Issue 06 

For Moscow based artist and interiors graduate, Margarita Maleeva, floristry became a profession by chance. Margarita was invited to design a love story themed scene for a friend’s photography session. On a whim she agreed and composed her first flower arrangement.  Newly energized by this experience, she signed up for a class on European style flower arrangements and started building a portfolio by designing wedding bouquets.

Her shop, Sunny Marlee Floral & Event Design, is a home-made space on the bank of Moscow River. Margarita designed her fairy tale shop as an inviting place where people stop in to buy flowers, have a cup of tea, play with Richard Parker, the shop’s kitten, and daydream about whimsical flower bouquets.

INTERVIEW: Маргарита Малеева (Margarita Maleeva), Sunny Marlee Floral & Event Design, Moscow

Years in Floristry? 1

Local Flowers:
The climate in this country is not suitable for exotic plants. Nevertheless, we grow a wide range of roses, hydrangea, and wildflowers as ranunculus, chamomile and daisies.. You can see the real fairytale when lilac or cherry trees are in blossom-especially in village.

Arrangement Style: “Big Boho style bouquets with intensity, texture and peculiarity. I like to add a touch of exotic plants and materials such as cinnamon, pearls, dried lotus flowers or bird feathers.”

Winter Arrangement: I prefer to work with seasonal plants and herbs that reflect the beauty of the season. For my Christmas arrangements for example, I used fur-tree branches, nuts, cinnamon sticks, berries, candles and a variety of beautiful coloured tapes.

What inspires you as a florist? The flower refrigerator inspires me when I purchase flowers. It’s true! I will have an idea of the colour palette that I want to work with in a particular bouquet, but the final arrangement is a mystery to me until I visit the warehouse to buy flowers. This is where the inspiration starts for me.  I am also inspired by the shades and gradations found in colours, interesting people, my friends, and old objects because each thing has its own history and story.

Photo Source: Margarita Maleeva

How would you describe your shop?
Homemade. I had a wish to create my shop not as a place where people can buy flowers, but as a place where people could find the nice atmosphere. It is possible to sit on the sofa, to drink tea, to look through books and to talk. Because of my cat, Richard-Parker, now people also visit my shop to play with him. Everything in my shop was made by me: I painted the walls then made them look old, selected the photos on the wall, painted the ceiling and made the sofa from euro palettes. I purchase the flowers and the decoration elements myself, because it makes my soul happy.