Below, Kathleen shares with Merci New York {some} secrets of the New York flower market, and why the best quality flowers at the best price are truly reserved for experienced designers…
To start, tell us about yourself… What sparked your interest in floral design? What do you love most about what you do?
Simply put, I love flowers. I spent most of my career as an event planner and producer, having the opportunity to work with some of the city’s best designers, and floral design is one of my most favorite elements of an event. I love that i get to chase beauty for a living — to be able to work and design with some of nature’s beauties, all for the purpose of bringing joy and/or expressing love is amazing. 
My biggest challenge is to capture the beauty, charm, grace and uniqueness of each element as well as what the customer wants. My biggest reward is when I get it right.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Tough question because I feel like I’m still evolving and growing. I would say that my designs are fresh and seasonal, thoughtful, lush, textural, colorful with notes of romance and whimsy. 
The floral market can be an intimidating place if you don’t know how to navigate it. When you begin shopping the market, do you have a plan on action, or mental road map? How do you remain nonplussed amidst the chaos?
When planning an event or wedding, I often make multiple trips to the market for inspiration. these trips usually help me focus my direction. I’m usually drawn to one element {and it may be a minor player in the design} and let that element guide me. And the chaos…that just adds to my excitement.
When working on a wedding, floral designers usually pre-order flowers since we’re managing specific varieties and quantities. I don’t want to chance not getting flowers that a client has their heart set on, but on the off-chance that one didn’t pre-order or all your flowers didn’t come in {it happens}, the 4am opening is helpful. 
It’s a bit of both — knowing the market and your relationship with the vendors. Sometimes it helps to share budget details with vendors….you may be able to get a better price or they may be able to recommend a more cost-effective alternative. 
Yes, that’s the way things are done and refreshingly, for the most part, everyone respects it. As for other mores, the vendors trust that you will buy whatever you put on the shelf, i.e. don’t put 200 peonies on the shelf then buy only 20…someone else may need those flowers and you would have screwed them and your vendor.
I keep it simple. My favorite are quince blossoms. They’re perfectly full and sparse, all at once, making just the right statement for me.
If you were designing a winter wedding based purely on your design aesthetic, what would it look like?
That would require a few scouting trips to the market! But I would definitely use tree blossoms, full blooms like peonies and anemones, and feathers!
All photos courtesy Margarita Corporan .
