Back in October, I had the pleasure of working with Livia Cetti and Joanne Donohoe of The Green Vase on the Seasonal Arrangements story for our upcoming Spring issue.
The two are an amazing team and made spending the day together so much fun. Livia works with flowers intuitively, and everything she touches is beautiful -- I am amazed by her talent (as is anyone who has experienced her work). She has a lot of fans at Martha Stewart Living and has worked with us for years. But, it was my first time meeting Jo. And, of course, any friend of Livia's would be as sweet, down-to-earth, and skilled as the remarkable Jo is.
We started the day at the flower market, where we loaded up the van with tons of blossoms (picture all three of us in the front seat, each with a cup of coffee -- it was a precarious situation). Back at the office, we unpacked and the studio filled up with the sweet smell of geraniums and chocolate cosmos. Kevin Sharkey even popped in, saying, "It smells like heaven in Studio C today!"
Using baskets and woven materials from The Conran Shop, Greenhouse, Darr, Global Table, Pearl River, and the prop house here at Martha Stewart, Livia and Jo created a textural landscape reflective of their natural, organic style.
A day filled with flowers and girls from The Green Vase is magical enough, but the rainy autumn day on which the shoot fell also yielded gorgeous views of the Hudson River and a double rainbow over the city to boot.
Scroll through the photo gallery of our shoot day and enjoy!
1 Here are several baskets from Greenhouse and Darr as well as utensils from The Conran Shop.
2 Here are more baskets from The Conran Shop, Darr, and Greenhouse.
3 Here, we tested out paint colors on the baskets from Pearl River.
4 This was one of the flatware options from The Conran Shop.
5 We checked out a couple of different options for surfaces and table runners.
6 Jo, from The Green Vase, paints a basket for the wall hanging.
7 More basket painting!
8 We loved the idea for tulip-bulb favor in a stenciled burlap bag. We tested a couple of stencils before choosing the one on the left.
9 My expression doesn't quite convey the sweet smell of the peonies.
10 We used some braided grasses to bring textural, woven elements into the arrangements.
11 Livia, from The Green Vase, builds a bouquet.
12 The finished bouquet!
13 Livia works her magic on the centerpieces.
14 This is one of the arrangement options for the favor table. Isn't it gorgeous?
15 Here, we are editing a couple of the photos.
16 Looking out the window of our offices, you can just barely see the second rainbow to the right of the first. Everyone in the office was running to the windows to check it out!
17 There was a sun shower over the Hudson River. We had a great view from the photo studio.
18 A surreal New Jersey skyline as the rain died down and we finished for the day.
From: Kathi | 3/13/11 at 7:49 pm
I would love your job!! Surrounded by beauty, creativity and experts in their field!
I love the stenciled burlap bags - I plan to use this idea for a spring party I am having.
From: Chris gulotta | 12/26/11 at 10:37 pm
I am trying to find the source of where you got your string fringed tan napkins from the " Spring Awakening" Seasonal arrangements magazine page I think you did for Martha Stewart. My daughter is getting married in Jackson Hole WY on June 23,2012 and we loved those napkins. Would you mind sharing or tell us what their cost is?
We both saved your page for the beautiful floral arrangements too.
Thank you for help
Sincerely. mother of the Bride. Chris Gulotta
I reside in Fairfield County, CT