Tiffany Excites Customers with Extraordinary Floral Displays

By Jill Brooke

You know that someone at Tiffany has done a good job in hiring when their floral displays become another reason to visit the iconic Fifth Avenue store.

Yes, flower lovers, those who want a floral retreat – and treat – must visit the newly renovated New York City store.

“Who did the flowers?’ I asked, upon arriving and being greeted by four massive Metropolitan Museum-worthy vases filled with peonies, lush roses, and clusters of dreamy eremurus blooms that looked like shooting stars.

“Everyone asks that,” said a Tiffany employee. Turns out the floral artist is the uber-talented Angel Salazar, who has design studios in both New York and Los Angeles.

As I swooned over the clear vases with blue whimsical Willem de Kooning-like swirls, I squinted examining the flowers more closely.

“Yes, they are real,” another Tiffany employee added. “People think they may be faux but the florist comes in every week to refresh them.”

Furthermore, it is not only the displays on the first floor that enchant and dazzle.  I was told to go to the sixth floor where the home decor section lives.

Oh my. What a sight. If you think Netflix’s “Bridgerton” has ownership of fab wisteria, check out the new wisteria plate collection. Would be elegant on any table. And the pairing of the translucent violet goblets and wine glasses etched with climbing vines was sublimely lovely.

An added special detail was having a coaster – reminds me affectionately of my grandmother – to welcome the gorgeous goblet. All details matter and Tiffany knows how to arrange the details for a modern but airy effect.

Here Salazar wisely found husky tubular orchids and had them dance with some lilac iris and tulip flowers and even a spray-painted artichoke.

On another new plate collection called Valse Blue, he chose classic columns of white stock flowers which are fluffy and fun. Although we associate blue and white porcelain with the Netherlands, its origin was China.

As a customer gently caressed one of the plates, her friend commented on the flowers being a perfect match. “The flowers are so fresh and pretty,” she said. This prompted a conversation between us as we all oohed and ahhed at the tablescapes and floral interpretations.

On another table setting, Salazar combined deep garnet flowers of roses and ranunculus with the frilly airy gloriosa – which was the flower of the year. This lily continues to be in every floral artist’s repertoire.

Last but not least, Salazar also used toffee-colored carnations vs. roses. This taupe color is the rage – and growers can’t get enough of them, literally “quadrupling” production around the world. Not a surprise since it blends so nicely with other flowers and is lush without dominating the spotlight.

We all know that there are many details that collectively work together to create magic and memorable table settings. However, flowers are an enhancer. As Valentino once said, “We eat with our eyes.”

The fact that so many mentioned the flowers as a reason to see the collection shows how smart the new leadership is at Tiffany’s. Full disclosure. I haven’t thought of Tiffany & Co. much since my wedding and felt it had become a bit boring. But now it’s been bought by LVMH,  the world’s biggest luxury group.

Clearly Tiffany CEO Anthony Ledru and Alexandre Arnault, executive vice president of product and communications for the label, understand the power of the flower. Not only for floral design in jewelry and home decor but making the investment into the newly branded experience.

And lest not forget that LVMH is French, the soil where Josephine once romped with Napoleon and used flowers to not only seduce but cultivate the most beautiful blooms and plants around the world for her Malmaison. As I’ve shared in articles and speeches, her grandson Napoleon III subsequently opened up parks filled with fragrant flowers for the public to enjoy and savor for the first time. So of course the flowers at Tiffany’s are going to be extraordinary. Kudos to Angel Salazar for living up to Tiffany’s classic reputation and making his creations simultaneously dreamy, buzz-worthy and special. After all, flowers are a universal kiss to remind us that both solace and beauty exist.

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD,  and a columnist for Florists’ Review magazine.

Photo Credit: Flower Power Daily