Your name: Andrea Haydon
Your Business name: AK Haydon Floral Designs
Your Location: Denver, Colorado
How did you start your business? After quitting my job in the corporate sector after the birth of my daughter and son, I desired to go back to work. I had spent many years in the service and catering industry and had always loved the floral designs in events. I learned the craft from floral designers and studying from books. It has been an amazing and very trying adventure. I feel extremely lucky to work in such a creative discipline.
What is your design aesthetic? I love loose garden designs that are full of flowers, I love fabric, vintage vases and ribbon. I also love clean, modern, sculpted designs.
What inspires you? Other floral designers, it amazes me how much talent is out there. My clients are also a huge inspiration to me, I love what Brides bring to the table as far as design. Flowers, of coarse, I spend hours in the floral cooler. I am moved by their, shape, their color, the simple beauty of each bloom is exhilarating. My family is also a great inspiration in my life, they are the reason I am able to keep perspective.
What are the trends, flowers & colors that are unique to your region? I am seeing a lot of color this year, more Brides are breaking away from the 2 color scheme and are bringing more thought with color to their wedding design. I am also seeing more Brides bringing their personalities to their wedding, which is really fun. I love details and learning about my clients. Being close to the mountains, we get a lot of requests for mountain rustic look – birch bark, dahlias, delphinium, bachelor buttons and sunflowers.
Are you a retail shop, studio/warehouse or home based? I am home based for now. I do have a shared studio space with a wonderful wedding Collective called Studio Wed, where I set up meetings with my clients. I feel like lucky to be able to work from home as I love that I am available for my children. I also love that I do not have to drive home after a late night designing. It gets a bit crazy around here, but for now, it is the perfect situation.
Do you offer any services in addition to floral designs? Not at this current time, my focus is primarily wedding and event design. Eventually, I would love to branch out.
What does your toolbox look like? I use a cherry red vintage Samsonite train case, which I adore. It carries everything I need to deconstruct and reconstruct an event; sharp scissors to cut ribbon, clippers, knives, band-aids, medical tape, wire, pipe cleaners, pins (safety pins, straight pins, corsage pins, bobby pins), floral tape, fabric tape, duct tape, latex gloves, floral glue, hot glue sticks, and a glue gun. It is actually quite shocking how much I can efficiently fit in my case!
What tool in your toolbox can’t you live without? Er, latex gloves… Yes, I can be obsessive with my gloves. I can’t stand finger prints or dirty vases, so I handle all glassware when setting up events using gloves. I also find that my hands don’t slip while wearing gloves when carrying wet vases.
What’s your favorite flower? Peonies! I love them so! They are wonderful to work with as they have such a lovely fullness to them.
Anything else you’d like to share with Flirty Fleurs followers? I am honored and humbled to be working on Flirty Fleurs with Alicia. She is such an amazing designer as well as a wonderful person. I can’t wait to learn about other florists and see more of their gorgeous work. Fun times ahead!
Andrea—You are fabulous! Love the bouquet above with amaryllis. Beautiful!