A Walk Through Nature with Celebrity Florist – Bruno Duarte

Where do you draw your inspiration for your flower creations?

Nature. I love going on hikes and seeing different branches and things to create stuff.

It’s nice to travel and see other plants and see what other materials are available. I was just in Hawaii in November, and it seemed that the different plants that they have there, it’s unreal. It’s amazing. It’s stuff that I use on a regular basis, but I haven’t seen it in natural growing form. You get a different appreciation for that flower because you’ve seen it in its natural habitat.

Favourite colour combination right now

I love green and white. I love orange and hot pink, which are great together.

With the bright green, it’s stunning. It’s a stunning combination. This year, a lot more burgundy is coming in. And then of course blue. People want blue because it’s the colour of the year, which is a hard colour for flowers because there are not a lot of blue flowers naturally.

Does your work make you happy?

Working with flowers, it’s very therapeutic. Certain colours, certain flowers remind you of different seasons of the year. So that also can put you in a mindset of happiness. You can think it’s spring even though it’s winter outside, but you have spring inside. I try to create sort of an environment so it gives you some life and relaxation.

Tell us about your work process

First I build the structure, whether it would be branches or whether it would be the leaves, and then I add the flowers. That’s how it kind of works. While I’m building the structure, I think about what flowers I want to use, so it evolves.

What kind of challenges do you run into?

Knowing your design is going to die, and it’s trying to find what’s the longest that you can make it last. That’s why we do more structural stuff and more bases with more foliage, as opposed to just all flowers.

Do you set a routine so you don’t overwork yourself?

Definitely try and get enough rest, and try and make sure you don’t work extra, because you can always find something to do.
It’s a very physical job in itself. You’re constantly lifting up buckets of water, and you’re constantly on your feet walking around. I am just trying to have fun with it along the way, have fun creating stuff.

You’ve traveled a lot. Which city do you like the most?

I love New York because it’s just too crazy and so much fun. There’s so many people, so you can be as creative as you want and really set a name for yourself.

Favourite flowers right now?

Right now, I love the potted bulbs, like daffodils, and anything that reminds you of spring, like the crocus. And forsythia flowering branches, one of my favourites at this time of year, because it’s outside. It’s nice to have it indoors to remind you it’s coming.