Emma, stylist, set designer and owner of Palais Royal started her quirky floral company back in 2013. She grew up in Shakespeare’s picturesque hometown of Stratford Upon Avon, where she, ever since she was young, always felt a strong connection to the outdoors. “ I used to grow vegetables and flowers as a child” she says.
She graduated from Central Saint Martins in Sculpture. “ I really wondered what I was going to do after," she says pensivley. "The art world is so cliquey, and I wondered how I would ever get a job.” It was after graduating that she found her way into set design for advertisements, music videos and a couple of feature films. "Although I really enjoyed my work, I didn't like the long hours and I truly wanted to be devoting my time doing something I just really loved" she says.
What followed was a flower school in Knightsbridge. "It was very traditional,” she laughed “but gave me the skills and confidence to start up immediately. We were taught a lot about the business behind the flower industry, which has been so important in the start up phase of my business”.
Soon after she started her business, her client base accumulated quickly, which consisted of weddings and making arrangements for boutique events. She also feels strongly about ethical flower sourcing. "I grow my own flowers, along with using seasonal retailers and a strong network of local growers," she says.
“ My studio is surrounded with flowers, I like unusual shades and rare breeds,” she adds. Although her favourite flower does seems to change from time to time, she says she really likes scaboisa, which is a big UK flower. “I used to love hydrangeas too but you end up getting sick of flowers that everyone likes. Chocolate cosmos are also seriously cool”.
Although she’s aware she has her competition cut out for her, competing along side high street florists, Emma offers a truly rare and euphoric style of arranging flowers, that has been seen in jewellery companies, fashion and beauty brands and throughout many restaurants and venue’s in London. Her skilled eye for detail in selecting unique and rare flowers continues to open doors for the young entrepreneur, who confides that she’s wanting to branch out into enable flowers next and continue to stay true to honing her skill.