‘Bloemsierkunst is echt multidimensionaal’
‘De hele situatie is heel onwerkelijk, alsof de overwinning nog niet is behaald. Maar ik ben ‘t toch echt: wereldkampioen Floral Art!’ Een aantal dagen na het behalen van zijn titel kan de Poolse deelnemer Tomasz Kuczyński nog nauwelijks geloven, dat hij tijdens de World Cup Floral Art 2025 in Den Haag werd uitgeroepen tot de nieuwe wereldkampioen.
Professionele World Cup Floral Art
De Koninklijke VBW organiseerde samen met Florint een World Cup Floral Art. Een gigantisch spektakel met een complexe organisatie. Collega’s uit alle delen van de wereld stroomden toe. Een feest van vak-verbroedering. Deelnemers deden hun uiterste best om goed te scoren en boden daarmee het bloemenvak een feest van schitterend bloemwerk.
‘Sustainability gives floral art a creative boost’
‘When you become aware of sustainability, you can’t unsee it. Once you start realising the impact of your materials, it really opens your eyes. Suddenly you think: What are we actually using? This awareness has profoundly changed his approach to floral art.’
‘Sustainability isn’t a step back; it’s a step forward. It’s not limiting. On the contrary, it opens doors, and I find it incredibly inspiring because you must think differently about your materials.’ Reflecting on his past work, Max openly acknowledges his personal shift: ‘Years ago, I created stunning floral designs in Japan, full of vibrant plastic materials. The photographs were beautiful – but today, I wouldn’t choose those materials anymore.’
Together with Swedish floral designer Per Benjamin, Max recently published the book Sustainable Floral Design, from which we publish five arrangements by Max and Per.
Especially for this World Cup edition of DPK Floral Magazine, Max also created five unique arrangements, using special sustainable techniques, and reusable bases. ‘Everything we do affects something else.’ So be inspired by sustainability.
‘Each bloom must support the composition’
‘This series is really a tribute to the Dutch Masters of the Golden Age – those iconic still life paintings that symbolised wealth, elegance and abundance’, says floral designer Hanneke Frankema. ‘We wanted to honour their legacy, but as today’s Dutch Masters, in our own way.’
Creating such opulent, painterly arrangements is no easy task. ‘You need time – a lot of time – and hundreds of flowers, all carefully placed to achieve that perfect balance. Each bloom must support the composition without overwhelming the others.’
Hanneke also emphasises the importance of structure, proportion, and refinement. ‘You can’t just keep adjusting endlessly – it must be right almost immediately. But that’s the beauty of it. There’s real elegance in the layering, in the depth and the subtle lines. It’s classical, yes, but with our own modern touch.’
Hanneke created three floral arrangements inspired by the Dutch Masters, each featuring real butterflies delicately integrated into the design – a detail she finds especially enchanting. ‘I used butterflies in all three pieces because they add something magical and refined.’
The process, however, was incredibly demanding. ‘You wouldn’t believe how many flowers we needed to source just to create a few of these arrangements. From a whole bucket, maybe one bloom is at the right stage and facing the right way.’ Each piece explores a different colour palette and mood, yet all were built using the new Oasis Renewal Floral Foam. ‘With strong stems like Delphinium or sun flowers, placement must be precise from the start. You can’t keep redoing it, or you’ll ruin the base. It must be right the first time.’
‘True creativity lives in the risk’
The floral work of Jenny Ingrum from the US boldly blurs the lines between floristry and fine art. With an intuitive approach, she creates emotionally resonant pieces grounded in technical mastery and expressive form. Known for her fearless use of custom-built structures and sustainable mechanics, Jenny inspires through her teaching, large-scale installations, and global collaborations – making her a vibrant and forward-thinking voice in contemporary floral design.
‘My signature style is sculptural, intuitive, and unapologetically bold. I work at the intersection of floristry and art – pushing boundaries with custom-built arma tures, contemporary mechanics, and emotionally charged color stories. My work is grounded in technical precision, but I always leave room for wildness, emotion, and something unexpected.’
‘I’m inspired by everything that feels alive with energy – architecture, philosophy, movement, music, and the natural tension between softness and structure. I sketch, I write, I build. Sometimes I destroy what I’ve made and begin again – because true creativity lives in the risk.’
‘Right now, I’m drawn to branches, twisted forms, and botanicals that bring un expected textures – things that root, sprout, or curl around a shape. My techniques lean into sustainable mechanics – using reusable structures, creating living armatures that support both design and regeneration. I want my work to feel alive long after the last petal drops.’
‘I’m incredibly proud of my Bouquet Workshop Tour 2024 & ‘25, where I travel across the U.S. teaching florists how to push their creativity while mastering technical skills. Competing in South Korea and Manchester to represent the US has been massively inspirational and educational leading into this competition. Building an online community where I’m able to reach beyond my borders and share my view on modern floristry has been one of the most meaningful projects in my career. Local large-scale floral installations for raising awareness of floral design and its importance to humanity – those are the works that stretch me and make a difference.’
‘The World Cup is the most extraordinary platform in our industry. To represent the United States again – this time in The Hague, in The Netherlands – is both an honor and a challenge I welcome with open arms. It’s a space where the limits of design are tested, where cultures and craftsmanship collide, and where innovation is celebrated. Preparing for it demands not only technical mastery, but mental resilience and artistic conviction. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’
‘I plan to win by being fully myself – by designing with conviction, risk, and emo tional resonance. I create unapologetically – and that will be my edge.’
‘For me, flowers are a language’
Powerful in scale and rich in emotion, the floral work of Olena Driuchan from Ukraine is driven by meaning and connection. With a distinct talent for transforming flowers into visual narratives, she combines expressive design with a keen sensitivity to context, often creating installations that speak to the heart as much as the eye. Her use of seasonal, natural materials further enhances her approach to floral artistry.
‘I enjoy working with large-scale forms and creating installations. Expressive and emotional – that’s how I would characterise my signature style. I want my floral work to go beyond decoration; it should speak, resonate, and convey something meaningful. It’s not just about beauty – it’s about it’s about capturing the eye and touching something in the viewer.’
‘Nature and people are my greatest sources of inspiration. I love creating designs tailored to specific individual requests or special occasions and then seeing how they respond to the outcome. That moment of connection is what drives me. I always try to build a story into my arrangements – for me, flowers are a language.’
‘Right now, I find myself leaning towards seasonal flowers and natural materials. I try to source locally and prioritise eco-friendly options whenever I can.’
‘Among recent projects, the installations I created for Arteflorando in Leverano, Italy and Fleuramour in Belgium stand out. These festivals allowed me to work on a larger scale and communicate my vision to a broader, international audience. That kind of exposure – and interaction – is invaluable.’
‘Taking part in the World Cup is very meaningful for me. It’s not just a personal milestone; it’s a way to represent Ukrainian floristry at a global level. Our country has been through so much. And yet, despite the war, we continue to create, to grow, and to inspire. I want people to see that – to feel that.’
‘My approach for the World Cup is very simple: I want to express myself as authentic as possible. I’ll focus on doing what I do best. I believe my strength lies in the sincerity of my work, in its emotional depth, and in the way I use flowers to tell stories. That’s what makes my voice unique.’