laura thomson design

special occasion florals

The Inn at Hastings Park

Workshops, Custom, floralsLaura ThomsonComment

Let's start with the backdrop of all backdrops and talk about the Inn at Hastings Park, where I recently designed a flower workshop for a very special birthday girl. This quintessential New England gem is located in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, not far from my studio. Boasting some of the most beautiful spaces that I have seen in a while, and reminiscent of the quaint villages that I visited in The Cotswolds and the boutique hotels in London, the Inn's charming interiors made my job of "let's make things look beautiful department" a lot easier. Add in hundreds of gorgeous seasonal blooms, a rustic trestle table, gray paneled walls, and viola!

Projects such as this are far and away some of my favorites. I loved having the opportunity to interact with 44 lovely ladies and share the stage with the Inn's signature Lobster Cobb Salad and French 75s.

Creative juices were definitely flowing on this picture perfect day, which included discussions about flower selection, color, and ways to achieve balance in an arrangement. Lush peonies in shades of blush, white, and pink were on hand, pink being the favorite of the day, and were complemented with astilbe, maidenhair fern, lily of the valley, ranunculus, hosta, double pink tulips, hydrangea, sweet pea, green and white roses, garden spray roses, and lilac.

If you haven't already scheduled a visit to the Inn at Hastings Park or dined at Artistry on the Green (did I mention the Lobster Cobb Salad), I would suggest adding those experiences to your summer to-do list.

If you would like to incorporate a fun, hands-on workshop into your next event, please give me a ring!


Photography: Maureen Cotton Photography  Venue: The Inn at Hastings Park | Artistry on the Green

Shine a Light on Motherhood

floral crownsLaura ThomsonComment

The celebration of motherhood clearly shines through in this image by Kent Avenue Photography. Lending a hand in the floral department is not hard to do when the inspiration behind the designs is meaningful. 

Memories preserved for later consumption, thank you!

Kent Avenue Photography

Photography: Kent Avenue Photography  Venue: The Dean Hotel in Providence, RI

Crown and Glory

Laura ThomsonComment
Kent Avenue Photography

The excitement over a recent collaboration with Tara Cronin of Kent Avenue Photography has left me crowning with glory. When Tara approached me back in February, she explained that she would be traveling to my neck of the woods and asked if I might be interested in designing several over-the-top (in her words) floral crowns for a "Mamma and Me" photo shoot at The Dean Hotel in Providence. I jumped at the chance.

Kent Avenue Photography
Kent Avenue Photography

Working with Tara was a pleasure from the start, and I only hope that I will have the chance to connect with her again. Check out Kent Avenue Photography's featured post on Inspired By This, for the chance to see more of Tara's amazing work and my floral crowns. 


Photography: Kent Avenue Photography  Venue: The Dean Hotel in Providence, RI

Fields of Floral

Floral HotspotsLaura ThomsonComment

The lilac is one of my favorite flowers. Its scent is striking, and from the first inhale, it transports me back to my childhood, when its aroma drifted through my bedroom window with the flow of the marsh winds. When creating designs for my clients, the lilac is my go-to for its unique texture, color, and ability to give movement and drape to any composition. I recently visited the Harvard Arboretum's "Lilac Walk," and was amazed by the varied species growing on-site: 170, to be exact! I have never had the experience of being surrounded by a sea of lilacs before, nor have I been so captivated by the glorious scent of this many lilacs at once. It was like heaven!

 

door dressings

CustomLaura ThomsonComment

A home's entrance says a lot about a person, and this Gloucester client wanted to make an impression with a custom design, in preparation for her daughter's upcoming wedding shower. We chose triple ball eugenias with under-plantings of white euphorbia for her classic black urns. Shades of greens and touches of white bring an understated elegance to complement her teal green door and gray shingled home.

For the door dressing itself, I selected this hog brush wreath to celebrate her new seaside home, designed with a winning combination of faux grasses, hydrangea, trailing succulents, queen annes lace, and a few foraged elements from my personal collection including driftwood, starfish and one lone clam shell. The blue crab door knocker, which was purchased in the oh-so-quaint village of Rockport, is the piece de resistance. Don't you think?