Sculpting with florals: Design by Nature
A conversation with the talented London-based floral artist Emily Ayres
I first came across Emily’s work back in 2021, via a collaboration she did with Perilla, my favourite neighbourhood restaurant. Her beautiful dried flowers adorn the whole space, and after a little snooping around, I found out that the talented hand behind these beautiful compositions was a local florist based right in my neck of the woods, here in Stoke Newington.
I started becoming one of Emily’s loyal customers: first buying one of her ready-made compositions for my kitchen island (which has become a much beloved and iconic feature in my home) and then commissioning her a bespoke composition for our downstairs powder room (catch a glimpse of it later down in the article).
Since then, my home has been graced by two more of Emily’s compositions; I had the pleasure of photographing her and her work on a couple of occasions, first in her charming Stoke Newington Studio and then for her first solo residency she held at Glasshouse, in Hackney.
I recently caught up again with Emily as she suggested we revamp the original piece I bought for the kitchen – an opportunity I was only too happy to jump on.
She is genuinely one of the most talented makers I had the honour of meeting through opening The Venetian Pantry, and I am so excited to bring her to you as my guest today, and lift the curtain to reveal her fascinating process.
Without further ado – here’s Emily!
Q: Your background is in fine art. Can you tell me a little about your journey, what led you to become a florist? How long have you been doing it for?
After graduating with my Fine Art degree I was lucky to work in some amazing design and art studios which furthered my love of sculpture. My job involved lots of organisation and artist/client liaison through which I was exposed to incredible avant-garde artworks. The immersive nature of these studios allowed me to delve into talking about art.
I had the idea of working in floristry for a long time and knew it would be something I’d naturally pick up. I think I was drawn to the endless exploration of flowers and different botanicals available, most of which people never get an opportunity to see.
After an amazing 10 years in artist and studio management, I found that I missed making my own artwork and the floristry idea started to become a reality.
“I see flowers as building blocks of colour, shape and texture; no different to clay or paint”
In any type of design, your materials must work either in cohesion with or contrast against each other. Flowers are a ready-made paintbrush and you can piece together your designs stem by stem.
I never thought I would start my own business but one thing led to another and seven years later I’m still here.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you (if there even is such a thing!)?
There isn’t a typical day but there are what I call ‘work days’, ‘studio days’ and of course ‘admin days”. My week generally splits up into these categories. The work days are when I’m working for a brand, client or customer. These are busy days fulfilling the brief or job I’ve been assigned to. This can be making dried flowers in my studio or working on-site for an installation or event. Generally, these are fast-paced, early starts with flower market visits and long days. I love them and the adrenaline really gets going.
Studio days are my time, when I can get creative with new arrangements, think about styles of flowers I can share and sell and my favourite part, photography and documenting what I do. If I had all the time in the world I could spend hours photographing a dried flower head or petal. So much beauty is to be found in these details and I love sharing them on my instagram or keeping them as my own visual style diary.
Admin days are as boring as they sound but they are essential in keeping a small business running smoothly. There is always lots to do here and working from home at the dining room table looking over my garden is a real luxury.
Q: You are mostly known now for your beautiful dried flower arrangements. What made you want to specialise in dried flowers?
Working with dried flowers was a beautiful, happy accident. As much as we like to move on from the dreaded covid period it was at this point that the pandemic changed everything for me.
With businesses closed, my usual income from fresh flower events and weddings completely dried up (excuse the pun).
In the early stages of the pandemic fresh flowers were harder to source and this encouraged me to start thinking of and working with dried flowers in a whole new way. Using dried flowers meant I could hold stock and take my time over creations. I had plenty of time to fill and I enjoyed this slower pace of working.
It soon became clear to me that this was what I loved, dried flowers became my personal style and as with any creative business having a signature way of making is important. It felt the most natural fit for me to work with dried flowers and linked more closely to my fine art background.
"The sustainable element of dried flowers hugely appealed to me. I now see having dried flower arrangements in the home much like a piece of furniture or art. They are there to be cherished for longer, to brighten a room and to be kept. Unlike fresh flowers that you change weekly, they are less transient.”
Q: How did you find the process of setting up your own activity? Any challenges? Do you have any advice for people looking to do something similar?
Starting your own business is a lot of hard work, more work than I anticipated.
However, what you have is freedom, freedom to create your own working world and I feel after 7 years it's the perfect balance for me. You need patience and can’t expect things to happen overnight. You also become an expert in all sorts of different areas of business. Accounting, tax, international shipping law, insurance, e-commerce, sales and marketing. I never thought I would be so involved in these areas but the knowledge is amazing and you’re learning new skills all the time. It’s never dull!
My advice would be to know you’re going to work hard, throw yourself into it and don't be disheartened by a bad day or take things too personally which is very easy to do when it's your own business.
Q: Do you have some favourite flowers or foliages you find yourself reaching for time and time again (other than your signature twirly twigs)?
As you know, the twisted hazel and salix bandwing willow twigs are my favorites but when it comes to dried flowers I tend to go through phases or what's seasonally available. Dried dahlias are a big love of mine at the moment. I have an incredible supplier called Just Dahlias run by Philippa, she's an expert in all things dahlias. I also use lots of dried statice which I also source from growers in the UK and many types of grasses.
Another leaf I particularly enjoy using at the moment is dried fishtail palms and kentia palms. We tend to throw away our brown tropical leaves but I encourage everyone to cut them from their plants and dry them in a vase. They are so beautiful when the natural brown coppery tones come through.
Q: Are there any specific challenges in working with dried flowers compared to fresh ones?
I think working with dried flowers is much easier than fresh flowers. I have young children and my time is limited so being able to work within longer timeframes is key to managing both work and family life. Fresh flowers demand instant time frames, water and the knowledge to keep them looking perfect on a big day or event.
Caring for dried flowers is different, I do need to protect them whilst in storage, clean them and make sure they don't get damp or have any moisture left in them.
Q: Can you walk us through your creative process when designing a new arrangement or piece? Any tips?
My creative process often starts with the location they will be displayed in. This can be a real client space or an imaginary one. I have been drawn to the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi for a long time, it is about appreciating the beauty of the imperfect and taking influence from your surroundings. I was first exposed to this in my previous work in the art industry and it’s something I adore.
I don’t believe in straight lines but I do believe in the importance of negative space. I could never be a graphic designer or architect but I hugely admire them and love to be influenced by these practices. I always feel art is informed intuitively by taking in surrounding factors like the light of day or your immediate environment. So I start there and then create my flowers within these parameters. I love a brief and I love applying what I do to another person's requirements or vision. I think that way we both achieve something really unique and it pushes my boundaries of creativity.
Once I have this vision in place I choose my flowers based on colour, the form and structure of the flower. I also need to consider practical elements like durability. In commercial spaces for example the flowers need to take a certain amount of wear and tear.
I tend to create the whole vision by choosing the right vase/style of ceramic and building the flowers upwards from the vase, stem by stem. I start from the bottom, imagining if the arrangement has grown naturally in a garden, mixing and twisting different dried flowers together.
Q: What current trends are you seeing in the world of floristry?
Currently, I see a couple of different trends. Many commercial florists are leaning towards the sustainability and seasonality of British flowers. I think we’ve all learnt so much in recent years about climate change and our impact on the environment so this is a wonderful practice to see more growers and florists in the UK. We have an incredibly talented industry and they are an inspiration to me.
Another trend has been towards very vibrant colours and strong shapes. I see lots of hot pinks, yellows and lilacs. These tend to come from more tropical flowers such as anthuriums, roses, orchids.
The thing about floristry is that there is a place and style for everyone. Much like interior design or fashion, we all have our own styles and tastes and I respect them all. People are so creative and it's amazing seeing new talents come through.
Q: What are some of the most common requests you get from clients when commissioning you a piece?
Please can I have the ‘curly twigs’ hahaha! That is the most common request but I think the colour is important to my clients. Dried flowers can be very naturally colourful and although this dulls over time people are keen to inject some colour into their homes. I love being able to show people what I can offer in this area. Pinks and yellows tend to be the favourite choices but also mixing in natural beiges and whites. Often we have a preconceived idea of dried flowers being brown and dull but this isn’t the case.
Q: Do you have any tips for drying flowers? Are there any types or groups that dry particularly well, any that don’t?
Drying your own flowers is a relatively simple process and anyone can do it. I suggest hanging them upside down in an area of the house that is dry and has good airflow. This could be a kitchen or hallway. Do not shut them away in a cupboard and leave them.
Another way to dry flowers and perhaps less conventional is to simply leave them in a vase to dry slowly. Flowers like roses and hydrangeas are good for this. You can also create some fun wiggly stems this way.
“The best flowers to dry easily are grasses, strawflowers, sunflowers and hydrangeas, statice, and eucalyptus.”
Flowers or foliage to avoid drying are generally anything with very delicate petals that may fall apart or waxy flowers.
Q: What caring tips can you give us to ensure our dry flower arrangements last as long as possible?
The best tips I can offer is to keep your dried flowers out of direct sunlight as this degrades them and breaks them down more quickly. Do not put them anywhere damp like a bathroom or somewhere that has significant temperature changes as this will make them go mouldy. Finally, give them a dusting, I usually recommend blowing over them with a hairdryer on a gentle, cool setting every so often.
Q: Can you share a story about one of your most memorable or unique projects you have done so far? Any favourites that stand out?
My favourite ever project was working with the Tate Modern. It was a dream come true for me as a big art nerd. The team at the Tate asked me to create a selection of my dried flower sculptures inspired by their new exhibition for Mondrian and Hilma AF Klint which was all about their botanical paintings and drawings.
Firstly, what an incredible brief to work towards and secondly to have the trust of the Tate to make them my artworks was a huge honour and then to see them displayed in the Tate Modern for 6 months was amazing.
Another project I also really enjoyed was working with Holy Carrot a vegan restaurant creating dried flowers for the launch of their event side of the business. It was at One Marylebone, which is a stunning building and the team were incredibly forward-thinking and creative. They helped me push my own boundaries and gave me a huge amount of trust to create some really striking features for the event. I’ll never forget it!
Q: What makes you excited about the future? Any plans?
The future for me and Design by Nature is all about dried flowers. I rarely work with fresh flowers now and I just want to spread the word about how beautiful dried flowers can be. I want to expand my offering of dried flowers for my website and to educate people about them. I love talking about them, teaching how to make them and generally appreciating nature in all its stages of life, mainly the latter dead stage!
I’m excited about dried flowers and I think they have a place in all different interiors and homes.
☞ Follow Emily on Instagram
☞ Visit Design By Nature website
I hope you enjoyed this interview! If you have any questions for Emily, please leave us a comment below and I’ll make sure your questions get back to her.
What an inspiring piece, Martina, I loved in particular the Holy Carrot pictures. Plus, I have to say, I love Emily’s personal style.