Q&A: Stepping into Spring with Floratorium

Photography by Alejandro Chavarria, Nicole on March 22nd, 2024 in Editorials, Lifestyle

Miami, FL – March 22, 2024 – Spring is here, and Floratorium has arrived in Miami – a flower & art studio with “a passion for setting florals free from the confines of the vase.” Carlos Franqui is an advertising creative turned fashion stylist and floral designer based in NYC that combines his knowledge of media and brand strategy with his innate passion for art and design to bring Floratorium to life. Soon after graduating from FlowerSchool NY, Carlos began his career working with some of the most prestigious names in floral design, crafting arrangements and installations for events, celebrities, restaurants, and fashion houses. “Coming from advertising, I realize the traditional channels of advertising and communications have changed. Social media was at the forefront and had become the immediate bridge between product and consumer,” Shares Franqui. “Flowers came in as a vehicle to deliver that message, to cross that bridge.” This year, Floratorium celebrates its 10 year anniversary since its inception in small studio in the garment district of NYC. With its recent expansion to South Florida at its newly opened Little River location, we sat down with Carlos to speak about Floratorium’s history and all things floral art.

Carlos Franqui

WRE: What inspired you to open Floratorium and how did you get started in the business?

Carlos Franqui: Coming from advertising, I realize the traditional channels of advertising and communications have changed. Social media was at the forefront and had become the immediate bridge between product and consumer. Flowers came in as a vehicle to deliver that message, to cross that bridge. I wanted to create art and my medium was going to be faux florals.To use this new form of art and create a scenery to attract content creators who will document and re-share, prompting instant views and virality (free advertising). This year marks Floratorium 10 year anniversary since its inception in small studio in the garment district of NYC.

Carlos Franqui

Carlos Franqui

Carlos Franqui

WRE: Can you walk us through your creative process in designing floral arrangements for brands, especially your work in Miami?

CF: First I do my research about the brand, who they are? What is the message they want to convey? We scroll through their social media platform to see who their clients are also (demographics, and sort). Then I create a landscape scenery that compliments that world. We come up with a concept and mood board followed by renderings. I grow my installations with real branches harvested from Upstate NYC, like the roots of a tree crawling up walls and ceilings. Then we followed with our curated selection of florals (Bougainvillea “Avra”, Lavender Wisteria “Little Hen”, Yellow Mimosas “Motek” etc.

Carlos Franqui

My design aesthetic steers away from how a florist arrange flowers. I design mimicking mother nature. I’m inspired by the jungles of my native Puerto Rico, where vegetation takes over everything it crosses.

Carlos Franqui

Carlos Franqui

WRE: Where can Miami locals find your work?

CF: My work is displayed at Motek, Avra, Little Hen, Cantina La Veinte, Cafe Bastille, Maman, & Pura Vida.

Carlos Franqui

WRE: Budgeting is a key component in hospitality design. How does Floratorium justify the high cost of a floral installation of these magnitudes?

CF: These installations could be expensive due to the cost of materials and the artistry involved behind these custom made installations, but the zero maintenance and new customers returns make up for it. As a client, you get instant free advertising and instant store visits due to their impactful appeal in social media.

WRE: Can you share some standout projects and favorite installations you’ve worked on with different brands?

CF: Our giant Bougainvillea pergola at Avra Sunny Isles really takes your breath away, and the new Maman store in Wynwood inspired by the landscape of miami shows a magnificent display of Spanish Moss, Air Plants & Succulents while keeping with Maman’s green foliage and white flowers aesthetic. These art installations Will always show a sense of time and space, they are curated to fit the space they’ll be displayed in.

Carlos Franqui

Carlos Franqui

WRE: What’s one thing people should know about Floratorium?

CF: My design aesthetic steers away from how a florist arrange flowers. I design mimicking mother nature. I’m inspired by the jungles of my native Puerto Rico, where vegetation takes over everything it crosses. I then select a floral muse that will have a connection to the brand. Our new Botanical series Biofauxlia ™ aims to create organic connections between space and people with these maximalist installations where in regular Biophilic designs these connections were limited to occur.