A peak into some of the Windy City’s best floral shops and studios
LARKSPUR
Born and raised in Chicago, Beth Barnett always wanted to start her own business. after graduating form Columbia College with a degree in film, Barnett worked at a local flower shop and was smitten. “This was a wonderful start,” she says, “because they have a very large selection and unusual varieties, so I learned about all sorts of flowers and plants.” In 1994, Barnett decided it was time to venture out on her own and opened Larkspur.
Beth Barnett, owner of Larkspur
But it wasn’t until 2002 that she found the perfect retail space: a quaint storefront in Bucktown that had been a bakery for the past 100 years. ‘We tried to keep as much of the vintage charm, such as the tiled walls, pressed- tin ceilings and bakery counters,” Barnett says. “Giant cedar troughs were used for mixing flour and we repurposed them to hold buckets and display retail. I noticed them the first time I came to look at the place. The landlord had them filled with junk and pushed in the back, and I immediately pictured them filled with buckets of flowers.” And fill them she did. Upon entering Larkspur, one is greeted by a profusion of seasonal flowers, fragrant candles, vases, and one-off gift items.
The quaint storefront
Larkspur is housed in a former bakery, so Barnett fashions retail displays atop the antique flour mixers inherited form the previous tenant
Upon entering Larkspur, visitors are greeted by seasonal flowers and unique containers
Barnett and her husband purchased a cottage in Buchanan, Michigan, and for the last five years they have been growing a multitude of flowers- mostly annuals and an impressive 100 peony bushes. “We take great pleasure in growing our own flowers and being able to have them in our shop all summer long,” says Barnett. “My influences come directly from nature itself. I like [my designs] to look as they would grow in nature, but with a spin on it.”
BIRCH DESIGN STUDIO
A zebra rug stretched across a wooden floor, a black lacquered table surrounded by ghost chairs, an ornate golden chandelier… “Above all, when designing my office, I had fun,” says Marina Burch, owner of Burch Design Studio. “My personal aesthetic is the farthest thing there is from minimalist, so the office kind of reflects that — gold, zebra stripes, tassels, and more gold.” Stacks of books, magazines, binders filled with design clippings, vases, masquerade masks, and exotic flowers are scattered around the office- the perfect setting for a sophisticated, urban event planner.
Marina Birch, owner of Birch Design Studio
Burch grew up in Manhattan but traveled the world during childhood. She credits these travels with shaping her design aesthetic, which is influenced by all different cultures. After college she moved to Chicago, where she began her career asa residential interior designer and found herself planning events on the side. Birch eventually felt more drawn to the small- scale events than to the interiors she was designing. “I fell in love; I loved the the imaginative freedom that comes with the events,” she says, “There is a certain creative license when one designs a celebration, that one cannot take (asa general rule) when designing a home.”
One of Birch's bookcases holds inspiration for clients
- Birch’s eclectic style: a zebra rug, a gold chandelier, and a mass of white flowers
Birch Design Studio oversees everything for its clients: invitations, menus, lighting, entertainment, and of course, the flowers. “I think flowers bring an organic softness and a life to events. A room without life feels stale. There are many ways to address this, though— through flowers, plants, succulents, cacti, mosses, rocks, water, or even the flame of candles,” Birch explains. Her events bear this out. In every event she designs, flowers and plants have a starring role.
Suzanne Cummings Flowers
After 18 years in finance, Suzanne Cummings needed a change. Living in Chicago following a company merger and job promotion, she decided to leave the nine-to-five lifestyle after spotting the Jane Packer Career Course in a British design magazine. After the four-week flower course in London, she ended up back in Chicago, and in the fall of 2006, Suzanne Cummings Flowers opened.
Suzanne Cummings puts together a classic hand-tied arrangement
Originally from the Texas Panhandle, Suzanne grew up on a cattle ranch void of any flowers, she laments. “My mother struggled to keep honeysuckle alive in the garden beds. It was a blank slate, which formed my ability to see beyond the obvious,” she says. Cummings’ first exposure to floral design in London, and her style is simple, down-to-earth, and wonderfully English. When it comes to flowers for her arrangements, buying in season is always a must. Cummings also loves massing flowers of the same type together. “I think in the right setting, [massing flowers] makes a dramatic statement,” she explains.
The ivy-covered facade of Suzanne Cummings Flowers
Cummings was so inspired by her time in London that she created a gemlike, ivy-covered shop replete with British accents, such as William Morris watering cans, London city guides, and even a sign on the wall like the ones frequently spotted in London, admonishing all to “Keep Calm, an Carry On.”
William Morris watering cans for sale in the shop
Aside from the weddings and special events she designs, Cummings’ main floral focus is teaching. She offers at-home installations in which she works with her clients one-on-one in the comfort of their own homes, utilizing their different spaces and personal container collections. Cummings also offers weekly variety of floral design classes at her shop. “My biggest passion is teaching classes,” she says. “My goal is to eventually have a career course similar to the Jane Packer courses in London.”
A "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster hangs on a wall in Cummings' shop
