Innovative flower designs at Flor de Luiz

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As the persistent and inspiring street protests by Brazilian citizens demanding cleaner government and improved social services enter their fourth week, things back at Flor de Luiz continue apace.

Luiz has introduced a new line of flower arrangements utilizing pieces of drift wood collected from the beach near our apartment.  These natural beachscape pieces combine flowers, mosses, insects and nesting bird details to produce stunning results.

Introducing these innovative designs is meant to both feed and inform the curious public that comes to his booth at the weekend art fair. Luiz has earned a reputation for unique and unusual designs. So many  local florists follow a tired old (perhaps tried and true, in their opinion) formula for arrangements that amounts to little more than “chop and drop” simple pieces that everyone has seen a hundred times before.

Luiz is never content to stay on the beaten trail. He feels best when he is on the path less traveled. It has been an uphill struggle, slowly teaching those who visit his booth that innovation is not only possible but beautiful when it comes to flower designs. He invites people to join him in thinking out of the box and to value design over sheer volume of blooms.

We have witnessed the steady morphing of his clients from elderly women looking for that simple bunch of roses in a pot for their bathroom vanity into a younger set of urban professionals excited by innovation, seeking to lead the pack with feature designs that light up a room rather than just fill up a space.

It has not been easy to convince the inexperienced consumer to eat their vegetables (even when they taste so sweet). Luiz definitely has a selection of the tried and true designs available as gifts for grandma. But slowly his booth is blossoming into a weekly destination visited by curious neighbors out for a stroll in the park on the weekend.

Luiz's holiday decorations for OUR house

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Luiz spends countless hours helping other people decorate their houses for the holidays.  But he never forgtes about our place. Our dining room table is beautiful!

Christmas time at Flor de Luiz

 It's the holidays at Flor de Luiz.

Luiz is working overtime making Christmas designs to sell at the crafts fair.

It's great to see him so concentrated on his florals and even better to see his final results.

This man knows his stuff!

Luiz on the move

The floral factory is reving up.

In preparation for Luiz hosting an artisan booth in Niteróis Central Park, Luiz has been full tilt buying flowers and making arrangements.

We took a trip to Centro Rio to buy flowers and containers. (And to enjoy a fresh Mediterrainean food lunch.)

Now Luiz's workshop is well stocked and waiting for his next inspired moment. He already has more than 30 arrangements ready to go.

Luiz at the art fair

We live one block from the main park in Niterói. Every weekend the park fills with families taking their kids to the carni-rides (merry-go-round, bumper cars, swirling tea cups, etc.), regular child play structures and balloon and ice cream vendors.

There is usually musical entertainment in the central elevated gazebo. Plus folks stroll through the park enjoying the dozens of stands selling hand crafted items, or food.

We often buy fresh gnochi from the lady who does it so well.

Luiz has just been awarded a space at the fair to sell his flowers - "permanent botanicals" to be specific (plastic/silk flowers). He competed with more than 200 artisans for a spot.

He has been pumping out designs and is ready for his debut. Luiz is in the zone!

The launch is in late October -- just in time for Xmas designs.

Pictures to come...

Flor de Luiz and Mother's Day

Luiz had a whirlwind weekend at the crafts fair.  Then again, Mother’s Day and flowers go together like cookies and cream. He sold 17 flower arrangements!

Saturday was so busy he had to work into the night to create new arrangements for Sunday.

As time goes by more and more people know his stand and return for what they are looking for.  And Luiz is gaining a greater understanding of what people seem to want in permanent botanicals (like more purple flowers).

To see his work in natural flowers, visit his website at Flor de Luiz.

Luiz's green thumb

Honestly, everything Luiz touches blooms (including me).

A few months ago he picked up a few "air plants" from the path in the neighborhood park.  They had apparently fallen from the branches above.  In true Luiz fashion he brought them home and created a little succulent garden on the outside window sill in the rear of our kitchen.

Now, the darker green plant on the left has sprouted a clone (see it in the front right of the container) and one of the air plants has popped out a huge pink flower.

Gotta love our Luiz.  He's got the magic touch.

Flor de Luiz at the Christmas Bazaar

In spite of the blistering heat out there, Luiz is staffing a Flor de Luiz booth at the annual Christmas Bazaar in the park down the street.

It’s a mad shopping dash to Christmas and people are out in droves.  Luiz has been working every day, creating Christmas wreaths, centerpieces, topiary and just plain beautiful flower arrangements for this weekend’s Bazaar.

He’s sure to do well.  While he was setting up, the other vendors were coming by to congratulate him on his work.

Christmas at home in Brazil

While many of my online friends are preparing to fly back to North America for family filled holidays (yeah!), Luiz and I are settling in for another summer holiday season with Santa in Bermuda shorts and sunglasses.  It took some getting used to at first, but with a little encouragement I have come to enjoy beach time over snow shoveling.

Feeling the Christmas vibe when it is 90 degrees outside is a little easier when you have one of Santa’s elves living with you.  Luiz is so cute, he just needs a pointy, green, felt hat.  He has been spending his days in the workshop creating beautiful holiday decorations.

Luiz makes them and his mother sells them.  They are a perfect team.  Sometimes Zozó gets a custom order from a friend and Luiz makes it happen.

This year’s holiday creations have been selling faster than fresh roasted chestnuts at the Ice Rink in Rockefeller Center.  It’s been very fun and rewarding here at Flor de Luiz.

Safe travels to my friends, we’ll hold down the fort until you return. 

Anybody looking for a last minute gift for the folks back home?

It's Christmastime at Flor de Luiz

Luiz and I visited his favorite “permanent botanicals” shops in Rio’s Centro district.  It’s a challenge to whack your way through all the bizarrely shaped and colored plastic crap to find the finer silk florals and unique accents, hidden diamonds in the rough, but they are there.  At this point Luiz not only knows where to shop, but the shop owners know his name and come to kiss him hello.

Back in the workshop Luiz has organized his new finds and is starting to create new arrangements which sell for Christmas, but will also last throughout the year.  (Remove the ribbon or xmas balls and – poof!)

It's odd, but – I don’t know if you have noticed this here in Rio – the trendy color scheme for the holidays this year is pink and purple (with glitter).  It would not be my first choice, but as pink and green are the colors of the wildly popular Mangueira school of samba, I guess it's just a small leap to pink and purple.  The colors do compliment each other, but for Christmas?  What do I know?

Whistling a happy tune and lost in his own private Idaho, Luiz has been in the workshop creating one arrangement after the other.  Next come the specifically Christmas items: wreaths, centerpieces, door hangers, etc.  Stay tuned.

To see more of Luiz's work in natural flowers, check out his website.  If you need an internationally trained florist to make your event pop with beauty - contact Luiz.  Trust me.

Flor de Luiz to the rescue

There’s nothing like having a florist in the family to whip up an arrangement for a birthday present.

We went to celebrate our friend’s 80th (?) birthday last week. Delicious food, dynamic DJ, open bar and lots of WAY FUN widows over 70 years old cutting a rug. Let it be a lesson to us!  Grrls just wanna have fun!!

Being a florist in Brazil

If you have planned a wedding or a corporate party or a teenager coming of age party here in Brazil you are familiar with the cerimonialista – the party organizer. They reign supreme. But as far as I can tell they dumb down the event and cut corners which leaves you, the party host, to feel a bit exposed about the shortcomings of your event and they stuff extra cash into their pockets at your expense.

OK – so I have an opinion here. I’m sure there are great cerimonialistas working for the rich and famous that spare no expense to create a fabulous party. But the rank and file? It’s a racket. Buyer beware.

Party organizers pride themselves in being “one-stop-shops” that will attend to all your needs for one low price. Everything is included. But having witnessed many, many such parties I have to report that the name of the game is to cut corners to pocket cash. It is disgusting, frankly.

Seriously, nearly every bride I have spoken to who had her flowers “included” in the buffet/event price was horribly disappointed. They report getting a bouquet that was the wrong color, or composed of flowers they specifically said they did not want. Table centerpieces were ridiculous in their simplicity or near-dead nature (perhaps recycled). People are totally surprised with what they get since no specifics were arranged in advance. They were told not to worry because it was all included.

Sorry folks, but you get what you pay for.

I admit I am being a bit defensive given the way Luiz gets treated by cerimonialistas who want to hire him for peanuts to be a work horse using provided trash flowers to create a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (there's one for you Fabio). He no longer agrees to work with these people. Luiz is the real deal – an artist - and must be hired independently to bring out the best in a bride’s dream for beautiful flowers. Unfortunately there does not seem to be an awareness here for what is possible and what it costs to see it through.

It has been difficult to find business partners who are not just looking to exploit Luiz’s international education, training and talents for their own gain. Sometimes it has been downright ugly.

In the end Luiz has found his opportunities and market niches, but it has not been easy. Business practices do not always translate.  To see more of Luiz's work visit his website http://www.flordeluiz.com/index.html

Luiz does it again

Flor de Luiz got a call last week from one of the so-called society ladies in Niterói to come do a consult for a new dried flower arrangement for her apartment. The client had purchased some dried bougainvillea flowers while in Petropolis and needed some help putting them to best use.

Luiz met with her and discussed the possibilities. Luiz kept his horror a secret when she pulled out the vase she wanted to use. It was definitely going to be a challenge. But that’s why you call on professionals to deliver on your design fantasies.

A few sketches, a negotiated price and four days later – Luiz had one more happy customer.

Luiz as Santa's elf floral designer

It’s Chrissmisstime at Flor de Luiz. Santa’s helper has been working overtime combining permanent botanicals and cute little jingle-lingles.

Luiz has this holiday wreath motif down. He’s been kickin’ them out three and four strong in an afternoon. You know he is on a roll – lost in his own private north pole workshop – when he doesn’t come out of his workroom until his nighttime soap opera begins.

Here at Flor de Luiz central we’ve figured a few things out: wreaths sell better early in the season, centerpieces stay hot even as we approach Christmas day; apparently gold is the preferred decoration color this season – best sellers; if you make it they will come (Luiz made a fabulous towering arrangement for our living room and by the end of the day it was sold for R$250.)

The rush is dying down. Luiz is putting together the final arrangements using the remaining decorative elements in his workshop. Sales have nearly topped $R2,000! Plus, what does not get sold makes for great Christmas gifts for friends and family.