No. 9 Floral and Gifts, San Antonio
www.statueofdesign.com, 210-829-0636
In 2017, David Garcia was already running a nine-year-old successful wedding and event biz with his San Antonio-based Statue of Design, fashioning floral creations for high-end clients and glittering galas at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Expanding the company was a chance for Garcia to go back to his retail roots with the opening of No.9 Floral and Gifts, a nod to the exotic apothecaries in his beloved New Orleans. “It’s a little bit of the French Creole and Mexican culture clash combined to create unique, funky arrangements and products.” Both Statue of Design and No. 9 Floral and Gifts share space in his shop on McCullough.
As a 16-year veteran of the floral industry, Garcia was never a fan of copying arrangements out of catalogues, preferring instead “a client who is willing to give us a color palette or a theme, like modern or traditional, and then letting us do the magic.”
A big part of that magic is the fresher-than-fresh flowers and foliage that come through a Florida wholesaler from Chile, Holland, Peru, Ecuador and more. Of the orchids, roses, tropicals, gingers and proteas he says, “They come straight from the farm and aren’t sitting around.”
Neither is Garcia. His latest venture is working with a Uvalde ceramicist on custom vessels, like a bust-turned-vase of Frida Kahlo’s head that sports a fresh floral crown. “I like the idea of creating things that are unique to our store and that only we carry.”
David’s V-Day gift tip: “Our milagro heart custom-made wooden boxes. We design all of our dozen rose arrangements in those.” Party tip: “Combine produce and floral. For a private dinner for Eva Longoria we did a 30-foot-long tabletop hedge of red apples and tucked in premium white phalaenopsis orchids.”
Articulture Designs, Austin
www.articulturedesigns.com, 512-762-5228
Like many great companies (and bands) Articulture Designs was birthed in a garage. Even in humble surroundings, the mix of art and horticulture expertly blended by “artrepreneur” founder Monique Capanelli quickly turned heads.
“Within the first year of launch I realized that we had tapped into something that had greater potential,” says the California-born Capanelli, who now presides over a full-scale, thoroughly green (“we are a zero waste facility”) 2,200-square-foot garden studio/boutique on nearly a half-acre on Manchaca Street in South Austin.
There, she and her staff of “articulturists” create, produce and market interior botanical design (living walls are their signature works), a custom living furniture line, event décor, design classes, on-site weddings and more — making sure clients like Whole Foods, Shake Shack, Hulu, TED talks and the Four Seasons stay happy.
How could they not? Living walls — often the client’s logo in air plants, moss and other low-maintenance life forms, are the monumental hit of any space. And practical. “In towns that are growing at the rate we are, going vertical is utilitarian.” For residential customers, too. “They may only have a 900-square-foot high rise, but they really want a garden.”
Monique’s V-Day tip: Valentine’s Day isn’t only for lovers. “We’ve started doing handcrafted wooden boxes with wood-burned sayings like I Dig You, I Heart You, Mi Amor. It’s a way to tell everyone in your life how much you appreciate them.” Party tip: “Living succulent heart wreaths for your door or dining table, or a succulent arrangement with fresh orchids.” For date night: “Our class in Make a Mini Living Wall to take home.”