More than ever, clients are asking for installations for their special events, weddings, baby showers, brand activations, corporate events and any other special moment they need a memorable floral. These special requests can create profitable opportunities and fresh eyes to any floral business.  

But installations can also be intimidating. From pitching, to pricing, to production, there’s a lot of steps to getting it right. 

So my talented flower-friends from Sweet Root Village, Lauren, Rachel and I decided to create a small-group workshop intensive on the topic. We wanted to create an experience where designers could glean from our years of experience, missteps and more and learn how to build confidence in their installation process. An important element of this small group workshop was to maintain a 3:1 student teacher ratio that would allow the students to be supported enough to create a final installation on their own from concept to execution.

You can read more here about how to choose a great workshop for you.

My friend and fellow educator Hitomi Gilliam says, “a teacher’s job is not to show off what they can do as a teacher, rather show students what (they) are capable of.” This concept is our north star in teaching – helping other designers see what they are capable of, equipping them, and spurring them on to growth in their business and artistry. 

Over the course of our three-day installation workshop, we covered conceptualization, design theory, color theory, technical skills, labor, transportation, and execution of large-scale installations. We created multiple styles of installations partially completed to showcase the mechanics and offered tips and explanations on how to build multiple styles of designs. Next was a hands on exercise and demo of dozens of mechanics that can be utilized in installs. Amy discussed palette-building, creating unique shapes utilizing the golden ratio and focused on proportion, form and balance. Lauren and Rachel broke down ordering for installs along with planning, pitching and selling tips. We reviewed multiple inspiration photos from students and discussed how to create the inspirational photos. We demonstrated design and construction techniques on multiple structures along with tips and recommendations for building and designing. 

On our second day, we mentored students through developing, drafting, and executing their own unique installation concepts. The goal was to grow the practical and technical skills required to create installations, and foster the confidence that goes along with it! More than half the designers chose a hanging installation to practice the art of hanging mechanics and learned how to create a dynamic design in the air. 

This installation highlighted beautiful and lush greens from Fern Trust in Florida and Regional Farms in California. 

We gave feedback throughout the process, from securing the mechanics, to reworking the color palettes to ensure designers were challenged and supported throughout the process. Editing and refining our choices is critical as designers, as we tend to stick to what we know. Our feedback consisted of how to adjust and utilize specific mechanics for specific goals, how to edit and create more focused material and color selections and where to place stems to create the most impact. We were so blown away by all of the attendees’ commitment to the learning process. After sketching our designs and honing in on a compelling color story, designers got to work applying all they had learned. The results were incredible. 

Here are some key takeaways from the event!

1. Installations = Impact

Installations are often reserved for the most important parts of events (ceremony, head table, etc.), and are used to create high visual or emotional impact. Successful installations should be priced, planned, and produced in proportion to their impact. Don’t be afraid to change up your material selection and use A LOT of one or two types of flower materials to make an impact. Installations can be a big undertaking and carry risk, as they require an abundance of product and require skillful mechanics and distribution of weight. Carefully consider all the steps in designing an installation well, from conceptualization, ordering the right materials, securing the most effective mechanics, labor, production and delivery considerations.

Student ground installation with Alexandra Farms garden roses and dahlias, and a mix of beautiful delphinium from Ball.

2. Proportion 

Understanding proportion is critical when creating on a large scale. Knowing where to place color and allocate materials can make or break a design, or help take an average concept and elevate it to new heights.

Like any floral arrangement, installations depend on the principles and elements of design. The larger the design, the more these elements are highlighted! 

Proportion is one of the most critical considerations when it comes to large installations. Here are some key components to think through:

1. Where do you want to create impact in any given area? Is a ground installation better, or will it be hidden from view? Do you need to go higher or lower with a design for it to have more impact?
2. Are you attempting to mostly cover an area, or do you want to create a more dynamic design with asymmetry and negative space?
3. If a budget is limited, find one to two key areas to create impact, and go all in there.
4. If using a structure, consider the proportions of that structure in relationship to your design elements. Is the structure too big for the budget of flowers you have – if so, the design may look incomplete, etc. 
5.  Your design and structure should be in proportion to the environment. If you are in a large ballroom and have a very small installation, the install will have less impact and may look misplaced.
6. The visual weight of your installation should be balanced throughout. Consider the golden ratio in every decision, from where the mechanics are placed, to how tall or high a design is, to how color is distributed throughout.  
7. Color is CRITICAL. Learn color theory and how to make an impact with color alone so you aren’t reliant on specific varieties of flowers. Understanding how to allocate color well, and grouping and blending color, is a tremendous asset when creating on a large scale. 

Beautiful hanging student design using a combination of silks and fresh. Garden roses from Alexandria Farms and fillers from Ball were a standout. 

3. Mechanics

Mechanics are a two-fold effort. 

Firstly, plan well. Your design structure contributes heavily to the beauty, longevity, and safety of your design. Good mechanics include the physical build of your design, as well as the hydration, placement, and support of your flowers. Again, these designs are high-impact placements, in high-impact moments, and may also be high-traffic, so safety is hugely important!

Secondly, always have a good back-up plan. So often, installations suffer because of unprecedented circumstances, like inclement weather and game day changes. Having good tools, mechanics, and practical experience lead to success. Installation work benefits from practice, so try out designs you haven’t created yet in your studio beforehand to work through any unforeseen issues.

This workshop was near and dear to the heart as we truly love what we do. Being able to share our art and experience with a wonderful group of designers was truly such a joy for us. I am so grateful to Lauren and Rachel of Sweet Root Village for inviting me to collaborate and co-teach this workshop with them in their beautiful Virgina studio. We have had the privilege of teaching several times together over the years, and it is always a delight to partner with them in any way. 

We are so grateful to the MANY generous partners who helped us create this wonderful workshop. 

Our biggest thank you to Akbar Sayed Photography, for capturing behind-the-scenes moments and stunning student work. If you’re looking for a great partner for your next event, check his website here. 

To Accent Decor – – it’s always a privilege to partner with you. Thank you for lending your beautiful structures and mechanics to our students. No one does it better than you! 

And to our flower and foliage partners, thank you for contributing to the success of this event! We couldn’t do it without you! It was an immense pleasure to share your beautiful products with our students. 

• Potomac Floral Wholesale – local provider of a mix of flowers and foliages.
• East Texas Smilax – provided beautiful and lush smilax, a must have for hanging installs and covering mechanics.
• Ball SB Cut Flowers – provided loads of beautiful flowers and fillers – the trick delphinum is my absolute favorite for a unique style of delphinium.
• Alexandra Farms – provided the most incredible garden roses, tweedia, and dahlias (which are available year round!)
• Regional Farms – provided beautiful greens and textures, my favorite was the variegated euonymus, so hardy and healthy for any install! 
• Ferntrust Inc. – provided lush, beautiful greens (dreamy ferns galore) and the healthiest and prettiest Spanish moss I have ever seen. 

If you want to be notified of any future hands-on workshops or learning opportunities, jump on the waitlist here! https://thefloralcoach.com/installation-waitlist