MEET JENN PINEAU OF SUGAR MAGNOLIAS
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Happy Friday Guys…..It’s ‘Bouquet Friday’ and today I’m excited to introduce you to the oh-so-talented and sweet, floral designer, Jenn Pineau of Sugar Magnolias…..don’t you just love the name of Jenn’s business…Sugar Magnolias….the name alone lets you know that you are in for some gorgeous blooms!! A couple of weeks ago, I featured Jenn’s gorgeous work at the cafe and I’m so happy to have her stop by so we can get to know her a little better. I’m so happy to share that Jenn is located right here is VA…her floral boutique is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains! You will totally love her…let’s check out what she has to share…..Enjoy!! . |
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| TBC: What’s a typical day for you?
JP: Whoa. These days that’s a hard question to answer, I just had my first little girl and she’s keeping me busy. Before she came along my weekdays usually consisted of any combination of the following activities: answering emails, searching dusty shops for vintage finds, cutting flowers from local gardens, chatting with the gardeners, going over jobs to come and making lists of materials, securing the materials… and finally designing. Saturdays and Sundays are usually wedding set ups and breakdowns. TBC: What wedding trend would you like to see disappear? JP: Calla lilies… I think for the most part it is disappearing. They do have great lines, I guess I’ve just seen it so much it’s lost it’s beauty for me. TBC: Describe your client? JP: Our clients are great. I think we are lucky, most of our bride give us a color palette/style and basically let us run with it. We love that! |
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| TBC: Where do you find inspiration?
JP: Everywhere. Definitely from nature and from our clients, sometimes from materials that we find and want to use somehow, then there is always pinterest and the internet if we are experiencing designers block ;). TBC: Name one of your favorite “vendor” sources that you just can’t do without. JP: I have to pick one? There is Wollam Gardens, a 10 acre cut flower farm in Jeffersonton VA that is key to our business. When we need beautiful flowers in large quantities Wollam gardens is the best place to get them. Then there is Scotty’s garden in Gordonsville, VA that we couldn’t live without. There we always find things there that we could never order from anyone and they can take a bouquet from being just pretty to uniquely beautiful. |
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| TBC: Describe your design style.
JP: My natural style is an open and airy. I like textures and being a maniac about color combinations. I love working with what is available locally, it can certainly be a challenge but that’s what leads us to be creative. TBC: To date, what has been the highlight of your career? JP: I think I’m experiencing the highlight of my career as we speak. I started Sugar Magnolias because I loved doing flowers a certain way and wanted the freedom. Watching the excitement our clients and peers express about the business has been a real joy for me personally. |
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| TBC: What advice would you give to upcoming floral designers?
JP: Go for locally grown flowers. The more we buy locally, the more flower farms we’ll see in our areas. Who doesn’t want a flower farm next door? TBC: Who is one of your favorite designers?JP: I had the privilege of working along side Ariella Chezar and Max Gill when I was living in Berkeley, both those designers were hugely inspirational to me. |
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| TBC: When I’m designing, I love to light my candles and play “old school” music. Do you have a ritual that you like to do when designing?
JP: Early morning designing with a cup of coffee and some soothing music is my favorite time. TBC: If you had to make a career change, what would you do?JP: I would love to be a musician, who wouldn’t? 😉 |
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| Jenn, thank you so much for stopping by the cafe today and sharing a little of your world with us…guys, head over to Sugar Magnolias to see so much more of Jenn’s beautiful work and for all the Virginia brides…make sure you add Jenn to your must see vendor list!!
Check back later guys….more ‘Bouquet Friday’ to share! |