Florals are HOT This Season at Warm Flowers

If there's one thing Richmond has in spades, it's young creatives with small businesses. However, few have a keen understanding of artful design and a laser focus on what's cool like Sare Harvell of Warm Flowers.

Sare started WF in 2018 and since then has taken part in major floral endeavors like designing an arrangement on display at the VMFA, participating in a gorgeous Valentine's Day pop-up at Pamplemousse Gallery and developing their much beloved Warm Flowers merch!

I caught up with Sare to talk all about WF, the floral industry and their life as an artist.

KO: Thanks so much for agreeing to the interview! I’ve admired your work from afar for a long while – your arrangements have such a uniquely romantic and dreamy sensibility. Where are you from and how did you get started?

Sare Harvell: I am originally from Newport News, VA. However, Richmond is where I currently reside. It feels like the closest thing to ‘home’ for me.

In 2016, I started shooting a lot of film photos. Most of my photos were of flowers. I self published a few books, participated in Richmond Zine Fest and had work featured by a few independent publishers as well.

After completing my degree in Sociology (2018) at VCU, I started to become antsy and wanted a new creative outlet. I was working at a bar and became friends with the dishwasher. I honestly hated that job and quit shortly after starting. One day, I saw the dishwasher again --- but this time he was selling flowers. He explained to me that it was a business he shared with his mother and they needed some help with deliveries. I delivered flowers for cash under the table until it was time for me to part ways. From that point on, I started designing in room…and here we are now in 2024! Anything is possible! :) 

KO: Have you always wanted to be a florist? When was the first time you recognized your love for flowers?

Sare Harvell: I have not always wanted to be a florist but I’ve always been an artist. Creating something with my hands has always felt cathartic. Flowers just ended up being my medium. I’ve always loved being outside and feel a deep connection to nature. I am an earth sign through and through

KO: You have such a deft artistic eye – a perfect sense of color and balance. Do you have any other artistic practices that you love outside of floral design?

Sare Harvell: Thank you --- And yes! I still take photos, sometimes film -- but lately I’ve been playing around with this digital camera I got off eBay. I also make collages. My collages range in size, but recently I’ve been working on larger canvas instead of paper. I also get a deep satisfaction when working with interiors and textiles. I love interior design and furniture. 

KO: Do you have a dream client or a dream project?

Sare Harvell:

Dream brands to work with: 

Moschino, Rodarte, Playboy, Gucci

Dream artist to work with: 

Bjork, Eartheater, Arca, Yves Tumor, The Cure

KO: What is your favorite flower? Both to look at and to work with.

Sare Harvell: My top two favorites are roses and orchids. There are so many different varieties to choose from. Roses represent romance and serve timeless beauty to me, while orchids just look like magical creatures not from this earth

KO: Do you have a least favorite flower? Is there a particular type that’s just a nightmare to work with?

Sare Harvell: Honestly roses can be hard to work with sometimes (especially during the prep process). De-thorning a rose can be annoying and painful. Too many thorns have gone under my fingernails at this point in time (sometimes you don’t have your gloves, or sometimes thorns go through your gloves!!).

I have also grown to hate working with any type of dried or bleached flower (specifically dried/bleached/dyed amaranthus). The smell makes me sick to my stomach and commonly makes people itch/sneeze. 

KO: How do you manage the business end of things? What does the behind the scenes at Warm Flowers look like?

Sare Harvell: Behind the scenes of WF usually looks like me waking up early to grab stems, talk to wholesalers, prep, design, package, deliver, clean, check emails, do e-commerce, make Instagram posts, write proposals, submit applications, zoom meetings, taking work home with me.…I am probably forgetting something. I do it all - somehow? I love coffee

KO: How do you source your flowers?

Sare Harvell: I have a wholesale account and take initiative in sourcing product locally.  

KO: Is there anything our readers would be surprised to know about the floral industry?

Sare Harvell: It’s hard to have a profitable business unless you are constantly booked with weddings or big budget events. It is a messy/dirty business with a lot of waste. Your hands will get dirty and they will bleed. It is a labor of love. 

KO: What’s next for Warm Flowers? Where do you see the business developing in say, five years?

Sare Harvell: Oh geez! No clue what WF will be in 5 years. For now, I’ve been working on a few projects silently. I also just signed a lease for a private studio at a new location in Richmond. Other than that, we will both have to wait and see I guess

You can find out more about warm flowers at www.warmflowers.com or on Instagram at @warm.flowers