I recently got to go out on a Wednesday evening and see around Marmion House which has an impressive interior and fab atmosphere but I also got to do a Spring Bouquet workshop with Nia from Luvshifting Flowers.
I first found out about Nia and her work locally by seeing the floral displays she had done for Southsea Coffee, I liked her style and then started to follow her work for a few years. I then felt that I wanted to feature Nia in the magazine and that's what we did. Walking into her kitchen, I got to see all the lovely plants and flowers dotted around and the love that Nia has for flowers!
Chatting about where this love came from I found out that Nia started a Saturday job in a florist shop back in Bath as a young girl. Even though she went on to do art courses she always loved floristry and said this was something she wanted to do as a career. Spanning a profession over a long period of around 35 years, it is lovely that Nia has seen so many trends come and go. Working in London and having that creative flair meant that lots of times her work became as much about visual merchandising as it did about flowers. Working for Harvey Nicholls and designing all their floral displays meant Nia really captured the whole floristry creative design element.
Thinking of how flowers have gone through trends over the years I asked Nia what trends or era she loved working in the most, She said “For drama, I loved the nineties it was a fantastic time to work in floristry but for style I would have to say right now! The relaxed feel of flowers is lovely and so many people are now doing DIY weddings that I have decided to start doing packages with couples where they actually do all their own flowers for their weddings. I see this as a unique collaboration and I still get to do displays as well as guide the couples but the difference is the input, it's a fantastic feeling seeing family and friends all pitching in to decorate tables and the venue which makes the event even more memorable. All of the designs are curated so that they can be easily disassembled, repurposed, and reused – I am passionate about sustainability and I love the idea that you can recreate your wedding garden at home – a beautiful, growing, and flourishing memory of the day, where it all began.”
Talking to Nia about the LuvShifting Flower Club she said “Each session starts at 7pm with a welcome and a glass of fizz. I will help everyone to make seasonal designs in an hour and a half ish and finish with continued chat and some nibbles and more fizz. The workshops are designed as an escape, a time to relax and enjoy all the sensory details that flowers can provide but you’ll also pick up some top tips and learn how to look after your designs.”
When we did our workshop, even though I am not great at flower displays Nia made me feel so relaxed and I really enjoyed my bouquet I got to take home. Finding out the names of each flower and foliage used was interesting and attention to detail was spot on. The nibbles we had at the end of the session were really tasty with bread and olives, peppers with cheese, and chips with aioli dip. Being able to chat to new people I think is a big appeal with these kind of workshops. I attended this on my own but within 5 minutes of being there, I felt good about the group I was in.
Workshops are going to be on the 4th Weds evening each month. Aug not included. Oct is 1 week earlier. See details below of what we’ll do each time.
Weds 25th May – Seasonal, fragrant, and textured table display in a glass vase. Showing you techniques on keeping the stems in place.
Weds 22nd June – Flower crowns and wrist corsages with dried flower details to get festival ready.
Weds 27th July – Fragrant, seasonal round hand-tied Summer bouquet
Nothing in August
Weds 28th Sept – Natural seascape wooden trough for a table using textured grasses and sea like succulents
Weds 19th Oct – Fragrant, seasonal tall Autumn bouquet.
Weds 23rd Nov – Autumn Wreaths made with fresh leaves and details that will dry off perfectly.
December dates will be added on another product.
1 workshop £60ea, 2 workshops – £55ea – £110, 3 workshops £50ea – £150, book all 6 workshops £45ea – £270
Click here to book and also see more about Nia and Luvshifting Flowers.
