We were over the Moon to receive this from our friend Sakul Intakul mostly because it shows another design side of him ... his former books , Tropical Colours especially , Modern Thai Living and Colour Your Moods sent a refreshing shot of life in Thailand with flowers,through us and the Floral World...With his innate ability to make more with less he made a masses of friends.. here now in this new book he shares his passion for the traditional forms ,techniques and patterns of Thai Floral art he learned from the Florists of the Inner Royal Thai Court. What we get is a heady mix of Thai Flower Culture at its purest side by side withhis new interpretations, turning pedestrals , garlands, small floral offerings and accessories into marvellous inspirational works and offering at a glimpse possibilities that can motivate the inner cretive in us all. We dream of being near the wafting perfume of one of his gardenia window pendants and watch his floral floats lazily drift by. Starry and divine Jasmine , fragrant gardenias ,exquisite handsewn orchid petals.lotus flowers are everywhere ..The book isnt only a wonderful cultural tribute but a sensual treat..we're sure you will catch a puff of perfume like we do each time we turn each page, the work is so evocative.

We opened this book with deep curiosity as to what MVB might bring us we didn’t know already about her work after four books from Flowers in love, one two and three, her sensitive Sympathy flowers, Flowers in Tears and numerous magazine articles about her and her ongoing Fleur Creatif Magazine exposure. We were seriously intrigued, the end cover images grabbed our attention in a nano second . The double page image of a lush hoard of textiles, textures, seed pods, red roses, beads, threads and ribbons are exactly how those who know her closely would describe her as , a collector. She has the inclination of a magpie, seeking and storing treasures of this and that on one hand from Nature ,the other flibberty jibbets ,scraps and pieces from anywhere and everywhere, cleverly massing boxes piles and cupboards of gorgoeus objects to be used today, tomorrow or in her future . As we turned the pages front to back the back to front ,we got some lovely surprises and have to say the book works wonderfully. This monograph or lone song is an invitation to meet another side of MVB,the one who lives a full and happy life besides meeting brides making wedding bouquets, designing table decorations and farewell tributes, doing still life photo shoots fro magazines ,beyond her work as a stylist or teacher and demonstrator. at home and across the globe. We find here a plant hunter, a weed finder, a home gardener and plantswoman, and a flower lover , a florist with special penchant for Vandas, a forager, a twig collector , vine and trailing plant adorer, a nostalgic and romantic, a handmade paper gatherer, a drawer a writer and a collector of wonderful and quirky things that look good and feel even better. All of which she uses for a myriad of design ideas a variety of reasons with new concepts new forms and structures not normally thought of, or known as has her signature work. The book comes over as if as if she has done things for herself in it to challenge and please herself and allow herself to be free. The world as we all know is bountiful with never ending possibilities yet very often it restrains a creative spirit for simple commercial reasons. Our biggest delight with this book was to see some new work and to revisit some old. Here are bigger scale pieces in huge contrast to her famous bouquets , her redefinition of waste materials,think cardboard packing, odd smidgens of influence can be seen here and there from her friends and assistants, but then again maybe she influenced them, we find her oplifting not so popular flowers and see her extraordinary us of dried foliage. MVB’s newest book is a tribute to her own ongoing creativity and for her readers, viewers and worldwide fans a discovery of the fuller talent of one of Belgium’s leading florists and floral designers. Get it so you will discover all sides of a renowned Floral Designer, be better informed and greatly inspired, perhaps flap your creative wings louder too. Highly Recommended . And a nice little postcript . The day she launched her new book in September she was honoured by a Dutch Rose Breeder who named a new rose after her. That is an an everlasting honour.

Carl is a practised l florist with a shop overflowing with flowers, plants and a collection of containers to cry with delight and despair over so super ,special and original is everything he has chosen...all of which reflects his eye for the design and decoration The idea to make this book came from his prestigious design work for one of the leading restaurants in Belgium, De Karmeliet the three star Michellin restaurant of Geert Van Hecke in Brugge. The connection between , food, flowers and style is very important to Belgians and they have high expectations of all three. Carl in his book has managed to distill his work in these worlds into the pages of his book..Expect to see a variety of table designs to modify , think about , see close ups where techniques are at work,copy them maybe,while he shows simple ideas you wonder why you hadnt thought about them yourself and complex ones you would rather not..

What can one say but hooray to another book from Moniek Vanden Berghe whom we consider to be the Contessa of Wedding flower Design in Europe..yes we do say that with assuredness ...... this is her third and latest book and it is overflowing with new ideas and the most delectable colour harmonies to ever be found in a floral design book Besides her prestige and profession as a florist we have often said she works like a Jeweler so detailed and intricate are her designs, well now add to that Painter or indeed Musician.Her selection of flowers, leaves, sprigs and berries become perfectly balanced bouquets, treasures of melodious colour and texture. Her designs and forms which we think are her signature of originality are surprising and fresh as ever.One day we mean to count how many different ideas she has and continues generously to give to the world in her way and just like her first two books . Flowers 1 and flowers 11 this ,is swarming with images cover to cover . A must- have ediiton to keep up a collection of Vanden Berghes ouvre ,the most interesting and personalized, recognizable yet intimate approach to Floristry yet.

This we found this book in Belgium and its excitingly from Hungary , once spied we grabbed it immediately -absolutley because of the hidden romance and mystery we just knew it would contain. and we were right. Its one of the most exciting books we have comer across this year just oozing with originality, high style ,fantasy, colour, radiance, .Is voluptuious ,sumputuious and glamourous and the photographs suggestive of a world that could be true, may not be but probably is...its cultural feast of flowers for occassions and festivities for a country not much known about except for cliches of exquisite violinists and heavily accented old world dowgers, spas, dark histories and hot goulash..but it in this book of course flowers reign supreme, grandly and with such aplomb. A cooperation between Belgian Florist Franky Bolingh and Hungarian ...its a marriage of like minds and souls and the work is as rich as you can imagine. A treat of the highest.

Katrien Vandierendonck is a designer less known, less seen out of Belgium which has nothing to do with talents hidden..she is busy in Belgium with 101 floral occupations with programme in Belgium, odd workshops , Expo events and her delicious garden. That she has collected together a book full of ideas for out door design is to be expected from someone whose heart is in her garden. In Belgium the concept and decoration of an Outdoor room is as important as any indoor one and the view from the windows,taking in the outdoor furniture ,tables , topiary , art pieces, ponds are places to set dress. Accordingly in this country , a new design occupation is developing that of the Outdoor designer ..but back to the book.. Mis en scenes created by Katrien include picnics,,things for halloween even ,garden rooms (orangeries in Europe)in luscious french style, ideas for winter tables(with birds in mind) party tables and feasts and more. ....Her romantic approach will catch you somewhere even if you area vowed minimalist( she has some ideas for you too). Katrien says to us "we do not only want to being natures beauty inside our homes , our nests but also give the newly invented beauty(our work ) back to her . A lovely approach.

Following on from the success of their first book Structures, Le Couls and Boyard bring us this time Structures 2 a sure sign as a follow up that the earlier publication hit the right note with aspiring florist and floral designers. The same idea continues here, a series of forms and fantasies based on sound design and construction then embellished in a sparkling new collection using regular and traditional techniques to go about things. Stepping into reusing, renewing and reimaging everyday objects.They take transparent plastics, and add items gleaned with bright eyes from a jewelry boxes, the textile world and shelves from home handyman stores nylon, tubing, wires, and bubble wrap combined with their fabulous choice of botanicals we came to know them by in their earlier book. Wedding bouquets (who ever has enough of them?) with feathers, papers, glass, shells which all sound very normal until one sees what they conjure up with them. Its revealing work showing how daring, on a limb and advanced their ideas are. Reusable structures, their claim to fame and magic come with amazingly fitting titles like in Bows (as in those that shoot arrows) Slide (as in slipping slopes) Nest (like no other seen before we bet). The Reusable vases show how one container can be used three entirely over the moon ways, new views and striding into the future of floristry. An eye-popping publication and pictorially perfect is perhaps a little disturbing for the more conventional and conservative florist. But like the original Punk styles that shocked the world of hair fashion some decades ago (and can now be found sported by middle age women in small villages all over Europe as an example) there is always a trickle down effect Hands down that these two adventurous French florists will have an undeniable influence on floristry, now and ahead.

Geert Pattyns small sized book is a bumper of Christmas ideas.. from ribboned wreaths to sparkling necklaces, boxes, baubles and bouquets made with wonderful Christmassy materials. He uses Wax, sugar cubes,ribbons, glass tubes, golden wire with all the plant materials one can imagine that are available for a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.(and maybe your garden ) We have chose red, white and blue images from the book to look at here.......and of course our glowing reccomendations for anything this Belgian gifted florist and designers does are legendary.