Design Dialogues: Gaia Eros x Watts 1874 

Photography: Duncan McCabe

Design does not end once the furnishings are installed. The styling of a space remains a flexible and shifting task well after a room has been decorated. New seasons, periods of life, or simply a desire for a mental shift all present opportunities to tweak and bring new life to interiors. Flowers provide expansive opportunities for interior styling, facilitating subtle shifts and a touch of refreshed vitality.

With trends of loud luxury taking over the design scene, layering is becoming increasingly prominent. Layering floral wallpapers with complementing bouquets creates a maximalist yet harmonious look. This week we had the privilege of florist Gaia Eros coming to our showroom to discuss the beauty and storytelling power of flowers for interior styling, and offer creative insight into increasingly relevant sustainable floral philosophy.

Gaia Eros Floristry at Strawberry Hill House

Previously having worked in tree surgery and film production, Gaia retrained as a florist in recent years. She is driven by a desire to use flowers to silently convey emotion. In her work, she embraces collaboration, sustainability, and fun.

Gaia began her inspiring talk by outlining the ability of flowers to evoke emotions and narratives. Flowers often accompany some of life’s most significant moments. They offer a unique charm and character that elevates environments.

Botanical wallpapers immortalise this elevation. They prolong the fleeting magic offered by floral displays. Gaia’s talk demonstrated this by highlighting a few of the botanical features in some of our most popular designs.

Peonies 

Upon visiting our London showroom, Gaia was first drawn to the peonies in our Bird design. She noted the likelihood that George Gilbert Scott, when drawing this design, would have been aware of peonies’ association with prestige in the Eastern world. Given the luxurious status of these designs, the associations of wealth, success, and hospitality would have been intentionally woven in to take the design beyond being visually beautiful. This concept, widely acknowledged when looking at chinoiserie designs, adds depth to the study of, and use of, our designs.

Pineapples

Similarly, Gaia found herself drawn to our Pineapple design, available both as a fabric and wallpaper. Her wide knowledge of the historical significance of the pineapple is what sparked her interest in the design. In her talk, she outlined how pineapples were first served in Britain at a party thrown by Charles II, costing the equivalent of £2,000 in today’s money. They were not eaten, only left to admire. This symbolised wealth but also generosity. Although this meaning has been somewhat forgotten, the symbol of the pineapple still visually endures. This explains the popularity of our Pineapple design, which was most recently used to adorn the Houses of Parliament.

Violets 

Another design that Gaia’s talk delved into was the Viola. The delicate violet flowers in this design have an intricacy to them, which effortlessly creates a tranquil setting for quiet corners. In Victorian England flowers became a covert language for expressing emotions that could not otherwise be spoken. Violas were known to represent modesty and faithfulness. The wallpaper therefore brings these elements to any space adorned in its pattern. Gaia used this as an example to demonstrate the emotional weight that flowers, either fresh or in our designs, can carry.

First look at the 'Phoam' sample

Sustainable Floristry 

Gaia concluded her talk with a discussion regarding how fresh flowers can be bought into interiors to complement and enhance the beauty and depth of our designs. This discussion was focused around the latest sustainable option for floristry; Phoam. Toxic-free and compostable, it offers an alternative to traditional floristry foam which is full of micro-plastics. This presents exciting new opportunities for the styling of our designs, since the historical and listed buildings that are designs are often lifted from, and are so suited to, cannot have open water in floral displays. Phoam presents an apt alternative. Florists can continue a designer's intent to celebrate and embrace natural influences. Picking up on colours or specific flowers from our designs opens opportunities to create cohesive interiors that have depth.

Our Collection 

Whilst Gaia selected a few favourites, our archive is full of flowers and botanicals that hold symbolic meanings and emotions. To explore our collection of floral designs, or find pieces that will compliment a variety of bouquets in your home or space, come to our London showroom at the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre.