‘[Emily Thompson] changed floristry in New York.’ – Martha Stewart
An extraordinary first book celebrating contemporary floral designer Emily Thompson, known for her unique and dramatic artistry
For the first time, innovative floral designer Emily Thompson showcases her 15-year body of work, which reveres the raw and wondrous beauty of flowers, plants, and trees. With an inspirational and transportive journey, this new book demonstrates Thompson’s signature style of infusing a sense of the exotic and mysterious into her stunning compositions by using wild, unruly materials from the forest, field, and beyond.
Featuring nearly 200 vivid images of her spectacular floral design work, the book includes projects ranging from indoor studio and outdoor in situ photography, to high-profile public and private commissions for restaurants including The Grill and The Modern in New York, fashion designers Jason Wu and Ulla Johnson, cultural institutions like the MAD Museum, New York, and Sotheby’s, and editorial work for T Magazine and AD China.
Organized by theme, the book features chapters evocatively named and inspired by the life forces and organisms that influence and make up her work. In her own words, she walks the reader through her creative process, explaining the visceral and intellectual approach for generating and germinating the seeds of her ideas for her lush and kaleidoscopic floral arrangements. In addition to her own text, the book includes a foreword by esteemed floral designer and florist to the British Royal Family, Shane Connolly, and an introduction by lauded design writer Nancy Hass.
Emily Thompson was raised in Vermont and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, and UCLA, where she earned her MFA in sculpture. With her chosen medium of flowers, Thompson has cultivated projects at The White House, MoMA, the Whitney Museum, Lincoln Center, and more. She creates innovative art installations and has designed sets for fashion runways, exhibitions, and galas – challenging the limits of floral design with every blossom and stem.
Shane Connolly is a floral designer, speaker, author, and florist for the British Royal Family. He champions sustainability in the floral industry.
Nancy Hass has written for The New York Times’ T Magazine and her work has appeared in dozens of major magazines, including Elle Decor, Newsweek, and WSJ Magazine.
