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Flower Flash™
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UrbanStems x Lewis Miller
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UrbanStems x Lewis Miller
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UrbanStems x Lewis Miller
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Lewis Miller is debuting one of his signature Flower Flashes™ in Nashville's 12 South neighborhood. We caught up with the renowned florist and UrbanStems' Creative Director on his background, inspiration, new role, and more.
Nashville Lifestyles (NL): Tell us about your background. How did you get started in the floral design industry, and where did you get the idea for these Flower Flash™ pop-up installations?
Lewis Miller (LM): I was born and raised in California farm country, so I was surrounded by nature at a very young age and grew up having so much love and respect for it. I moved to Seattle when I was 18 to study horticulture and landscape design, and after seven years of doing design, flowers, and event planning, I moved to NYC (in 2000) and started working for one of the city’s top floral boutiques. In 2012, I launched my own floral design house, LMD New York | Lewis Miller Design, and we’ve been working with all types of fashion, design, photography, art, and architecture companies ever since—Carolina Herrera, JP Morgan Chase, Bulgari, etc.
After years of success with Lewis Miller Design, I still wanted to do something a little different to feel fulfilled professionally, and I knew doing so lived somewhere in the idea of making a gesture of goodwill.It suddenly all clicked, and I soon started creating Flower Flashes™ in 2016 with the idea of giving back to the city of New York and the everyday New Yorker.
"Flower Flashes™ were born as random acts of kindness and random acts of flowers with the sole purpose to put a smile on someone’s face."
They are all made before dawn, created in under 15 minutes, and often disappear in just a few hours. We’ve since surprised New Yorkers with over fifty Flower Flashes™ located everywhere from city garbage cans to subway entrances to the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park and the John Lennon memorial. We have done a few Flower Flashes™ in Los Angeles and now we’re excited to surprise and introduce Nashville to them. No matter how popular or elaborate these flashes become, our mission and our intent will never change: to bring beauty to communities and produce a positive, emotional response through flowers.
NL: What are you most excited about in your new role as UrbanStems’ Creative Director?
LM: I truly believe that flowers are a luxury that everyone should be able to afford. I am very excited to offer some of my designs at an affordable price point to a much larger audience.
NL: Tell us about the inspiration for your new Valentine’s Day collection with UrbanStems.
LM: I wanted to rattle the cages of what a typical Valentine’s Day arrangement looks like, so I stayed away from all red bouquets and only roses. One of my favorite bouquets is called The Bombshell, and it has streaks of tangerine and raspberry, hot pink, and purple flowers, ranging from ranunculus to mini callas. The arrangement reminds me of a beautiful winter sunset filled with pink and orange clouds—romantic and youthful and fresh.
NL: What made you pick Nashville for this Flower Flash™?
LM: I love Nashville. I was the guest speaker at last year’s Antiques & Garden Show, and I just think it’s a very creative town, buzzing with great energy.
NL: Anything else you’re looking forward to doing or seeing while you’re in town?
LM: The food!
Follow along @lewismillerdesign and @urbanstems, and check out Lewis Miller's UrbanStems collection at urbanstems.com/products.