Creating a Hive of Sweetness

Spring brings new life and new beauty, and a local florist Lauren Landry is bringing the beauty of flowers to the Bayou Region. Born and raised in Thibodaux, Lauren is the owner of Floral Hive Design, a small town floral studio specializing in unique design, for unique individuals. 

Lauren has fond memories of her mother’s love for fresh cut flowers, and recalls spending weekends in her grandmother’s garden. But, it wasn’t until the passing of a beloved aunt that she discovered her passion for flowers. “I was inspired to design floral arrangements by my late aunt. She passed away a couple of years ago and had always dabbled in floral design. We connected on that creative route, so I took up this creative bit of her life as a sort of solace in her passing. I bought as many flowers as I could get my hands on over a couple of months, and I found that I enjoyed it.”

As a child, Lauren knew her path was to create, but hadn’t quite discovered her niche. Her parents signed her up for hands-on classes and contests, including pottery, carpentry, and painting, but the activities failed to leave a lasting impression. “I didn’t know what position I’d ever fit in. I knew I’d land in a creative field, I just didn’t know what that creative medium was going to be. I participated in a lot of creative activities, but there was nothing that stood out to me or stuck. I could create something beautiful, and something I was proud of, but it wasn’t something I’d be excited about.” 

In honor of her aunt’s legacy, Lauren decided she’d pursue a career in floral design, but before embarking upon a new career journey, she wanted to make sure she was making the right career choice. Lauren worked as a freelance designer, gaining knowledge while under the wings of experienced designers in New Orleans. “I had the chance to learn from a few designers and see how they did it. I needed to make sure it was a field that I wanted to be in,” she recalls. After months of professional mentorship, Lauren knew floral design was her calling, so she decided it was time to spread her wings and bring the beauty of flower arrangements to the local community. “Once I was hooked and I knew that it was something that I wanted, I came up with the honeycomb concept.” 

Lauren launched her business in 2020, amid the announcement of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The name Floral Hive Design, with a honeycomb hive in mind, symbolizes unity, kindness, and warmth. “I chose the name because of the honeycomb mindset of bringing the community and creatives of this area together.” The floral designer said her ultimate goal is to collaborate with other local creators to create beautiful art. “Whether it be an artist, graphic designer, or carpenter, I want to bring a community of people together to make something beautiful and know that we don’t have to be separate in that mindset. We can do our own thing in our honeycomb, but when it comes together it creates this hive of sweetness.”

On market days, Lauren’s day typically begins around 4 a.m. She’s accompanied by a large cup of coffee on her one-hour commute to the flower market in New Orleans. Once choosing the flowers needed for specific orders, she travels back home to get to work. “Market days are really busy. I wake up, go to New Orleans, come back to the studio, prep everything, and get the buckets fresh. Typically, the night before I have the vessels prepared for whatever event I’m doing that day.”

While most women’s handbags include items like lipstick, compact mirrors, and hair ties, Lauren’s essential item is clippers. Whether she’s in the car, the store, or taking a stroll through the park, Lauren keeps a pair of clippers just in case she stumbles upon a potential addition to her beautiful designs. “My clippers are one thing I can’t leave home without. They live in my purse, I bring them everywhere I go. I have a pair in my car and my purse. If I see something on the side of the road and it’s something I can use and isn’t someone’s personal property, I make my husband stop so I can clip it for a design.” While many floral designers have a hard time naming their favorite flower, Lauren named Double Brownie Tulips with no hesitation. She enjoys creating arrangements with interesting textures, and unique designs that both compliments and balances each other out.

As a studio-based company, Floral Hive Design is a one-woman show, primarily focused on weddings, commercial events, and workshops. However, Lauren says she has an immense amount of support from family and friends. “I am my team, but I do have a lot of support from my family, friends, and my husband.” Lauren said she plans to offer freelance opportunities in the new year to inspiring floral designers, “I plan to expand my business this year, and I’m excited about it.”

Lauren remains optimistic for the future and looks forward to expanding into a retail store. “Getting creative in how to expand a business is the biggest challenge I’ve faced over the years,” she admits. In addition to providing services for events, Lauren is making an effort to spread her work around the Bayou Region. Lauren shares, “I’ve recently started doing pop-ups, and I’m trying to come up with new ideas to bring myself into the community until I have a physical location.”

Two years into a career as a floral designer, Lauren’s biggest accomplishment isn’t the typical business-related response. Instead, she says her biggest accomplishment is personal and mental growth. “It’s about settling in that positive flow of thoughts, to where you can function and not constantly think everything is crashing and burning around you because a couple of things go wrong. It’s all about just taking it step by step and doing it in a positive light.”

Sharing her plans for 2022, Lauren plans to expand Floral Hive Design into a retail store, participate in pop-up shops, and introduce floral events to the community. “This is my year of bringing my floral designs to the Bayou Region. I can’t wait to have creative realms that Thibodaux hasn’t seen, like a flower cart, and pop-up workshops. That’s something that our area has always watched from the sidelines. It happens in the big city, but we’ve always had to travel to experience it, and I want it to be more accessible to people in our area,” Lauren says with a smile.

Once moving into a retail storefront, Lauren plans to provide a plethora of services and options to clients. “You never want to stop expanding on what you’re offering the community. I want to continuously offer the community everything I can offer without holding back. The retail store will feature a stem bar, allowing shoppers to choose the number of flowers they’d like, with the option of mix-matching for an affordable price,” Lauren adds. 

Also looking into partnerships with other local businesses, such as coffee shops, to create a calming and relaxing atmosphere, one thing is for sure: Floral Hive Design is blooming.