84 DEVON LIFE May devon.greatbritishlife.co.uk

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "84 DEVON LIFE May devon.greatbritishlife.co.uk"

Grace Stephens
5 years ago
Views:

1 84 DEVON LIFE May 2013

Nautical roots Caroline Hodges enlists help from her Inspired by a love for the ocean, florist father, at a studio on his boatyard, to create unique designs COMPILED BY ANNA TURNS PHOTOS BY RUSSELL

Hodges has a love of the sea, the beach and all things nautical.

2 Nautical roots Caroline Hodges enlists help from her Inspired by a love for the ocean, florist father, at a studio on his boatyard, to create unique designs COMPILED BY ANNA TURNS PHOTOS BY RUSSELL TALBOT With childhood summers spent sailing on the River Yealm, crabbing and playing on Cellars Beach while her parents ran the sailing school in Newton Ferrers, it s not surprising that Caroline Hodges has a love of the sea, the beach and all things nautical. This is reflected in her floristry style and she is always on the look-out for unusual props and containers whether that involves combing beaches, browsing markets or rummaging through her dad Andrew Thomson s endless supply of vintage boating paraphernalia. I m loving working on projects with Dad, says Caroline with an earnest smile. Not only is it a great excuse to spend time together but I m learning a lot too and have a new-found respect for wood and how to work with it. Dad s experience and tools are indispensable when creating one-off designs, like the hidden arch structure for a wedding at Salcombe church last autumn. He painstakingly ensured it was a perfect fit for the doorway, which meant it was not only super strong but the framework was so well-hidden too! Andrew has built several boats from scratch and spent 30 years lovingly repairing and maintaining the 11 traditional wooden dayboats that he used for their sailing school. His handiwork also stems from his work at TR2, helping to build sets and scenery for Plymouth s Theatre Royal, and many years as stage manager for local amateur dramatics productions. He promotes the philosophy of one set designer he worked with: If you DEVON LIFE May

have got the detail right, you have probably got the overall effect right. I am incredibly lucky to be able to lean upon Dad s experience and expertise, says Caroline.

3 have got the detail right, you have probably got the overall effect right. I am incredibly lucky to be able to lean upon Dad s experience and expertise, says Caroline. It s a charming relationship that seems to benefit all parties: Andrew, Caroline and thanks to the end result her clients. Again, Dad s help proved to be invaluable when we encased a batch of containers in birch bark to create beautiful table decorations. He had the skill, patience and tools needed to make the join practically invisible and ensure they would be nice and strong. It s obvious where the perfectionist in me comes from. I like to think we work really well as a team, although I suppose sometimes we might get carried away making sure everything is just perfect and time runs away from us. It s obvious where the perfectionist in me comes from and I like to think we work really well as a team From Paris with love Caroline first dreamt of becoming a florist when she was living in Paris aged 20. I used to walk past a gorgeous little flower shop on my way to work and dream of spending my days in there surrounded by beautiful flowers and plants rather than an office. Living in two of Europe s most vibrant and artistically cultural cities, Paris and Barcelona, proved a major influence for her work together with the Westcountry s rustic charms and the elegance and sophistication honed from her training at the prestigious McQueens Floristry School in London. By the end of this course she felt truly inspired and ready to bring a touch of the London glamour she d tasted to the south coast. She worked at a beautiful flower shop on the edge of the New Forest and it was here she learned the reality of life as a florist. The early mornings, freezing cold shifts during the winters when my fingers would go on strike, she says candidly before adding, all made worthwhile by the pleasure of working with beautiful flowers. Two years ago, Caroline and her husband Toby moved back to the South Hams and they now live with their young daughter, Lola, in the coastal village of 86 DEVON LIFE May 2013

4 CRAFT Photos by russelltalbotphotography.co.uk Above: Andrew and Caroline s floral arch at Salcombe church Left: Andrew Thomson with Caroline Hodges DEVON LIFE May

Thurlestone. Caroline works from home for any small projects and borrows a workroom at her father s boatyard in Newton Ferrers when she has big weddings and events to prepare for.

Once we re both singing off the same hymn sheet the ideas start flowing and together we can conjure up lots of different concepts and scenarios.

topiary arrangements and veneer-encased containers. Locally bred Caroline sources the majority of her flowers from a local grower and importer.

Caroline tries to buy flowers grown in the South West whenever possible but budget often dictates a mixture of UK-grown flowers and those imported from Holland via the enormous flower auctions.

5 Thurlestone. Caroline works from home for any small projects and borrows a workroom at her father s boatyard in Newton Ferrers when she has big weddings and events to prepare for. Caroline enjoys getting to know each client personally. It s really important to take time to be able to picture exactly how each couple envisage their dream wedding. Once we re both singing off the same hymn sheet the ideas start flowing and together we can conjure up lots of different concepts and scenarios. It is arguably this desire to create brides perfect floral displays that has led Caroline to seek her father s expertise in producing the bespoke designs she is becoming known for: arch frames, topiary arrangements and veneer-encased containers. Locally bred Caroline sources the majority of her flowers from a local grower and importer. As the trend for homegrown flowers continues, English growers are slowly expanding, which is great news for ecofriendly brides, she enthuses. Caroline tries to buy flowers grown in the South West whenever possible but budget often dictates a mixture of UK-grown flowers and those imported from Holland via the enormous flower auctions. It s so frustrating that a rose grown in South America or Africa is cheaper for me to buy than one grown 10 miles away on an organic flower farm. I would love to see more and more customers and florists supporting British growers. She also has plans to grow more of her own flowers in the future. Last year I grew sweet peas and lily of the valley and I have a small foliage allotment in a corner of Dad s field, says Caroline. One day I d love to grow a selection of my favourite flowers, such as cornflowers, nigella, scabious, and peonies. Contact Caroline: info@carolinehodgesflowers.co.uk carolinehodgesflowers.co.uk Make your own nautical flower arrangements: Use driftwood as a prop: Wrap cubes of floral foam in clingfilm and nestle in the contours of the wood. Cover with foliage and add your chosen flowers. You can make it as intricate or as simple as you like. For added detail, glue or Blutac shells to lengths of wooden skewers/cocktail sticks and arrange them in the floral foam among the flowers. Transform an old vase or container: Wrap a length of old weathered rope around it in a spiral and glue in place. Fill with your favourite flowers or a potted plant. 88 DEVON LIFE May 2013

Spectacular yet affordable. Silk flowers available on a rental basis.

C A T A L O G U E Spectacular yet affordable. Silk flowers available on a rental basis. Photo by PBArtWorks TRUE ROMANCE COLLECTION One look and you ll fall in love that s true romance. Made from high-quality