March 27, 2017

Meet Chelsea Viljanen of Chelsea Leah Flowers in Central Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Viljanen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chelsea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Attended floral design school at SoCal school of floral design (Anaheim) and NY flower school with Michael George in NYC, in 2006. Opened business right away and started doing weddings & special events for friends and family, which of course, built a larger clientele stemming from each event. Took a small hiatus to pursue music and married a Finn who I met while on the road with my music in 2012. Married and settled in Los Angeles in 2014 and opened the business again, this time with a much better idea of what kind of designer and business woman I strive to be. It took years to figure out which style of design I really loved, but in the last couple years as a designer, I have fallen in love with foraging natural materials and mimicking an organic romantic design that has room to move and breathe as the flowers naturally would in their original habitat, in contrast to the cleaner and symmetrical type of deign. Some of my greatest inspiration at the moment comes from nature itself, instead of the “rules of floral design.” I am also greatly inspired by other designers, such as Ashley Beyer of Tinge Floral, and Sarah Winward of Honey of a Thousand Flowers, both out of Salt Lake City Utah. I was able to study with Ashley at a retreat last summer and I grew immensely in my ability to design the way I’ve dreamt of doing so in the last couple years. I continue to gain confidence and creativity as a designer and I love working with people for events that are naturally inspired.

Has it been a smooth road?
The hiatus was difficult because I lost some of my momentum but I have gained traction again and am excited to keep building my business. But the hardest part has been working with people who just want cheap flowers, which is so not what I do. Thank God I can now say no to those people, and I can choose my clients, instead of taking all the gigs I don’t like.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Chelsea Leah Flowers – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I go above and beyond for my clients. I love people and I want to be remembered as someone who charges what she is worth but at the same time gives great value beyond the expectation of the client. For me, it’s not just about massive amounts of flowers, but each piece is a standalone work of art that leaves me thinking, “less done with excellence is better than more done in a hurry.” I’m proud of my standard of design and I’m proud of my reputation amongst my clients and their families.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the fact that there are so many places to go and things to see just within a 1.5 drive from LA. I love that the opportunities are pretty much endless here. I don’t like that so many people in LA are non-committal; that gets frustrating after a while. Also people are always looking for a deal or a quick fix, sometimes even when they’re rich. That has always boggled my mind; it just doesn’t make any sense. You should ever ask the self-employed for a discount, especially if you’re a millionaire.

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