Meet the florist: LAUREN KENNEDY
December 2023
Hello, flower lovers!
December heralds the hotter days of summer, as well as a season of festivities. And there is no better way to celebrate special occasions than with the gift of flowers! Our featured florist for this month knows this only too well – Lauren Kennedy, founder of Sydney’s L Flora floral studio, is an expert at creating stunning floral arrangements and installations for the most cherished and memorable moments of our lives. Her designs simply teem with an abundance of gorgeous blooms.
With her art and design background, Lauren has a great eye for colour and detail. She makes incredibly striking arrangements, often in pastel, romantic hues but also in vibrant, eye-popping colours. She is known for using seasonal flowers, and includes her favourite garden roses, orchids and hydrangeas when she can. Her designs range from luxurious and dramatic bouquets, to blooms in cascading installations, to centrepieces with such an abundance of flowers that they extend over the edge of tabletops. Her attention to detail, colour, shape, texture and flower quality are second to none.
I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Lauren on several projects and she has taught me a lot about flowers over the years. She is very passionate about what she does and always aims to create beautiful work for her clients. I love how her designs often feature a cornucopia of overflowing blooms in soft shades, such as blush, nude, pink, apricot and ivory, especially in the designs she creates for weddings – they are always so romantic and evocative. And all of her large arrangements and installations make fantastic photo-ready backdrops!
Our flower for December is Lauren’s favourite: Lily of the Valley. Here’s what Lauren had to say when I interviewed her for our 2023 Planner.
1. Which flower inspires you the most and why?
This is such a hard question! I have so many favourites … hydrangea, lilac, tulips, guelder rose, delphinium, ranunculus … the list goes on! But if I have to choose only one it would be Lily of the Valley. It reminds me of my grandma and takes me back to my childhood days playing in her amazing garden. That was where my love of flowers started. The scent of Lily of the Valley is like no other flower; one sniff would always bring tears to my grandma’s eyes as it transported her back to her home city of Prague in springtime.
2. Any fun facts about Lily of the Valley you’d like to share?
Lily of the Valley is a symbol for happiness and love and is gifted across Europe as a celebration of the first day of Spring. It is said to bring luck in love and is popular in wedding bouquets, religious ceremonies and festivals.
3. Can you share any styling tips for Lily of the Valley?
Lily of the Valley is best styled on its own en masse due to its delicate nature and short stems, however it can also look chic and effortless when paired with vases of other dainty spring blooms such as ranunculus and tulips. Make sure you keep Lily of the Valley in a cool spot, though, as it does not do well in heat.
You can find Lauren’s website here or follow her on Insta here.
Shannon x
SHOP THE lily of the valley COLLECTION
