The magical nature that resides at Cabilla gives me so much inspiration. From the mighty, English Oak trees to the delicate, wispy Ferns that awash the grounds all year round. Everything has a place and a purpose which I like to emulate in my arrangements. I love nothing more than bringing a spot of floral joy to the barns at Cabilla – wild and natural, with a touch of magic!
Flowers & Foliage
Each week you can find me foraging (usually with my partner, Alex) for flowering branches and unique foliage at Cabilla, to add to my arrangements. The flowers and foliage that I select when creating for Cabilla are carefully considered and hold great importance, as each stem has a purpose to connect deeply with each guest. Bringing the outside in allows for that connection to be ever-present, even when the sun has set, and the barn doors close until morning rise.
Colours I choose are calm. I lean towards lighter shades and an abundance of green, aiming to create a serene and sensory experience through my arrangements. During wintertime, I add dried lavender and flowering rosemary which calms the mind and fills the barns with evocative scents. I also incorporate shapely branches of willow and hazel which flow effortlessly throughout my designs, just as nature intended, showcasing movement and embrace. We wish for the arrangements to connect with guests in a way that allows for them to drop their shoulders, retreat, reset and feel calm in their surroundings; only adding to that same beautiful ambiance found at Cabilla.
Seasonal Simplicity
Come Springtime we notice more colour in our arrangements. Still muted and calm, we welcome buttery yellow Narcissus, pure white Hyacinth, Poppies, Anemones, and more. When we forage, we look out for Lilac stems, Magnolia buds, blooming Dogwood and Hawthorn (the list could go on!).
This time we gravitate towards uplifting scents and welcome abundance in our designs. Summer arrives and joyful colours continue to greet us. Colourful, summer blooms soon find themselves bursting from our arrangements at Cabilla, weaving through branches of vibrant, green beech leaves, alder, and ash. Guests are encouraged to embrace joy and hope through spring and summer flowers, similarly blooming in a way that enriches their own journey of growth. A very different feeling from our winter palette but still very much welcomed every year.
My floral style embraces seasonality and the changing landscape of Cornwall throughout the year; from the soft, delicate tones of spring to the earthy hues and drama of autumn’s presence. I am guided by the seasons in every aspect of my life, and I enjoy the excitement that each one brings. Embracing each season has allowed me to find joy. I no longer dread the arrival of January and winter’s darker days. I have come to understand winter’s purpose and its important role in providing the energy needed for the much-anticipated arrival of Spring and Summer. Bringing the outside in through foraged foliage, dried relics and seed heads gathered from the hedgerows; creating winter warming dishes in the kitchen; and finding new spouts of inspiration from cold, brisk walks, are just some of the ways I have learnt to find joy in the winter season.
Rest & Reset
In the depths of winter, it is a sure fact that flowers are scarce. I see winter as a time of resting and resetting for both nature and ourselves. Nature is kept busy nurturing roots and working hard underground for coming blooms, and we too naturally find a slower pace of life comes about during this time. With this in mind, I begin to look a little closer at what nature has to offer during the winter season and what there is to forage. Nestled in hedgerows you can find seed heads and dried relics from past seasons’ flowers and winter branches are covered with lichen, rather than the green leaves we so fondly remember from summertime. The textures and the shapes are so much more evident and interesting and they transform all of my arrangements. I encourage anyone to immerse themselves in the fun and incredibly fulfilling act of foraging. Hazel branches with sweet, little catkins look lovely in a vase or added to a spring arrangement of flowers, when the times comes. I quite enjoy a vase of interesting and shapely branches or twigs as a way of bringing nature indoors, or adding twisted willow and catkin filled branches to my planted bulbs. The branches also act as a great support structure for the flowers to soon climb upon.
About Sophie
I started my own flower business in 2022, once I decided to move to Cornwall. After studying floristry and making the leap into the world of flowers, I took any opportunity to enhance my skills and floristry knowledge. I worked abroad for a few years prior to moving to Cornwall, but whilst I was flowering overseas, I felt something was missing. I was missing the English countryside and its seasons so much!
I fondly remember being so drawn to the beauty of nature as a little girl, flowers in particular. Originally from the Midlands area, I would spend so much time crafting away with my grandma and watch her arrange flowers for the kitchen table (there was always an arrangement bursting from a garden jug). She would talk about flowers with such enthusiasm, and I would be mesmerised. Her gardening books were stacked high (but always so perfectly) on shelves, and her own paintings of field flowers were dotted everywhere. I owe a lot of my love for nature and the seasons to my grandma, Stella.
My admiration for nature goes beyond the realms of flowers. Whilst of course they are part of my everyday life now, it is more so the deep-rooted connection to Mother Nature that empowers and inspires me to pick up my secateurs each time. Transforming spaces season by season, handing over wedding flowers tied with silk ribbons, and teaching others about nature’s power and importance for both the body and mind, are all some of the incredible things that I get up to in my flower business. Working with Cabilla has further deepened this connection and made me view nature and its powers in such a transformative and unique way, and for that, I will be forever grateful.