'Longing for the next lesson as one longs for delicious food'

The Japanese-Canadian floral designer Hitomi Gilliam calls herself an 'open source floral educator'. She wants to share all the knowledge and skills she has with others who are interested. She lives on Bowen Island, near Vancouver, Canada, but travels the world to teach, both in person and virtually. 'Education must be exciting to follow.'

'I shifted up a gear for the final'

On January 15, Franka Roenhorst won the Dutch Floral Art Championship. Together with her partner Hans Zijlstra, she owns flower shop Bloemstylist Hans Zijlstra in Groningen. Franka is also the Dutch candidate for the World Floral Art Championship in 2025. Reason enough for an interview with the new Dutch Floral Art Champion!

‘Pure emotion captured in a period of time’

For florist Max van de Sluis, spring is one of the most beautiful moments of the year. 'A lot happens. Different plants and flowers emerge, everything gets color in the garden and nature, and above all, life becomes warmer and more pleasant.'

‘All this is pure emotion, and also captured in a period of time. I then try to incorporate that into my floral arrangements. That means sometimes working with a lot of color, so that an explosion is, as it were, depicted in an arrangement. And at other times I will opt for the subdued transformation from dead nature to the new and fresh green as it sprouts in the spring.’

'It is particularly intriguing and inspiring every year. The spring season has so much to offer. Just think in terms of colors from warm to cold - each color palette represents its own emotions and pure beauty.'

'Ranunculus really give the feeling of spring'

Floral designer Marcel van der Haar likes to work with parrot and French tulips in the spring. ‘I also think ranunculus really give the feeling of spring.’

'What I like to show in my arrangements is the changing of the seasons. I then incorporate dead winter materials such as dried grasses. These are then, as it were, slowly displaced in my arrangements by the colorful spring flowers that herald the next season.'

‘Besides the fact that I really enjoy working stylistically, I mainly prefer to present products as naturally as possible in my arrangements. Nature is therefore my greatest source of inspiration. I also see at trade fairs that many honest materials in natural colors are slowly being used again – although colorful counterparts can always be found.’

'As a car enthusiast, I can also be very inspired by a beautifully designed car, piece of furniture or building. It is important to look around you carefully, wherever you are – then the inspiration will come naturally.'

‘The ideal customer gives me complete freedom’

Florist Églantine Blanckaert loves to decorate weddings with flowers and make bridal bouquets. In addition to being a flower shop (in Floreffe in Belgium), her company Xanadu Flowers is also a total concept with its own flower garden and events floristry.

‘For me, the ideal customer is the customer who has confidence in my abilities and gives me complete freedom to be creative. I try to work as ecologically and sustainably as possible. The reason I love field bouquets and also the loose character of the 'bohemian' style, both also look very lively and natural. I often find my inspiration in nature and in everything that surrounds it.’

‘As a young florist, I focus not only on a younger audience but especially on the people who share my values, ideology, and taste. Every florist dreams of customers who love beautiful things without immediately looking at the price.’

‘The mission to translate emotions into flowers’

The combination of creativity, technical knowledge and organizational talent makes floral designer Chantal Post an ideal partner to decorate weddings and grand events. Chantal is always looking for creative challenges and new knowledge, which she also enjoys sharing. In 2020 she won silver at the Belgian championships.

‘As a floral artist, I am constantly looking for elements that can form a new source of inspiration, and that can be very diverse: an individual, painting, place, building, plant, flower, emotion, or an event. Each and every one of these are seeds that are about to germinate.’

Chantal is a master at creating (reusable) structures, which she decorates with great precision and respect for flowers and color combinations. 'It is our mission to translate emotions through flowers every day, but especially during important life events. The color, shape, and texture of flowers are powerful means of conveying a message.'