to build something big, beautiful, and beyond.
And thus, a punk-inspired Marie Antoinette was born. 
Our queen captured the electric spirit of Betsey Johnson with the luxe-glam of roses and peonies. The brainstorm process evolved from a peek at the Betsey Johnson S/S 2011 runway collection. Once decided on a custom, spray-painted petticoat dress, we set our imagination on a headpiece fit for an 18th century European court. Additional references included Carnival, La Catrina, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
The pink cabbage roses, peonies and baby's breath that recalled a powdered wig became a veritable garden for 6” silver glitter butterflies. Details below.
While we succeeded in concealing the water tubes necessary to keep the peonies (queen of all flowers) looking their best, our incredible model Stephanie withstood the substantial weight with elegance and grace. Many kudos to her for making the look appear both natural and effortless.
Ultimately, the runway walk – though only lasting a minute – was the shining moment for our design. It’s always enchanting for a designer to witness their work being brought to life. The feeling can be so surreal or unimagined that it becomes easy to forget how such a creation came to be. 
It was a true pleasure working on this project for such a charitable cause, and to see where our minds and flowers could lead us given a little inspiration. Looking forward to next year’s show already… Meanwhile, thanks to VillageCare, Betsey Johson and to Stephanie for stealing the runway!
Photo Credits: Andrew Werner, LINDSEYBELLE
-Parker Voss
Campari & SKYY Spirits Event at the Empire Hotel Rooftop
Now that a year has passed since Campari’s 150th Anniversary Party at the Bowery Hotel (part 1 part 2), the liquor’s parent company SKYY Spirits came back to us to design another branded party - this time at the Empire Hotel Rooftop. Hosted by SKYY Spirits for Impact Magazine, the industry event welcomed executives for all major spirit companies including Campari’s top management from Milan. Given the in-the-spotlight spirit of the evening, the design called for luxe and very beautiful flowers, so we chose none other than orchids and lilies.
Our front bar arrangements consisted of red lilies with plum cymbidium orchids, red mocara and James Story orchids. Our team styled the bar with cymbidium heads, Campari and SKYY Infusions bottles along with custom menus offering the famed Negroni and Aperol Spritz cocktails.
We carried the cymbidium orchids up to the gold wire lighting fixtures as decoration above the bar. The six balls studded with white cymbidium and lemon leaves exceeded our expectations based on a trial on a single fixture – almost butterfly-like, the dozens of orchids appeared to flutter with the lights on!
The smaller arrangements for the low cocktail tables combined various types of red and golden-hued orchid stems in line with Campari's signature coloring.
The choice of florals worked well in the outdoor terrace whose tropical greenery suits the exotic appeal of orchids & lilies.
For the terrace bar, we kept the same combination of flowers but altered the hues. Here a detail of white lilies, white cymbidium orchids, red mocara and James Story orchids is a great example of how lilies and orchids share complimenting texture and lines.
Overall, we were happy to please the party’s host and surprise the venue itself by the transformation of the space. The success of the design can be attributed to an elegant & consistent visual scheme without over-branding a label familiar to all in attendance. We're always grateful to work along that fine line between the obvious and the unexpected when it comes to flowers.
-Parker Voss
Rouge Arrangements
A week before Valentine’s Day, In Bloom executed the centerpieces for an annual hospital fundraiser held by The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center here in New York City. Hosted at Rouge Tomate and sponsored by the fashion brand Milly, the luncheon featured an upstairs area where guests enjoyed a showcase of the Milly collection in addition to a downstairs seated lunch for 160 people including an honorary Pediatric specialist.
The florals provided for the upstairs “World of Milly” made use of the brand’s signature pink using roses, spray roses, and ranunculus.
The design for the banquet table arrangements evolved from an anemone motif found in a fabric sample from the season’s collection. The final red arrangements incorporated open roses, spray roses, hypericum berries, alstromeria and anemones in black glass cubes.
The overall tablescape combined not only well with the Milly aesthetic but also with the restaurant interior.
We very much enjoyed the planning process for this special event, and give our thanks to the MSKCC event chairs & coordinators for their thoughtful compliments.
-Parker
A Stunning Holiday Party in Connecticut
Before the New Year, In Bloom New York traveled north of the city to arrange flowers for a special holiday party at a private home. Our designers tailored the arrangements to suit the interior décor while maintaining a holiday feel.
The main hallway boasted two large arrangements combining flowering quince branches, naked seeded eucalyptus, white garden roses, white amaryllis, white hydrangea as well as mini green hydrangea.
Parker Voss – one of our designers – between the main hall and dining room arrangements.
The dining room centerpiece incorporated similar elements to the hallway arrangements but with amnesia roses for soft color.
The four niches in the library became the perfect display area for four very artful arrangements of red amarayllis and dried cecropia leaves. The result appeared both substantial and sculptural.
Instead of a traditional garland for the mantel, we chose a simple yet impactful pairing of red, white and green arrangements using amaryllis and anemones in leaf-wrapped containers.
The simplest arrangment such as this fishbowl with amnesia roses gave finishing touches to the upstairs landing/coat-check area.
Fresh cut greens like those added to these jardiniers bring any room to life. We also added Spanish moss to the wrought iron chandeliers wrapped in grape vines.
Thank you to everyone for all the compliments on our interpretation and display of holiday florals for a wonderful private party!
-Parker Voss
Holiday Transformation of a Chic Soho Residence, 2010
Now that the holiday season is fully upon us, we wanted to give you a taste of In Bloom New York’s own favorite holiday décor for Winter 2010. First in line is the transformation of chic Soho apartment we decorated from corner to cornice in colors, textures and combinations we find unexpected yet steadily in line with the holiday spirit.
The grand loft-style apartment combines living, bar, kitchen and dining areas into a single space. As such, our designers tailored every installation to its individual environment, giving special effects to each while seamlessly combining the various designs into a cohesive whole.
The display on the main entrance table featured an antiqued urn spilling over with red grapes, fresh pomegranates and freeze-dried red & black roses. As the first look of the party, the feeling was festive without making a blatant holiday statement.
Looking ahead to the centrally located bar, guests approached a lit wreath embellished with freeze-dried roses, dried pomegranates & lotus pods, pheasant feathers and eucalyptus. The richly decorated wreath hung as an appropriate alternative to the standard holiday tree.
The environment immediately to the right of the bar became the DJ both whose set-up we framed with a snaking, partially-gilded magnolia leaf garland and fresh red roses. The asymmetrical line of the garland moved the eye along and around the impressive cabinets de curiosités and down towards the decadent food station.
The food station became another focal point looking down the length of the room past the bar and DJ booth -- the grand statement being a 4 foot tall arrangement of rose hips, ruby red roses, tall ilex berries & red dogwood branches in a sterling silver bowl. We served up mixed florals in smaller silver containers combining magnolia leaves, purple & red anemones, hot pink peonies and dried pomegranates. A twisting, handmade white pine & redwood branch garland completed the table design.
Complimentary arrangements for the kitchen combined elements from the table such as redwood branches, purple & red anemones, hot pink peonies and ruby red roses.
In an area nearest the kitchen and entrance, we draped a life-size Grecian marble figure with gilded laurel & holly strung with ruby, black, and two-toned red roses. The result not only embraced but transcended the holiday spirit, allowing the owner the choice of keeping the garland on display for as long as desired.
Reaching far across the space to where guests could lounge, the seating area incorporated timeless and seasonal elements such as red poinsettias and a mantelpiece garland. Instead of obscuring the fireplace with florals we sought to accentuate its design elements by wrapping the columns with more white pine & redwood branch garland. The mantel's cornice of magnolia branches, red dyed eucalyptus, dried pomegranates, lotus pods and hundreds of freeze dried rose came together by the hands-on efforts of Eric, Roshy and Parker. We added glittered birds with exotic plumes as the finishing touches.
And finally, exotic orchids with red dogwood branches paired nicely with ilex bunches in the guest bathroom.
-Parker Voss
Campari 150th Anniversary Party: Design & Planning
Negroni? Campari & Soda? Campari & orange juice? Which is your favorite Campari drink? I am a sucker for a Campari on the rocks with a splash of soda and orange...always delightful on a hot summer day like today...
I'm regressing now! Back to the topic at hand - Campari! Dating back to 1860, this aperitif is one of the most recognizable in the world, primarily due to the brand's beautiful advertisements that have been captivating consumers and art collectors alike for over a century now. This past May, Campari celebrated their 150th Anniversary at The Bowery Hotel and In Bloom New York was asked to create the flower displays as well as the environmental decor for the fete.
The evening was produced by the Art Production Fund, with a special musical performance and never-before-seen works of art by Kalup Linzy. Co-hosting the event were mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Marco Dionysos, Francesco Lafranconi, Lynnette Marrero, Eric Alperin & Allen Katz as well as Manhattan Cocktail Classic and United States Bartenders' Guild.
There were a many elements that we needed to design for this event including bar displays, floral decorations for their vintage advertisements, a large-scale logo for stage backdrop, a photo booth display, one significant entry table design as well as several table centerpieces. We knew we wanted to create something entirely new and fresh while still maintaining Campari's classic brand and image.
Our immediate inspiration came from an antique birdcage at our hands as well as Alexander Mcqueen's 2008 Spring/Summer Butterfly headdress. We wanted there to be whimsy and also an element of darkness in this Campari garden.
First, we began brainstorming for the main installaion that would set the mood for the additional design elements. Envisioning the large antique birdcage coupled with a mannequin on display, we quickly put together a mock-up to get a feel of the layout. We conceived this display based on the image of a beautiful woman who lives in a garden with hair of butterflies and dresses in a bodice of flowers. Reaching out, she embodies an eternal desitre for this bottle housed behind the overgrowth of the antique birdcage.
As for producing this imagination, we first needed to create the bodice for the mannequin. After mapping out the pattern in pencil, we individually hot-glued every petal and ruscus leaf onto the heart shape-leotard. We simply used two elements to keep the design clean and fresh: dark green Italian Ruscus and red rose petals.
We built the boddice from the bottom upward with Italian Ruscus to achieve the effect of organic growth. Ruscus ended up being the perfect plant to achieve this goal.
Next, we added the rose petals one by one. Since the hot glue changed the color of the petal, we needed to ensure that we covered these areas by an overlapping petal. We initially thought to use silk flowers instead of fresh florals but decided against it, keeping in mind that we would have to house the mannequin in our floral refrigerator until the following day to keep the petals fresh.
The last element that we were able to prep in advance was the wisteria and branch design on the antique birdcage. We used branches varying in width, choosing the most twisted and interesting pieces.
Part 2 to follow with photos of the event!
DINNER AT DE SANTOS FOR DAN RAGONE
This past March, Interview Magazine hosted a special fete in honor of their new president Dan Ragone at De Santos restaurant in the West Village. Interview approached us looking for simple yet elegant arrangements for their intimate dinner. Inspired by both the rustic, Tuscan menu and décor of the restaurant, we put together an ensemble of small,white arrangements for the dinner tables as well as flowering branches for the bar and entranceway.
For the entrance table, guests entered the dinner greeted by a tall arrangement of white cherry blossoms. Additional flowering pear branch arrangements decorated each corner of the bar.
Small arrangements of white Ranunuclus, Hydrangeas, Lisianthus, Ginestra and Bouvardia were placed on the dinner tables in alternating heights and sizes. Each arrangement used only one type of white flower to give a clean, chic look. See below for more photos and a link to Interview Magazine's write up. Enjoy!
Wisteria Vines
Last October, In Bloom New York did the floral set up for a private party in Soho and our client asked us to come up with a way to decorate the fireplace since it was still under construction. We had the pleasure of working with Brian Reilly on this project. Brian is an interior design genius and is currently in Milan working for Ralph Lauren. While brainstorming the ideas for the event, Brian suggested covering the fireplace with Wisteria Vines.
With the ideas mapped out in our head, we moved forward and ordered three bundles of Wisteria Vines and 100 stems of deep burgundy Antique Hydrangeas. When the vines arrived, we were pleased to see many pieces of intricately twisted branches. We knew we had our job cut out for us since the vines were dried and not as malleable as they once were and we had to position the installation in a way that we wouldn't damage the walls or the antique fireplace.
Our landscape designer Anthony Dessiprius spearheaded the project and within a couple hours he had the structure up and secured with no more than fishing wire and two nails. Anthony used the best pieces of the bundles and created a natural and organic installation that looked as if it has grown up the fireplace on its own. Once the foundation was complete, we added the stems of the Antique Hydrangeas starting heavier at the bottom and sprinkling more at the top. These stems remained on the structure for a few months and dried naturally and beautifully on it's own.
