Blossoming Inspiration: Madrid Blooms 1st Edition kicks off with a showcase of creativity and beauty

As part of the international Madrid Design Festival, Sylvia Bustamante from Madrid Flower School and Pili Fuentes from Flower House Mexico, brought us the first edition of the International Floral Design Congress, Madrid Blooms. The three-day event brought together a wonderful collection of like-minded floral enthusiasts eager to learn, share, and connect and resulted in a celebration of color, fragrances and beauty. It was a real-life example of the possibilities when creativity, passion and talent converge. At Floraprima, we are delighted to have been a part of this beautiful awakening, and are extremely proud to sponsor Madrid Blooms.

Sylvia rounded up the Floral Dream Team with some of the most creative and esteemed floral art icons for the very first edition of Madrid Blooms. Each one admired for their unique style and expertise, together they crafted a magical atmosphere where the participants learned and were inspired through their designs and discussions. Almost like an electric current, their passion for flowers, for creating beautiful moments and for connecting people with nature was generously transmitted to everyone around. By the end of the congress, we were all infected with what floral art aims to express: love, beauty, humanity, nature, symbiosis…

Many great florists were part of Madrid Blooms 2024; some as attendees, but many were also behind the scenes, ensuring it all ran smoothly, preparing every last stem and branch for the demonstrations. They all gave their best at all times, creating an awesome energy that powered the group despite the intensity of each day. The eight guest speakers not only gave a special presentation on their work, the use of color, techniques and mechanics of flower arrangement; they also created a special floral piece with their groups and were engaged in discussions on everything from creativity to motivation, entrepreneurship, to sustainability and the latest industry trends.

Louise Worner (UK/Belgium) Ikebana artist, author, and educator, Louise Worner has a deep commitment to sharing her knowledge and the principles of this creative art. She began studying Sogetsu Ikebana in 1998 at the atelier of Yoka Hosono in Tokyo, Japan. In 2000 she was awarded her Master Certificate and has since participated in countless exhibitions around the world and has collaborated with many different medium artists. Louise helps promote the love for ikebana in younger generations through classes she gives herself, and has also developed a teaching method for other Ikebana teachers. Her step-by-step book ‘My First Ikebana’ was published in 2023 to help guide parents and other carers to teach the art to children.

Milena Orlandi (Brazil/Spain) Floral artist, photographer, and instructor at Madrid Flower School. Milena Orlandi initially took a floral class as a form of therapy. She immediately realized the power of flowers, and so her floral class quickly developed into her main way of communicating her art. Her arrangements and installations are truly works of art, evoking poetry and calling the senses to awaken with her ethereal creations. Two fundamental elements in the development of her contemporary style are her knowledge of Ikebana and her teaching.

Frida Kim (South Korea/UK) Frida Kim is a highly renowned Korean floral designer based in London that works all over the world. Her whimsical arrangements transmit harmony and respect for nature, finding beauty and love in how she uses her materials. She has developed a unique style in her playful yet truly elegant hanging installations and table arrangements that communicate deep emotions as they tell a story. Frida Kim also gives workshops where she focuses on bringing out each individual’s creativity and authentic voice, just as she tries to do with the flowers themselves.

Alejandra Romero (Colombia/Spain) Alejandra Romero Floral Studio is based in Granada, Spain, although this brilliant floral designer is originally from Colombia. Alejandra Romero began her floral career in 2017 and has since gone on to design magical ambiances for very personalized weddings in the most beautiful places. Her work is full of movement and texture, blending flowers with different shapes and colors to achieve a very natural and almost wild feel, but always elegant and beautiful.

Inés Urquijo (Spain) Watching Inés Urquijo work is a special treat. It is as if she is having a conversation with the foliage, flowers, branches and other materials she uses to create her exuberant installations. While everything she uses is untamed and wild, she somehow manages to arrange it all in the most harmonious, elegant and sophisticated manner as the spectator is overcome with emotion. Her work certainly brought a wonderful touch of surrealism to the event.

Nicolette Owen (USA) Having studied and started a career in photography, Nicolette Owen returned to the gardening and flower roots she learned from her mother and grandmother as a child and launched her floral design company in 2006. Nicolette Camille Floral Design, based in New York, offers personalized florals for special events, weddings and styling for luxury brands. In her arrangements, one can experience the unfettered spirit of nature while holding a delicate balance of grace, beauty and elegance. Her work is often featured in luxury fashion and lifestyle publications. She is the co-author of the book “Bringing Nature Home” (2012) and teaches at the Little Flower School and at international workshops around the world.

Holly Chapple (USA) Wedding and event designer extraordinaire, entrepreneur, mother of seven children, owner of Hope Flower Farm and Winery, published author, educator, and more, Holly Chapple is a force of nature! She is a leading authority in floral design thanks to her dream-like, romantic style. Her arrangements are full of color, texture and volume given by the bounty of beautiful flowers that come from the best growers, including in her own back-yard, Hope Flower Farm!

She has created and maintained a creative community with her students and other floral designers which now includes a florist collective, Chapel Designers, which she leads.

Lucia Milan (Brazil) Deeply passionate and with a wide sense of curiosity, Lucia Milan is a leader of the Tropical Nouveau style that blends flowers from different regions and climates with tropical flora that is typically more exuberant in colors, shapes and textures. Her incredible installations and arrangements result in sophisticated, poetic and chic compositions that nevertheless preserve their essence of the jungle and that sensual, tropical feeling. Lucia Milan forms part of the Chapel Designers network of florists, is the owner of Lucia Milan Flower Studio, and has been featured in Oliver Dupon’s book 'Floral Contemporary' (2018). She also teaches both in Brazil and in international workshops around the world.

Sustainability and being more in touch with nature was the message that underlined Madrid Blooms. These amazing floral designers live and breathe their connection with nature, and as such, are actively searching and developing methods to create in a more sustainable way. They each spoke about the mechanics they use for the floral arrangements and they all have their own tricks, but they are all foam-free. They use traditional methods such as the “frog” or pinhead used in ikebana, or the chicken wire.

Holly Chapple designed her reusable “pillow” or “egg” for arranging flowers in 2017 as an alternative to floral foam. Sylvia had a special surprise for us when she introduced Dundee Butcher, CEO of Phoam Labs, who gave the first talk presenting a fully compostable floral Phoam that we all hope will soon be on the market. This is the passion project that Dundee has been working on for almost ten years to make available a sustainable alternative to the conventional floral foam which is toxic for humans, and highly contaminates the soil and ground water.

Floraprima, the part of the Rosaprima farm that is dedicated to cultivating specialized flowers that are not roses, is also in its initial stage. This is why we are extremely happy to sponsor Madrid Blooms and we are already looking forward to partnering again for the second edition in 2025! It was truly a celebration of creativity, inspiration, and the profound connection between humanity and nature. The floral masterpieces showcased during this gathering left an indelible mark on everyone, inspiring connection with nature and the power of using flowers to communicate. Although it’s been a few weeks, the spirit of what was shared over those three days lingers in all of us who were lucky enough to experience the magic of blossoming creativity in Madrid Blooms.

CREDITS
Event @madridblooms (Spain)
Designer @alejandraromero_floralstudio (Colombia/Spain)
Designer @fridakim_london (South Korea/UK)
Designer @hollychapple (US)
Designer @inesurquijo (Spain)
Designer @louise_worner (UK/Belgium)
Designer @luciamilan (Brazil)
Designer @estudioseiva (Brazil/Spain)
Designer @nicamille (US)
Organizer @flowerhousemexico (Mexico)
Organizer @madridflowerschool(Spain)
Festival @madriddesignf (Spain)
Venue @institucionlibredeenseñanza (Spain)
Photography @facibenifotografia (Italy)
Photography @jcdemarcos (Spain)

SPONSORS
Organic foam @phoamlabs (USA)
Ranunculus & anemones @floraprimaofficial @rosaprimaroses (Ecuador)
Exquisite Roses @flowervillageroses (Ecuador)
Garden Roses @alexandrafarms (Colombia)
Flowers & plants @barendsen_es_pana @barendsen_flowerexport_holland (The Netherlands)
Sustainable Arch @floresieframeworks (France)
Blooming branches @atodaflor_oficial (Spain)
Branches @hortadelaviola (Spain)
Silk Ribbons @pomegranatecolours (Spain)
Flowers @bamba_flores (Spain)

COLLABORATIONS
Hotel @oneshot_hotels(Spain)
Branches @rdelafuente(Spain)
Scissors @oasisfloralproductsiberica (Spain)