Bloomin' Paris

By Poppy Wilkinson

If you're milling around the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, you may or may not see a famous guest, but you’ll most certainly see the work of a celebrity… a celebrity florist that is.  

The George V, a Parisian icon, has set the standard in this trend in blooms, where flowers aren't simply accoutrement – they're front and centre. A former runway model, Jeff Leatham is the hotel's resident florist who's also done private orders for the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss and George Clooney. Leatham is no shrinking violet: Taught by his father, a landscape artist, Leatham has no formal training, but he definitely has an eye for the fabulous. To enter the George V is to be greeted by up to 17,000 blooms (imported from Holland). More than just flower arrangement, it’s an orchestration of shape and colour that marks a new kind of interior design.

And we're not talking baby's breath either. With an entourage of seven assistants, Leatham designs over 23 major arrangements for the lobby alone. Past displays have included otherworldly calla lilies toppling out of gargantuan vases, "drowned" orchids, roses in fizzy water and hundreds of bright orange tulips standing sentinel. You never know what you're going to get. The designs (all bold and beautiful) are created anew each week and refreshed daily… if not hourly.

George V Paris

Coming up roses

Leatham believes that flowers bring out our passion: "They can lift us above the brouhaha of everyday life." For those who fancy themselves budding celebrity florists (or who simply have Mrs. Dalloway tendencies), there are schools that teach the art of flower arranging. La Belle École, at the über-grand Hôtel de Crillon, has an École des Fleurs that offers classes like "The Mint Tea Bouquet" and "Florists' Secrets." Or join a field trip to pick up shrewd buying tips at Rungis Flower Market, the wholesale market that supplies Paris with 50 percent of its cut flowers.

In France, throwing together a paltry bunch of carnations is simply not an option. Flower arrangement is given significant time and attention, and not just on special occasions – or in the lobby of the George V – but for that bit of extra joie de vivre everyday. Now that's something worth celebrating.

(Poppy Wilkinson is the executive editor of onAir. She wrote about Cape Breton in the June issue.)

Getting There

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