A FLORAL FEAST - IN CONVERSATION WITH HAMISH POWELL
We sat down with Hamish Powell, floral sculptor extraordinaire, to discuss his fascination with flowers and his latest creation for Penhaligon's Chelsea in Bloom display.
As summer starts to blossom, Penhaligon's turns its nose towards the fragrant and the floral. We are, of course, talking about Chelsea in Bloom. The annual flower festival is a celebration of colour and creativity where the displays are both pleasing on the eyes and the nose. This year, Penhaligon's asked floral sculptor Hamish Powell to create a perfectly Penhaligon's display for our King's Road store to dazzle customers and judges alike. We sat down with Hamish to discuss his inspiration behind the display.
Introduce us to Hamish! Tell us a little about yourself.
They say you are what you eat; indeed, I am what I arrange.
I’m as much of a flower as the stems I put in my vases - delicate and whimsical, hungry for the sun and fearful of winter, a bit of a show off and totally at home in the dappled light of a woodland floor. I call myself a florist, but it feels deeper than that, it feels more overpowering and all encompassing.
Flowers are my muse and my medium. If I’m not arranging them, I’m writing about them. I feel like my poetry and floristry are two different routes to the same destination: some kind of emotional expression, some kind of love letter to nature, some kind of gratitude for this life.
How did you begin as a botanical designer?
I began, as many do, as a hopeless hobbyist. I was a strapped-for-cash student at the university of Manchester, studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Biotechnology. In search of a part time job with slight relevance to my vocation, I hand-delivered my CV packed with bogus floral experience to every florist in the city. I only heard back from one shop – time flew and flowers were flung and three years later I took over management of the business! That same summer I graduated and found myself at a crossroad of science or art. To control the flowers or let them control me.
Because of floristry, I learnt how to express myself through the flowers. How could I put on a lab-coat and turn my back on that? So, eight years and a city move later, through my studio I’m able to connect this city to nature more and more every day.
Talk us through your inspiration for Penhaligon's window display.
The theme for this year’s Chelsea in Bloom is ‘Floral Feasts’. It's a wonderful narrative with a paralyzingly broad scope of creation, so I looked to Penhaligon’s heritage for inspiration. I found it in the birthplace of the brand’s founder, William Penhaligon, who was born in Cornwall in 1837.
That was it! One of the country’s most recognisable foods heralds from Cornwall; the humbly iconic Scone, the star of the Cornish Cream Tea.
Instantly recognisable and cherished by Brits and visitors alike, it was an instant eureka moment. I love to imagine Mr. Penhaligon amidst the chaos of his London perfumery eating a scone and gently reminiscing of his home county.
Have you ever been to Cornwall? Did that influence your ideas?
I have to say, the best scones I have ever eaten were indeed in Cornwall. It’s an incredible part of Britain with a special microclimate that allows unpredictable and unfamiliar plant varieties to flourish. Having a Cornish Cream Tea under the Jurassic canopy of a tree-fern forest is an experience I highly recommend.
What do you enjoy the most about Chelsea in Bloom?
The fun of it all. It’s the wacky and playful little sister to the Chelsea Flower Show, where everything feels like it must be very proper and serious. Chelsea in Bloom, however, is when the florists of London can really let loose. A pack of corgis made from coconut fibre? Why not. A technicolour gerbera giraffe? Go for it. A pair of ginormous scones made from fresh flowers? But of course! Flowers shine best when they’re fun, so I feel incredibly lucky to be invited into Penhaligon’s playground.
And finally... how do you take your scone?
Well, given my involvement in this project I should remain neutral but let’s just say… in my eau de scone, I need my top notes to be cream and base notes to be jam – just how the Cornish intended!
One really ought to stroll down to our King's Road store and see the display for yourself. Chelsea in Bloom is in flower between 20th - 26th May. And whilst you're there, you can always pop in and pick up your favourite scent!
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