Emily Dorio
Late one night in the early days of quarantine, Tennessee Jane decided to order an array of materials to experiment with dried floral arrangements while hunkered down in her newfound Nashville home.
In the most unlikely of times, inspiration struck to turn her hobby into the business she always dreamed of creating. In the spirit of new beginnings, Tennessee Jane created Saint Maide, the dried floral company breathing second life into stunning arrangements that serve as a lasting memory of a sweet moment in time.
With a decade’s worth of experience working in creative positions in fashion, makeup artistry, and marketing, starting her own business was always on the to-do list for Tennessee Jane. Though pandemic-induced life changes like finding herself out of a job and relocating from San Francisco to Nashville made 2020 feel like the least opportune year to embark upon the dream, Tennessee Jane—like many others during this COVID era—rediscovered the gift of free time; enabling her to turn her hobby into a business.
“It’s new to me, it’s new to Nashville, it’s a new beginning for the business and myself,” she says. “It’s definitely been a nice mission to attach myself to and really rely on myself to bring it to life because this year has been, globally, I think very difficult for everyone.”
For the past four years, she has explored the art of floral design as a hobby and a way to ground herself. While doing freelance work throughout the years as a side project, she realized there was something incredibly unique about the concept of dried florals.
“I focused on dried florals as opposed to fresh cut because it’s a little bit easier to get the product to the customer outside of your local area. So I can ship these all throughout the country and be sure they get there as intended, and they’re long lasting,” says Tennessee Jane. “I like that concept with flowers because we’re always used to them not being around for very long, so it’s giving things a second life.”
Each thoughtfully designed bouquet is made-to-order using a selection of premium dried and preserved flowers and grasses. Clients can shop for bouquets, bunches, and a selection of thoughtful natural gifts through the company website to be delivered across the U.S. With a variety of dramatically shaped and gorgeously hued dried flowers to choose from, Saint Maide offers timeless gifts for anyone and any occasion.
Whether it’s a more classic arrangement with eucalyptus or a trendy arrangement incorporating painted black materials, all of the evocative bouquets are reminiscent of special moments in time. Arrangements last a year or more, making for a beautiful, lasting memento.
“My favorite compliment and one that I get quite a bit is, ‘Oh this reminds me of something my mom had in the house when I was growing up,’ or that they have some sort of memory attached to it,” Tennessee Jane says. “The materials themselves feel a bit evocative just because they’ve already lived a life. You’re giving them this rebirth, which I think is really cool.”
In the true spirit of life imitating art, Saint Maide symbolizes the happiness new beginnings can spark, even in dark times.
“My biggest hope for the product is that they bring joy and good vibes to everyone who is able to have one in their home,” she says. “People are in their homes more, so we need to create spaces that are reflective of who we are and that we want to spend time in. If you would have told me back in March that I would have a business now I’d be like, ‘I don’t know—that sounds really far-fetched.’ But here we are. Anything is possible.”