Bloomsbury Flowers was set up in 1994 by Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks. They have supplied flowers to Firmdale Hotels for over 20 years, becoming synonymous with creating beautiful, seasonal arrangements with a stylish twist. Their work can be seen throughout the hotels, from the grandest of hallway displays to subtle posies on small dining tables.
For our next “Meet the Maker” we chat to the wonderful duo about their former life in the Royal Ballet, the mistakes not to make in your own home and we share how you can learn from the experts yourself…
1. How did you get started in the business?
As former dancers with the Royal Ballet and as our shop is in Covent Garden, we had our first big commission from the Royal Opera House quite soon after we opened. The ardent ballet fans are also some of our biggest customers and are often very generous when it comes to sending flowers to a favourite ballerina!
2. How do you choose the arrangements throughout the hotels?
Each of the hotels is unique and apart from Covent Garden Hotel, we have seen each hotel in its new born state, as it were. Charlotte Street Hotel was the first hotel we were brought in on from the start and for us, the most exciting part of our design process is that first walk around with Kit, often in hard hats, to see where all the public area flowers will be placed. The flowers are always seasonal and English in style but with a twist of something here and there – much like Kit’s work throughout the hotels.
4. What mistakes do you see others making in their home?
‘Less is more’ is quoted often in our shop when it comes to design. It’s far better to have one or two statement arrangements in a room rather than lots of bits and bobs scattered about the place which just ends up looking messy and can lack balance.
3. What is your favourite season for your displays?
We started out in the floral world in autumn so that’s always a favourite time of year with all its glorious foliage and berries, but spring is a favourite too when flowers such as hellebores, muscari and of course tulips abound.
5. What advice would you give to having flowers / plants in your own home?
Succulents are very popular at the moment. They have the advantage of not needing much care, and they also help ‘clean’ the air. If your budget is limited, even the simplest of jam jars or milk bottles filled with a few stems of fresh flowers or herbs adds life to any room.
Mark and Stephen’s wealth of experience and creative vision is second to none. Step inside their floral world with one of our Bloomsbury Flowers workshops at Charlotte Street Hotel. Working with seasonal flowers you will be given a guided demonstration on how to craft the perfect arrangement with top tips and practical advice to create your very own hand-tied designs. At the end of the workshop, your creation will be presented in a vase that is yours to take home, but not before a delicious Champagne brunch in Oscar Bar & Restaurant.
Our next workshops are scheduled for 23rd October and 20th November. For more information and for tickets click here.