Floratorium’s Carlos Franqui Chosen for Salon Art + Design

By Jill Brooke

Drumroll, please. This year’s florist chosen by Flowerpowerdaily’s Jill Brooke for the prestigious Salon Art + Design show is Carlos Franqui of Floratorium. The annual show returns to the Park Avenue Armory in New York City from November 9-13, 2023

You know Floratorium’s work in creating outdoor installations at restaurants and corporations with vivid faux and real flowers. Not only has the media – as well as even Martha Stewart – hailed his work in creating an oasis of positivity during Covid, but Franqui continues to impress with his sculptural installations that others have now routinely attempted to imitate.

“Carlos Franqui and his team are innovators,” says Flowerpowerdaily founder Jill Brooke. “They are not only heroes for New York but continue to bring cheer and color into everything they create.”

As the New York Post’s food and real estate columnist Jennifer Gould wrote, the striking outdoor installations actually boosted revenues for restauranteurs by “drawing in diners eager to forget they’re eating in a former parking spot” and having “ugly city scaffolding disappear under an intricate swath of vines popping with flowers.”

As Salon Art + Design’s executive director Jill Bokor says, “Not only are their extraordinary creations florals, they are works of art unto themselves. His work will be a brilliant complement to the mis-en-scene at Salon. As the first displays seen by visitors to Salon, these incredible arrangements set exactly the tone we look for – a breathtaking blend of art and design.”

Although Franqui wants to surprise the guests who visit the Park Avenue Armory in New York City November 9-13, 2023, we have some hints on what to expect.

Maybe it’s a mix of maple leaves, camelia, jasmine, dahlias, marigolds, cosmos, and burgundy cabbage roses which he says creates the perfect setup for autumn.

Or perhaps it’s inspired by Daschner Castle, Floratorium’s first immersive hospitality experience in upstate New York.

One thing is for sure, it will have a lot of greenery. Why? Franqui just trademarked the concept of Biofauxlia, which creates “50 shades of green.”

“Just like I realized people were focusing on the inside of restaurants instead of the outside floral displays, I see a need in the market that there aren’t enough offerings for special greenery,” he notes.

So here’s the final design. The team used moss from Dashner Castle that they will then replant after the show. Sustainable solutions are so important, right? And then there were curly willow branches where laural branches were including along with red ilex. Lots of green and less color. But it’s his new focus and passion, explains partner Patricia Gonzalez.

After all, great talents are always “growing” and like the Salon Art + Design event,  showcasing what is trending, visually stimulating, and relevant for this moment of time.