Celebrating Your Favorites
FR’s second annual recognition of our readers’ favorite designers—and more—of the year
By Molly Lucille
As 2024 winds to a close, we’re thrilled to announce the return of our second annual “Reader’s Choice Awards,” where our community comes together to honor outstanding talent and creativity. Every month, within the pages of Florists’ Review, it’s our joy and passion to share the best and the brightest of the flower industry, celebrating your triumphs and sharing inspiration, innovation and the magic that makes our industry truly special. In October, we opened the polls to our readers and asked for your nominations in the following categories:
• Favorite Installation Designer
• Favorite Floral Couture Designer
• Favorite New Flower Varieties
• Favorite Floral Instagram
• Favorite New Book Release
• Favorite Florists’ Review Tutorial
• Favorite Florists’ Review Cover
The response this year was truly extraordinary! Your voices have been heard, and the overwhelming support for the winners on these pages was truly heartwarming. In many categories, the competition was so close that we couldn’t limit ourselves to just the first-place winners—so we’re also honoring the second- and third-place winners in all categories this year (after all, this is an Olympics year)!
Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of the incredible flower community we all cherish. Now, let’s meet this year’s winners!
FAVORITE INSTALLATION DESIGNER
Semia Dunne
Flowers by Semia
Providence, R.I.
flowersbysemia.com
@flowersbysemia
Creating experiences and transforming environments that captivate and transcend expectations is at the heart of designer Semia Dunne, owner of Flowers by Semia in Providence, R.I. Dunne and her team create lavish, lush environments defined by an adventurous creative spirit and a soulful connection to the natural world. Dunne has been recognized as one of the nation’s top floral designers by Martha Stewart Weddings and was included in our 2022 list of the 125 most exciting floral artists in North America.
2nd PLACE
Lucy Vail
Lucy Vail Floristry
London, England
lucyvailfloristry.com
@lucyvailfloristry
3rd PLACE
Meg Hutchinson
The Florista
Franklin, Tenn.
the-florista.com
@the_florista_
FAVORITE FLORAL COUTURE DESIGNER
Talia Craig
Petunia’s
Tampa, Fla.
petuniasflorals.com
@petunias.floral
With her captivating floral creations both underwater and on land, Talia Craig, owner of Petunia’s in Tampa, Fla., is quickly becoming a rising star in the world of wearable flowers. Specializing in underwater designs, Craig transforms models into enchanting mermaids and fairies, bringing fantasy to life. Her work has been featured in magazines, editorial shoots and, most notably, at New York Fashion Week this year.
2nd PLACE
Sophie Powell
U.FL.O – Unidentified. Floral. Object.
London, England
uflo.co.uk
@u.fl.o.london
3rd PLACE
Françoise Weeks
Françoise Weeks European Floral Design
Portland, Ore.
francoiseweeks.com
@francoiseweeks
FAVORITE NEW FLOWER VARIETIES
‘Splendid Rosever’ Spray Rose
‘Be Joyful’ Spray Rose
‘Bellalinda Glee’ Spray Rose
Rosaprima International
Miami, Fla
In 2024, Rosaprima proudly relaunched the “Let Your Personality Bloom” campaign, unveiling several new spray rose collection additions, including stunning new coral-hued spray roses—‘Splendid Rosever’, ‘Be Joyful’ and ‘Bellalinda Glee’—delighting our reader’s with their full blooms, high petal count and beautiful shapes. The depth of color in these mini blooms truly has to be seen to be believed.
2nd PLACE
BluOcean® Chrysanthemum Series (five varieties)
Suntory Flowers Ltd.
Higashiomi, Japan
3rd PLACE
‘Princess Holly’s Hope®’ Japanese Garden Rose
Alexandra Farms
Bogotá, Colombia
FAVORITE FLORAL INSTAGRAM
The Garden Thief
Toronto, Ont. Canada
@thegardenthief
thegardenthief.ca
Toronto based florist, stylist and photographer Laurie Riley, owner of The Garden Thief, began her floral journey as a child, stealing small blooms and snips from neighbors’ gardens and yards. Now, she’s stolen our hearts, taking home the crown of our reader’s “Favorite Floral Instagram” for 2024. Using her 15 years of experience in design and a deep respect for nature, she brings unique and transformative floral creativity to everything she does, creating stunning arrangements and fine-art photography that share a reverence for nature and the art of floristry.
2nd PLACE
September Studio
Darlinghurst, NSW Australia
@september___studio
septemberstudio.com.au
3rd PLACE
IRIS blossom
Charlotte, N.C. and Miami, Fla.
@irisblossomclt
irisblossomclt.com
FAVORITE NEW FLORAL BOOK
The New Art of Paper Flowers
By Quynh Nguyen
See the artistry of blooms in an entirely new light with this stunning collection of tutorials by artist Quynh Nguyen, founder of Pink and Posey in Seattle, Wash. Nguyen is a world-renowned educator, author and artist, celebrating and crafting a new world of paper flowers that are shockingly realistic. Pink and Posey also offers online and in-person workshops and even a podcast.
2nd PLACE
Flower Porn
By Kaiva Kaimins
3rd PLACE
Home in Bloom
By Ariella Chezar
FAVORITE FLORISTS’ REVIEW TUTORIAL
“Sustainably Designed Broken Arch”
FR April 2024
Susan McLeary
Passionflower Sue
Ann Arbor, Mich.
In collaboration with Accent Decor, Susan McLeary, founder of Passionflower Sue in Ann Arbor, Mich., created these solution-based structures with sustainability in mind. The “Conservatory Collection” comprises sturdy and gracefully arcing stands built for designing into water. McLeary is not only a renowned educator but also an award-winning floral designer and author, known for her unique, boundary-pushing floral art. Through her eponymous floral design company, she offers online and in-person instruction for beginning and professional floral designers, as well as destination workshops around the world.
2nd PLACE
“Grassy Winter Meadow”
FR March 2024
Molly Lucille
Florists’ Review
Boulder, Colo.
3rd PLACE
“Sustainable Spring Garden Centerpiece”
FR May 2024
Katya Hutter
Katya Hutter Floral Design
Amsterdam, Netherlands
FAVORITE FLORISTS’ REVIEW COVER
Our June Issue
Floral design by Toni Sicola
Tangled Sage
Moab, Utah
In our June issue this year, we celebrated one of our favorite contests—our annual “Pets in Petals” contest. Designers compete with florals adorning their fuzzy friends, and gracing our cover is the winner of the contest, Toni Sicola, owner of Tangled Sage in Moab, Utah, with her sweet eyed bloom-wearing pup, Jasper. This overwhelmingly won our top cover of 2024, with Jasper’s sweet puppy eyes.
2nd PLACE
Our April Issue
Floral design by Dawn Weisberg
Tularosa Flowers
Fallbrook, Calif.
3rd PLACE
Our February Issue
Floral design by Julia Prokhorova
Wild Veggie Bouquet
Corpus Christi, Texas
We are deeply grateful for an incredible year together and for our wonderful, supportive and inspiring community of Florists’ Review flower friends, who make it all possible. It’s a joy to share and celebrate with each of you. Thank you for being a cherished part of our flower family! Congratulations to all our winners, and here’s to another amazing year with Florists’ Review.
