Melbourne-based floral artist Hattie Molloy mixes playfulness and elegance, art and design to create floral installations, sculptures and displays that surprise and delight.

All of Molloy’s creations begin with a set of invisible trajectories and incorporate moments of both rest and movement. This results in minimalist compositions with an architectural sensibility that invites the eye to dance from one element to the next. Each individual flower is treated like a work of art and Molloy’s affinity for unexpected combinations – an orchid with a carnivorous plant (two of her favourites, incidentally) or a rose with foraged grass – is a key characteristic of her signature style.

She likes to celebrate imperfection and not only sees beauty in a speckled petal or bent stem, but deliberately includes something that looks a little flawed or odd in all she does. As Molloy explains, “Beautiful flowers can be like food that’s too sickly sweet – it lacks a bit of acidity or something to cut through it. And that’s what I always try to incorporate in my work – something unusual that cuts through all the sweetness.” This juxtaposition is what gives her small assemblies an otherworldly aesthetic that’s completely contemporary. And it translates into her large-scale work, as well.