Convo With a floral designer
“Convo with…” is part of our Behind the Scenes series and a chance for us to introduce you to some of the people who are behind your projects. This week we sat down with floral designer Carolyn Shepard, AIFD.
First things first, what are we drinking?
Carolyn: Chateau St Michelle Chardonnay is my go to but any vineyard will do.
White for you, red for me. We’re starting easy, name three things you always have within reach.
Carolyn: Burts Bees lip balm, my glasses, and my dog Angus.
How do you manage to always have him nearby?
Carolyn: He is always up for a car ride and has a bit of a fan club of people he sees often. He loves going to my studio on days I don’t work from home.
Speaking of work, what is your favorite part of floral design?
Carolyn: Seeing the joy on someone’s face when they first see something I’ve created for them. Just for them, not a copy of something they saw on Pinterest or a blog but something original and better than they had imagined.
Are you not a big fan of Pinterest?
Carolyn: I like it…for recipes and DIYs like building a string trellis for green beans. It is great for following trends but trends are things people have already done a million times and my clients come to me for something different.
Did your family have any clues early on that you’d be a designer?
Carolyn: Maybe in high school when I would save my money and buy wicker chairs or other pieces of small furniture.
That would be a big clue for me. You get to invite any 2 designers to dinner, living or dead, who are they?
Carolyn: There are so many but I’ll go with Randy Baehre and Curtis Goodwin. Both brilliant designers whose work was uniquely recognizable as theirs. Probably wouldn’t talk shop with them as I knew them both personally; in fact I was married to Randy.
Because you work with interior designers what do you find they are seeking for their clients?
Carolyn: Most often it’s permanent botanicals, lush vessels of the same type of bloom or lavish tropicals. Made to the dimensions the interior designer is after. That’s a luxury you can’t get with pre-mades. Many of our Interior Designers use us to provide fresh florals for photo shoots and on occasion their clients want us to provide fresh florals for their homes on a weekly basis. A few have even hired us to do their weddings and events.
Do you keep fresh flowers in your own home?
Carolyn: A mix of fresh and permanents but the fresh are never designed and are instead blooms gathered en masse or a single exquisite bloom
This next one is really serious. Team cats or dogs?
Carolyn: 200% dogs. I’m voting twice for dogs.
I’ll allow it. What do you wish more people knew about designers?
Carolyn: How much we love what we do. How we fret, worry, and lay awake at night thinking about a project and everything being as perfect as possible. That we understand it’s about the client in the end and we care about the service we provide and that client. We truly care.
So true for any type of designer. Have any advice for future floral designers?
Carolyn: Get some education. Learn to crawl before you run. There are so many talented and qualified teaching designers out there willing to share for those that are really open to the widom. And whatever you do don’t open a business at the start of your journey. Clients don’t deserve to be your guinea pig and you’re robbing yourself of a wealth of knowledge you get from working for others.
Finally, tell us what your design plans are for 2025.
Carolyn: More teaching, perhaps a few intensive weekend workshops. I’m hoping the pendulum of color palettes shifts to color so I can show others how to work with it in an upscale way.
So glad you took the time to join me and share a little about the floral designers that interact with our industry and enter our client’s homes.
Carolyn: Of course! I had fun but now it’s Angus time according to him.
Carolyn Shepard, AIFD is a Floral and Event Designer working with Interior Designers, Private Individuals, and Corporations. She can be reached through her studio Carolyn Shepard Wedding & Events, 1235 East Blvd, Suite 240 Charlotte, NC 28203 (704) 264-9062 www.carolynshepard.com and instagram @carolynshepard
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