May 8, 2017

Meet Lauren Ghani of Nu Leaf Design in Picfair Village

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Ghani.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lauren. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My journey as a florist began entirely on accident. After working in hospitality for almost 10 years, I had decided I wanted to focus on becoming a full-time wedding planner. Since I had not worked under many wedding planners, I started designing table-scapes on my own to show that I had a variety of aesthetics to appeal to and that I could handle the coordination of planning events. However, I ended up gaining more attention for my floral designs and people started asking me how much I charge! I was actually so surprised because I had never been trained in floral technique and I literally knew nothing about it. I quickly became passionate about this whole new creative side of myself, and just continued to learn as much as I could. Most of my knowledge is in fact self-taught, and or through countless YouTube videos, or questioning my vendors down at the LA mart. I also worked for a florist who taught me some key techniques which I have carried with me and built upon. With each wedding/event I learn something different and I’ve seen my technique improve each and every time- so I’m proud at the distance I’ve come. Opening my own shop is something I never thought would be possible but 6 months ago I happened to stumble upon a store front in my neighborhood. I had been searching for a space to work in since my house was limiting my ability to take on larger scale events, but everywhere was so pricey! Needless to say, this space was within my reach, and I quickly jumped on it. I am now four months into owning my own flower shop and it feels great! Having a beautiful retail aspect, and a space to work has been a dream and the community support has been overwhelming. Watching my own journey unfold is exciting but I also can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh I don’t know a single small business that’s had a perfectly smooth road!

I would say money is always the biggest hurdle, because it costs a lot to set up your business, and I think the process of just making sure you set it up correctly was hard for me especially. There’s various certificates, and licenses that are particular to each kind of business, and it can get confusing. Second hurdle for me personally was how to wear so many hats as the owner, designer, accountant, shop clerk, and also delivery driver. Managing my time is extremely vital to maintaining my shop and making sure my clients are happy with my services.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Nu Leaf Design story. Tell us more about the business.
Nu Leaf Design is a full scale floral design studio and retail shop. Our retail aspect offers fresh blooms, plants, succulents, and other gifts such as candles, coffee and chocolate. Our overall style is a mesh of bohemian chic, contemporary and rustic charm. We can appeal to a variety of aesthetics and I’d say that’s our specialty. Many florists have a specific style and I am quite the opposite. I like to change things up and try something new and expand my creativity. I think my clients also come to me for my color coordination, I love bright, bold and fun but I also like soft and romantic. I can go in so many directions with color and textures, and since every occasion has a different theme it’s important to think outside the box at all times! I also offer Floral Design Workshops about twice a month, and I’ve also hosted a number of private workshops for companies as a staff building activity.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Well I think flowers are more popular than ever before and that the styles will probably continue to evolve from the traditional looks. I’ve talked to many “old school” florists who get uncomfortable with some of the newer styles but art is ever-changing and that’s what keeps it interesting!

People love the avant-garde, with the dramatic textures and variety of lengths and colors as opposed to compact and clean. For so long flowers were only used for weddings and special deliveries but now people are implementing them into cocktails & food, fashion, and they are such a focal point for so many kinds of industry events. With the rise of social media, more and more companies are using flowers to increase their branding creatively and to have them as photo backdrop for social media photographs. Also, just being a florist has become a more popular career choice, and I think with the rise of the blogging & event world we’re only going to increase our community.

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