fall florals from charleston

photography by CORBIN GURKIN (@CORBINGURKIN)

Let’s not let spring have all the fun. Fall florals deserve the spotlight, too–and not just on your Thanksgiving table. The gorgeousness you’re looking at came from Charleston. More specifically, the Charleston Flower Workshop hosted by Heather Barrie of Gathering Floral & Anne Dabney of Stems. Together the two designed an inspired, visually awakening event that we will stare at for hours. We bet you will, too.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER AND HOW DID THIS EVENT COME ABOUT? Charleston Flower Workshop is a collaboration between Heather Barrie of Gathering Events and Anne Dabney of Stems. After receiving multiple class requests, the two decided to team up and offer workshops and classes that provide two distinct perspectives of the intricacies of event florals and design. Our customer ranges from the casual hobbyist interested in learning some basic floral techniques to industry professionals looking to further their education, be refreshed and inspired.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF WORKING IN FLORAL DESIGN?

Heather:

My favorite aspect of floral design is the creation of something beautiful or interesting that evokes joy in the beholder. The artistic aspects of combining colors and textures in layers. I guess it is sort of like painting with but the live 3-D elements!

Anne:

I love the fleeting aspect of floral creations. Celebrations are about the moment and your company, and the fact that you can’t hold on to the centerpiece indefinitely afterwards reinforces that idea. It forces you continuously move forward and onto the next great thing!

WHAT INSPIRED ITS DECOR? We wanted to do something that incorporated a lot of bold color! We found a dinner plate that captured this idea with a floral motif. What luck! This floral motif was hand painted by Mary Ruth Tribble for the welcome boxes, invite and journal. The flowers were chosen in the same vibrant hues to make the table centerpieces, place cards and candlelight.

ARE THERE ELEMENTS USED IN THE DECOR FOR THIS EVENT THAT READERS CAN/SHOULD TRY AT HOME? Yes! I think the takeaway is to explore using color within the different elements of your tabletop. The plate, napkin, and centerpiece should create a color palette together and coordinate. One often overlooked element that can really tie the color story together is the candles. We opted to do three different colors of taper candles that were inspired by our dinner plate.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BLOOMS TO USE DURING THE FALL/THANKSGIVING SEASON?

Heather:

Some of my favorite elements to use are not flowers! I really enjoy using lots of foliage, grasses, and berries – things like rosehips, smokebush, bittersweet, foxtail grass, millet, etc… There is a really pretty bronze mum/chrysanthemum I like. It has best gold, orange, and brown gradient of color!

Anne:

I like to incorporate flowers in unexpected colors – pinks or chartreuse mixed in with more traditional rustic fall décor to liven things up a bit.

WHAT’S ONE FLORAL DESIGN SECRET YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW?

Anne:

Be fearless! You are (most likely) not being graded, and even the most experienced designers have creations that didn’t quite work out how they’d planned. As with most things, you’ll improve with practice so snip a few things out of your yard and take time to learn how they fall together in a vase. Pretty soon you won’t need to be looking for any advice or design secrets!

SEE MORE AT @CHARLESTONFLOWERWORKSHOP & @GATHERINGEVENTS!