Little Garden Flower’s Chelsea Flower Show stand, designed and built to conform with the show's new sustainability criteria
We were first approached by Lois Golding with the build-brief of Little Garden Flower’s Chelsea Flower Show stand in January 2019, before any signs of pandemic related disruption to the exhibition calendar were in evidence. Two show postponements later in May 2021 we were fianlly able to complete the task.
From Lois’s initial drawings we created a 3D illustration followed by a scale-model, which allowed us to ensure all panels fit perfectly into the site shell-scheme. The build task could only take place within a limited window and keeping that to a minimum enabled Lois maximum time for installation of the floral elements.
White melamine faced MDF was selected for its minimalist properties creating three full-height panels, each with a circular aperture, through which the flora and fauna could be viewed. Foraged pieces made up a woodland layer at the rear, with live meadow plants in the middle section, and a stunning cultivated cut-flower structure sculpted at the front. A mirror was hung at the back of the stand, presenting an opportunity for a moment of reflection, reminding us we are influential in the delicate balance of wildness and cultivation.
Lois’s concept turned not only the judge’s heads but also the BBC who put together a feature on her and the importance of buying British Flowers. Winning a sliver-medal at the Chelsea Flower Show enabled Lois to highlight the carbon footprint of the floral industry and influence other florists and flower fans.
In keeping with core values for Little Garden and TonyG’s business models, build materials have gone on to a new life as shelving, the plants have been re-homed to a meadow in Gaydon, whilst the woodland pieces returned to where they were found.
