My story
Hi! I’m Aimée Lomeli. I tell visual stories with textural florals… Here’s how I got there!
Who am I?
I’m that travel buddy who geeks out when she sees hanging heliconias in their natural environment. That mom who takes her daughter camping so we can stare up at the redwoods together. That businesswoman who regularly leaves the studio to hike through Dry Creek. And that floral designer who loves a juicy design challenge. But how did it all start?
I know what you’re expecting. An “I had a lightbulb moment when I was 5 and always knew I’d be a florist” type of story. But mine just isn’t like that. It’s a bit less deliberate, a lot less cliché and, hopefully, more interesting. Like all the best things in life, my passion for floristry grew organically.
The beginning
It’s hard to avoid flowers in a region famed for stunning landscapes and organic nurseries. So it’s no surprise that I fell into the industry at 16 washing buckets at a local flower shop. It wasn’t the most inspirational welcome to floristry but it did give me a glimpse at what could be.
I was motivated, but not quite hooked. So I took up a job working in San Francisco’s vibrant events scene with Stanlee Gatti & Claire Marie – two of the best and most well-respected creative minds in the business. It’s there that I picked up the more classical elements of floral design.
The middle
I love the classics, but I was never one to stick to the status quo! So I started experimenting with my style, finding outlets in running a local flower shop and then my own creative studio. It’s within those four studio walls that I developed my signature look: a mix of textural flora, landscape design, and classic elements. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed that creative mash-up. And, as I gained a few fans, my business boomed on word of mouth.
There have been ups – like creating outrageously OTT florals for a Geico commercial – and a couple of downs – like turning up to my early fancy winery gigs in a beat-up old hatchback Honda. But I wouldn’t change any of it for all the succulents in the world.
The present
And now? Well… I still love running with concepts, doing something a little unexpected and being challenged by my client’s briefs. The most unexpected yet? A wedding color palette based on a moss-covered rock from the couple’s trip to Ireland. And when I’m not in the studio, I get out into the thick of it: into the vineyard-peppered landscapes of Northern California, the moss-covered shores by the Russian River, and the driftwood-littered beaches of Sonoma county.
It’s a gift to live in such a beautiful place and to share it with my clients through my work.
My values
When you work with nature, you think a lot about sustainability. So, whenever I can, I source materials from local growers and go foam-free if designs allow. And, because everyone benefits from being closer to nature, when my clients don’t have plans for their designs post-event, I recycle them or gift them to local convalescent homes.
Press + Affiliates
