'Challenges inspire me'

What typifies master florist Sören Van Laer is his strength to try new things with existing materials, to experiment and give them his own signature. 'I took a horticultural course and completed it with a specialization year in floral design. At school I mastered the most important basic techniques but the full perfection in floral design was on my internship with Geert Pattyn in Geluwe. Here I learned a lot of new techniques, I could 'steal a lot with my eyes'.

Through his participation in the Fleur Talent project, Sören became acquainted with the whole floral chain and was able to expand his network. 'I get my inspiration from my surroundings, from nature, from vegetative materials, but also other materials from the construction industry, for example, can be a source of inspiration.'

"I love challenges. For example, Cymbidium is not immediately the most obvious flower to work with, but exactly this encourages me to get creative. The exoticism of this flower really appeals to me.'

'Finding matching flowers to the treasures found outside'

Moniek Vanden Berghe is an authority on floral design. After training in various art disciplines, Moniek found her true passion in floral art. Her natural feeling for shape and color, contrast, texture and structure resulted in a highly personal, elegant and contemporary arrangement style. Moniek is known for her trend-setting bridal work, which resulted in the book series Flowers in Love, but also very refined mourning work and nature-inspired creations belong to her palmares.

'Essentially, I find inspiration in the season and in the natural surprises that each season brings. Different weather conditions bring different colors to leaves, for example. Dry and sunny weather lets the fluff dry out and fan out earlier, humidity brings earlier decay and skeletonization. Finding matching flowers and substrates to the treasures found outside is very exciting.'

'Everything in my work serves the flowers'

Master florist Geert Pattyn's style is best described as pure, simple and natural. 'Making the world more beautiful and creating atmosphere with flowers and plants, that has been my ultimate goal for over thirty years. Aesthetics are very important in my profession. I started as an employee in a flower store, after ten years I founded my own studio in the farm in Geluwe where I grew up.'

'Fashion, design, art and gastronomy are important sources of inspiration for me, but nature is and remains my main source of nourishment. My specialization is occasional work: everything in my work is at the service of flowers. For example, creating with Cymbidium is a challenge. It is a very powerful flower that also glories in a simple creation.'

'I love geometric shapes. The square is a simple shape that you can play with in different ways: open-closed, dark-bright - a theme that offers many possibilities. For example, by working with small squares within large squares, you can also create depth in your work.'