We’re so excited to step into the studio with Lavish Floral Design on our business blog today! Abby is a self-proclaimed flower geek, studied horticulture in school, and always dreamt of owning her own flower shop. So it’s not only gratifying for her, but also all of those around her to see her achieve her dreams and create beauty on a daily basis! We’ll let photographer Justine Wright, who captured her in her element here, introduce her further…
The art of floral arranging is something I have grown to admire over the years. Happiness in one of it’s simplest forms, I love the aroma of the bundles of florals, observing the selection process and watching what was began as minimal stems of green turn into something large, robust, and beautiful. Abby puts her heart and soul into all of her creations, delivering something lovely and inspired for each of her clients. It was a hot, humid morning (very typical of Midwest summers) when I met her at her downtown shop. Abby, a fan-favorite local florist and the force behind Lavish Floral Design in historic Quincy, IL, has an affinity for large floral arrangements… and what better way to spend a Saturday morning than watching her work her magic?
Let’s go back to the beginning! How did you get your start in floral design?
It was very important to me to bring fresh ideas and on-trend designs to my little hometown. It doesn’t matter what state you are in or how big of a city you live, brides everywhere want high quality and unique designs! I am proud to say that I have done that in my wedding and every day designs.
I am a self-declared flower geek. I love discovering new varieties of colors of flowers. A beautiful, sweet-smelling peony still gets me excited, even after 18 years! I regularly smell the flowers I am working with, because every sniff reminds me of how I fell in love with flowers so long ago. My favorite flowers are peonies, anemones, ranunculus, mums, and carnations. My favorite designs are organic and natural with lots of color and texture. I love playing with different color palettes.
One of the best things my college floral design professor told us about color was that “if it happens in nature, it can happen in your design,” which really means that when it comes to color, anything is possible! I draw a lot of inspiration from nature in my designs, but I also love to draw inspiration from urban landscapes, art, interior design, and oddly enough – one of my favorite sources of inspiration is using my Pantone app to create unique color palettes!
Do you have any parting words of advice?
Everyone has the ability to make a great impact on others. Always act with integrity, no matter what the circumstance. You don’t have a ‘work you’ and a ‘home you,’ you are just you. So be authentic, honest, and humble, because you never know how your words and actions will effect others.
