26 Dec Flourishing Florals: An Interview with Floral Designer Olga Sahraoui

Olga Sahraoui is the founder and floral designer of SAHOLA Floral Art and Event Design. Her international design experiences contribute to her unique arrangements. Go behind the scenes as we uncover the dream behind this globally inspired floral designer.

How would you describe the Sahola brand & aesthetic?
SAHOLA Floral Art & Event Design is a full service floral company driven by passion and fearless quest for innovation. We specialize in Weddings, All types of Events, Corporate Accounts, Daily Bespoke Arrangements, Holiday Decorations, Window Display Decoration, Styling and Installations.  We capture the special moments and bring joy and happiness to the lives of the people through art of flowers.

What was the dream that inspired Sahola?
I always had a passion for flowers. Growing up in Ukraine as part of Soviet Union didn’t provide many if any design options.  However, my grandmother developed in me an eye for beauty and aesthetics, while I was playing in our home garden. She taught me to love nature and particularly flowers. There were few varieties of flowers available for purchase at that time. But I had a dream to be surrounded by as many flowers as possible, which eventually came true when I opened SAHOLA (derivative of my first and last name )

Have you always been design-minded? What led you to floral design?
Thanks to my grandmother, I developed a taste to all things beautiful. Besides, my parents used to travel a lot and they often took me with them whether it would be Turkey, India, Czech Republic or Italy. Visiting those different in culture and religion countries, helped me to better understand the world of design and fashion, and made me who I am today.  I’ve pursued my Masters in English Language, followed by Hospitality Business Management and Event Planning. The turning point became my husband and our honey moon. He took me to Marrakesh to see an iconic botanical garden Jardin Majorelle, which used to belong to a famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. I was mesmerized by its beauty, variety of flora, and unique color combinations. After we came back, I decided to start my new journey in a flower world.

You describe your work as bringing new elements of European Design into New York style. How are you able to achieve this?
When I took a decision to become a flower designer, I went to a flower school in New York. Worked in a couple flower shops for some time. But I wasn’t totally fulfilled. I knew that flower industry was so much deeper. I flew to the Netherlands, where I have lived some time, got internationally certified as a Master Florist, and learned many floral techniques.

How did studying with Dutch designers influence your work?
I have been trained by the most influential Dutch Designers, and there are many small details in my work represent it. I like to use different materials in my designs besides flowers – feathers, bark, stones, pearls, wires, natural elements, etc

Tell us about your creative process behind making arrangements for different occasions.
Every event is very special to me. I believe in creating bespoke, daring and artistic flower designs that represents each client individuality. We take it seriously, take time to know our clients, their vision, we try to sketch for them to better understand the final look. Our mission is to deliver happiness, there is a character and soul in what we do.

What is the most challenging aspect of your career? The most rewarding?
The most challenging part of being a flower designer is long hours, lots of water and cold weather. We have to work in tough conditions sometimes, where we face many challenges before we deliver beautiful product to our clients.

What’s trending in the floral design industry?
Trends vary throughout the world. Contemporary structural flower designs are popular in Europe and Asia. Side by side, goes flower hat boxes filled with fresh or preserved roses (available on our site) Wedding industry is booming with an organic wild look.

Tell us more about the unique floral hats you contributed to New York Fashion Week.
Fashion is my main source of inspiration. During centuries fashion was tightly connected with the world of flowers. I love designing floral art pieces, and found that floral headpieces is my strong side. The collection of the hats I designed earlier, was inspired by New York Fashion Week 2017. At that time I was working closely with Dutch breeders, and they wanted me to promote their flowers in a unique and new way. So this idea came to me naturally, and I thought why not to design a real avangard floral art. This is how they appear.

What’s the next dream?
At this point, we are working on extending our services. Starting January, we will be providing a wide selection of table linens and haute couture napkin designs. We are now accepting large-scale events inquiries and installations.  Our new location will be open soon across the street from FIT (fashion institute of technology)

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