Winter at the NYC Flower Market
Even with the impending bitter cold, spring is making its way into our hearts yet again with beautiful tulips, peonies and blooming bulb plants. A late afternoon visit to the flower market on West 28th street between 6th and 7th avenues gave me a chance to escape the noise of the city and take in all the vibrant colors. These miniature daffodils are happy and bright!
I was happy to see one of my favorites even in the dead of winter. These peonies are imported from Chile where they are currently in season.
Winter is a great time to get blooming branches like forsythia, quince and cherry blossoms. When you pass by them at the market they might look like dried up sticks but hammer the ends of the stems and put them in warm water. After a few weeks they will be in full bloom and last such a long time! Check out these blooming quince we found in the market.
Another great spring flower with a subtle scent are sweet peas. They come in vibrant colors and are great for wedding bouquets or in a simple vase.
These kumquat branches and ornithogalum are a great shade of orange and offer a fresh look for arrangements. Kumquats are fun to use all winter and have a citrus fruit hanging from them.
French and parrot tulips covered the market along with fragrant hyacinth. Looks like spring to me!
There are so many more and gorgeous flowers at the NYC flower market, even in winter. Stop downtown and take a look at all the great flowers, plants and things they have to offer!
Get inspired!
2012 Land Rover Evoque Premiere at the Guggenheim
The new Land Rover Evoque made its mark on the Guggenheim this past November as a local dealership hosted an event to show off their newest addition. We were excited to be working with them and helping to design the concept for their space and bring in the decor for the event. When we arrived at the Guggenheim prior to the event we were fascinated by the amazing piece currently on display. The artist, Maurizio Cattelan, is credited with creating some of the most unforgettable images in recent contemporary art. The pieces were suspended from the ceiling in a fashion that provided a unique perspective from each level.
The dealership brought in this amazing metal and wire model sculpture of the new Evoque. The life size work of art looked like it belonged at the Guggenheim as a permanent display piece. Once they got the lighting setup the piece really came to life and set the mood.
During the cocktail hour we kept the arrangements clean and simple using stainless steel cube vases filled with white peonies and folded Thai leaves.
The bar arrangements were housed in large stainless steel cylinder vases filled with curly willow, white peonies, white hydrangea and folded leaves.
We were inspired by the great art and architecture of the Guggenheim when making the pieces for this event. Everything came together perfectly and the event went as smooth as possible. A great venue to enhance with flowers and we were so lucky to be able to experience the great art!
The Flower of My Affection
It happens around this time every year that I fall in love, and it's always with the same flower. I’ll tell you that normally the dahlia wins me over in Fall; the ranunculus is the star of my winter; but the peony reigns as the bloom of my affection for spring/summer.
Heralded as the Queen of Flowers for over a millennium, the peony perfectly combines delicacy with a hearty heft. Such a magnificent flower measuring up to six inches in diameter with feathery anthers and subtle gradations of color could only be crafted by the most genius artist, Mother Nature herself. So, how could we not find it the best choice to use in centerpieces for a recent private dinner at Sotheby’s New York?
Apart from working wonders in pure arrangements, peonies happen to act extremely agreeable with most shapes, sizes, textures of flowers. See how stunning raspberry peonies look en masse, along with how well they combine with white lisianthus and sweet peas.
While my love for peonies knows no bounds, the cabbage rose and the ranunculus are close cousins worth noting since peonies are not available year round (usually in season domestically from May through July). Thankfully, my heart finds content with other elegant and enduring blooms during the off-season...
...I just never can seem to wait until Spring to fall in love again!
-Parker Voss
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
Bloom Spotlight: Purple Floral Centerpiece
I love the color purple. It hasn't always been my favorite color, but purple has grown on me over the years. I feel a different vibe with each new shade - lavender calms me down, aubergine incites mystery & bright purple brings excitement. Sure, purple was the "it" color Fall/Winter 2008 but that hasn't stopped me from purchasing my new blackberry case in a deep shade or my cruise desert boots from Bottega Veneta in anemone.
Inspired by the color purple, we created beautiful low arrangements for a day wedding at Battery Gardens. The arrangements consisted of different shades of pink and purple flowers including peonies, anemones, garden roses, lisianthus, and spray roses.
The centerpieces were arranged very naturally and had a very garden, organic feel to them. Every bloom seemed to compliment the next, with each having a distinct shade and shape. Although the arrangements incorporated the same flowers, our designers styled each centerpiece uniquely. I'm always delighted when walking into a party and seeing each table being slightly different but cohesive as a whole - it adds much richness and texture to the elements involved. What do you think?
Enjoy!
Holiday Party in Soho
This past December, In Bloom New York had the pleasure of working on an exciting holiday party at a Soho Residence. The gracious host had requested a decorated tree, a large table display and a few arrangements throughout the apartment. To our delight, his only specification was to use all white.
Our team of designers began sketching ideas for the tree. We knew that we we wanted something different, monochromatic and avant garde to keep consistent with the design of the apartment. These beautiful birds found at Bergdorf Good inspired us all and lead the design of the event.
We decked the tree with all silver, white and mercury ornaments of different sizes and design to bring texture to the tree. To make the tree appear full, we added silk silver magnolia flowers as well as over fifty stems of fresh white hydrangeas (use green tubes filled with water to keep flowers hydrated or allow to dry naturally). For a touch of elegance and a small pop of color, we added small gold Fabrege eggs with ruby colored crystals.
To complete, we created a "birds nest" at the top of the tree using white birch branches. Instead of the traditional tree topper, we placed a large bird perched in his nest and used silver lame fabric purchased at Mood Fabrics as the tree skirt.
The idea for the main table installation was to separate the all white arrangements by using various types of flowers and vases to create texture and depth. The table was anchored by a centered tall white birch arrangement with numerous arrangements on both sides. Pussy willow served as the "runner" for the table and broke up the vases nicely. White hydrangeas, tulips, lisianthus, vanda orchids, peonies, calla lilies, ranunculus, hyacinths, and amaryllis were arranged in different sizes of glass and mercury vases.
Small silver birds were topped the arrangements and tied the theme together.
The use of a single type of flower in each vase accentuated the difference between the blooms and was very dramatic.
We completed our Lush Winter Wonderland with a few arrangements of peonies, amaryllis, and tulips scattered throughout the apartment and bathrooms.
For additional photos of the event, please check our Gallery.
