Loretta Stagen Floral Designs

It's time to remember those heirloom treasures you’ll soon be unpacking...with some forethought they can be incorporated into a fabulous holiday look that unites your home inside and out. I’m about the embark on just such a project, it’s one I look forward to each year in Belle Haven, CT. Have a look at how I mix some of my favorite greens and dried leaves and ribbons with my client’s cherished ornaments for a look that is fresh, cohesive and personal. I dare you to enter this beautiful home and not feel welcome! Consider placing a fresh wreath on a blank wall or in front of a window. A double-sided balsam wreath --plain or set off with a bow-- will do the trick... but for something that’s a little more originalI wove lime-colored ribbon through the wreath and embellished it with pinecones. Here I mixed fresh bay leaves, fresh seeded eucalyptus and limes: If your home boasts a sizable staircase, it can be dressed in greens to become a major focal point. I have worked with fau...

With Thanksgiving approaching, consider designing a centerpiece with a variety of vegetables...or vegetables mixed with seasonal flowers for your harvest table.  It's fun to play with shapes, colors and textures...whether it's mixing eggplants with peppers, leeks, turnips, radishes and Brussel sprouts...or possibly adding seasonal flowers. The arrangements (below) were created at the St. John's Food Festival (Washington, CT)...as a demonstration. They were sold as they were completed. Custom arrangements (below) were designed for the Washington Garden Club (Washington, CT) for their opening party for the Pick of the Crop event. The entry table featured an abundance of local vegetables... after the party; these were the main ingredients for a delicious soup. Recently at Winvian, NOFA held a fund raising party. This large arrangement of local vegetables (donated by the Wild Carrot Farm in Bantam) was sold in the silent auction. Vegetable arrangements never fail...

Ribbons are important accessories for a floral designer, and like a custom broach on that little black dress can elevate the tone of any occasion – and move it from exceptional to extraordinary. Over my years in the business I have literally scoured the landscape to amass a collection of ribbons that most designers would envy.  Black tie or country wedding – no problem.  Unusual palette?  I am confident I’ve got just the right ribbon to match in hue and intensity. These are some of the wonderful ribbons I’ve used in recent weddings.  They function beautifully as links connecting bridal and bridesmaid’s bouquets and boutonnieres. I often fashion pew posies and streamers. Talk about eye candy.   I love helping my clients work on these finishing touches. See how gorgeous satin overlaid with organza looks! Photos by Corinne Torkelson

For exuberant flower lovers, orange is a real crowd pleaser.   A number of my clients are opting for shades of orange, in monochromatic or strongly contrasting floral arrangements for a number of striking effects.   Here are some centerpieces that will catch your eye: These flowers are truly sumptuous… for centerpieces as well as bridal bouquets and aisle chair posies: Orange, grey and white flowers, by the way, is one of this year’s favorite mixes…But orange is also spectacular with purple, chartreuse or hot pink. Recently I created the floral designs for a party at the Washington Club.   Party Coordinator, Dana Schulman selected orange colored tablecloths and it was my job to come up with a creative idea for the centerpieces.   I selected pincushion flowers mixed with an abundance of grevillia…arranged in birch bark containers.   The flowers matched the tablecloths perfectly and the fringy grevillia conj...

Maybe it’s because I care passionately about locally grown organic food, but I love to incorporate beautiful fruits and vegetables in my arrangements. Talk about sensory pleasure – and a chance to delve into the flower district as well as my favorite farmer’s markets. And now that the growing season is upon us, how about considering a mix of these elements for that upcoming wedding or special dinner party? I’ve come up with many combinations throughout he years, but here are a few recent favorites: Tiers of eggplant, onions squash, peppers, scallions, leeks and peppers -- gustatory cornucopias –set the tone for a memorable summer dinner party. A hollowed out watermelon was used as the base for this centerpiece of roses, viburnum and okara orchids. Peppers worked wonderfully with min-sunflowers, zinnias and asters for a country wedding. Restricted to a palette of green and peach, I made this sherbet-worthy confection of apples, oranges, pears, hypericum berries, roses and...