Plants have always been of interest to have within your home or office space whether they're flowers, succulents, etc. We sat down with Caroline Bailly, owner of L'Atelier Rouge to find out how to create the perfect arrangement as well as how they are the perfect gift for men whether's it for your boyfriend, Father's Day or just because!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Have you always been interested in flowers - what is your background in the floral industry?
CAROLINE BAILLY: Yes my Mom was a botanic specialist in France and flowers have always been part of my life. Even though I have a food and beverage background through the course of my career, I was hired as Events Director by the famed Olivier Giugni who was a wonderful floral mentor and taught me a lot.
AM: When did you launch L'Atelier Rouge?
CB: In March, 2010.
AM: How can we create the perfect floral arrangement?
CB: When you design a floral arrangement I feel that emotions are very important and you want to share / create a story when designing.
AM: What kinds of flowers should we always have on hand?
CB: I feel like answering all of them! This is a challenging question as I feel that there is always a certain flower for a specific purpose and the message you want to send. (i.e. Peonies are soft / sweet and delicate. Calla lillies are more structured and clean.) So to keep it simple you would want to have different sizes of heads, different textures and at least 3 colors to add more depth to your designs. Right now, I would say that I always want to have some proteas / peonies / roses / sweetpeas and orchids on hand.
AM: Succulents seem to be a popular trend - what is it about them that are making them have such a moment?
CB: I think that the beauty of succulents is that they do last and add texture and muted colors to your home. They do not need a lot of maintenance and you do not need to be a floral expert to have fun with them.
Arrangements created by L' Atelier Rouge's Head of Floral Design, Takaya Sato
AM: When it comes to florals, and men, how can we choose an arrangement that is perfect for them?
CB: For me a more masculine arrangement is structured, geometrical and not overly colorful. Ornithogalum / Calla Lillies / Lady Slippers / Tulips and exotic flowers such as anthurium are my recommendations.
AM: Are flowers an appropriate gift for Father's Day and what do you suggest?
CB: Totally, I love the idea of offering a plant such as an interesting agave as an alternative to succulents or a creative orchid garden for the office as a father's day gift.
AM: What are popular florals that are perfect for the summer?
CB: Sunflowers / daisies / chamomille and dahlias are some of my Summer favorites.
Read more from the June Issue