blooming lovely: October 2013

the shop: flowers by teresa

location: 402 illawarra road, marrickville

contact: 02 9559 3369

website: flowersbyteresa.com.au

the florist: teresa

number of years in floristry: 15

best thing about being a florist: the first glimpse of something coming into season and the mad dash to get your hands on it first.

favourite flower combination: our signature style is vintage, vintage, vintage......the shop breaths vintage and the girls do it with their eyes closed. my favourite flower combination would have to be gardenias, field roses and hydrangea.

most memorable event/occasion you have done flowers for: breakfast for a fashion magazine at bennelong. it was just a perfect time of the year! we used david austin roses of various colours, hydrangea, love lies, peonies, camellia flowers, giant pears, lemons and the list goes on...all the styling was left up to us- a florist's dream.

you are inspired by: travelling to source new products for the shop. my guru and fashion.

you are passionate about: my three dogs and Tango.

still lives in yellow and black

the abundant table

shelves of heavenly scents

spring's finest

parade of pinks

purple haze

soft and blushing

a beautiful view

classic whites

teresa

beauty, big and small

the wedding season starts now

teresa

the shop: madam lampini

location: opposite 263 darling st balmain

contact: 02 9818 2816

website: madamlampini.com.au

the florist: marisa

number of years in floristry: 18

best thing about being a florist: the sense of freedom you get from being able to create something uniquely beautiful that you know for that moment has the power to change how someone feels about their day.

favourite flower combination: rather predictably it would be all the garden flowers- hydrangeas, dahlias, cornflowers, peonies, foliage, berries and so on. my parents still live in the same house i grew up in. i love to visit- the garden still has a wonderful weeping willow and copper beech tree. there are peonies, hydrangea, limey foliage and stunning garden roses. the front of the house is covered in wisteria. my mother insists that my love of flowers comes from the fact that she picked a fresh flower every day that she was pregnant with me.

most memorable event/occasion you have done flowers for: i am very fortunate in having had the privilege to work along side many talented people at some wonderful and inspiring events. a few that pop to mind include a funeral at westminster abbey. the space is so vast, stately and beautiful. we used thousands of garden roses- it was so heavily scented and emulated nature perfectly. i have also worked closely with quite a few very high profile actors, and i could have more than one or two stories to tell here but professional discretion prevents me sharing too much about these.

you are inspired by: fashion, architecture and travel and how these have evolved over time. i take great enjoyment from understanding why things are as they are. i have been heavily influenced and continue to be inspired by my family. my mother is very, very, very english- in a good way. she has a tremendous amount of style and has firmly instilled in me a strong work ethic- something you cant do without as a florist! my father is french italian and has taught me that true quality is something never to be compromised. his saying, "if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well" rings frequently in my ears!