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One of the finest celebrity floral artists in the world, Paula also runs her London shops and provides a wide range of floral services.
She appears frequently on television both in the UK and abroad, writes regular magazine columns as well as seven books about flowers. Along side all this, she demonstrates her floral design nationally and internationally and has run her world renowned flower school since 1994.
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Paula joined us for a CoffeeBreak...
 It has been said that your approach to floral design is modern and imaginative yet retains the simplicity of the freshly picked flower. What do you feel makes your style so attractive and popular?
 Well, I like to think that it is because we keep moving forward and that it is quite natural and simple. Arrangements that look effortless, even if they are not, are often the best.
How did your passion for flowers develop?
 I have been passionate about flowers for as long as I can remember. From an early age I loved collecting wild flowers, but at school I was channelled academically and not artistically. I am of an age when women where offered very limited career choices and so I read history and became a teacher. After three years of teaching at a secondary school in Romford I realised that teaching was not my vocation and enrolled on a flower arranging course in my holidays. I absolutely loved it and new that I had found my new career. I immersed myself in everything to do with flowers, took a part time teaching job and a part time flower position as an apprentice. After two years, I took the plunge and opened a flower shop in Islington. At that time I had never even heard of the occupation of a stylist, but soon found that the flower shop was in an arty area and very quickly we started to get lots of odd requests for advertising and editorial.
What tips have you for those of us trying to achieve a professional looking flower arrangement?
Take your inspiration from nature and keep the arrangement simple, as that is often the best approach to creating a professional looking arrangement.
What is Paula Pryke Flowers' most popular flower arrangement, or design? Is there a particular flower that is a favourite with your customers?
 A lot of people think that I created the hand-tied bouquet but really it was a European design a long time before I made it popular in Britain. I think I will be best known for my creative use of containers and for using lots of other material such as fruits and vegetables in my arrangements. The most successful arrangements are created when the arrangement and the containers are in sympathy and go together to create a living sculpture.
You have decorated and styled an enormous number of venues ranging from Royal palaces, to the Design Museum. What has been your most challenging commission to-date?
I am here in America working on it as we talk! I have been commissioned to design a 10,000 square feet indoor garden show based on the work of Cecily Mary Barkers Flower Fairies and as there is eight inches of show outside and not a single bud to be seen. This is quite a challenge! After this show opens I am off to Chicago to decorate the windows of the second largest store in the US, Marshall Fields. The perfume hall will be filled with flowers and we are show-casing our contemporary designs in their Water Tower store, so itÌs a huge project. I have been working on this for a year and it is certainly my biggest commission to date!
With a busy schedule ahead of you for 2003, how do you like to relax in your time-off between commitments?
I love to spend time with my husband Peter Romaniuk and my Chocolate Labrador Coco. I enjoy cooking, all the creative arts and, of course, gardening!
 Which are couple of your favourite shops and why?
My favourite shop is the contemporary Applied Arts Gallery in Percy Street, London. I am lucky to have concession flower shops with Liberty and also The Conran Shop, from which I like to buy things for my own home. I love Paperchase! For Shoes I am addicted to Stephan Keilan and my hairdresser is Des at Michael Van Clarke.
What are you reading at the moment?
A book on how to create the perfect wild flower meadow, which I am hoping will be my next project!
What is on your shopping list?
Wild flower seeds and a scythe!
Further information...
You can find Paula Pryke Flowers at the address below and: Liberty FLowers by Paula Pryke Liberty plc Gt Marlborough St London (tel 020 7573 9563) Paula Pryke Flowers at Brompton Cross Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London (tel 020 7589 4986)
address: Paula Pryke Flowers 20 Penton Street London N1 9PS
tel: +44 (0)20 7837 7336
fax: +44 (0)20 7837 6766
email:
web: www.paula-pryke-flowers.com
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