Every month, we are highlighting “Our Garden Tour Stars” -- landscape architects, florists, and interior designers who have participated at our annual Garden Tour and Showcase Estate at the Virginia Robinson Gardens. We want to let you know about these very talented designers, their inspirations, and their creations.
This month, we are featuring florist Corey Andrews. Corey and Luis Agramon are the owners of Sweet Peas Custom Floral. Corey assisted the Martha Stewart weddings shoot at VRG with Sophia Vergara on the cover of the magazine. Click here to view more. The Friends had the good fortune to be introduced to Corey through our distinguished Angel member, Dorothy Kamins, a client of his weekly residential floral service.
We asked Corey these four questions:
1. How did you decide to become a floral designer?
Really, it sort of chose me. I've always had an appreciation for fresh flowers as far back as I can remember. My great-grandmother had a fabulous garden when I was growing up, and I spent as much time as possible with her. She always had the most amazing roses, dahlias, bearded irises, and of course, sweet peas. Her garden was unbelievable and ever-changing. She also was very involved with her church where she showed off her arrangements and vegetables. It seemed like she grew tomatoes for the entire community. She was a volunteer Sunday school teacher and would do arrangements for a few areas in the church. Although I resisted going to church, I would spend most weekends with her on Saturday, and I would assist -- everything from her garden to making flower arrangements, canning, and giving away her care packages to friends. In hindsight, I think my great-grandmother had OCD because she never stopped.
She is the reason we named our business Sweet Peas. She had an amazing fence that went on and on, and on which she grew her sweet peas. I loved them so much, the smell, the colors! I would pick so many, and feeling like it was all for me to take, I got into trouble more times than I can remember.
I grew up in a very small town near the Sequoias, and there wasn’t much to do. Hanging out with my grandparents and learning from them is something I feel very fortunate to have had growing up. Later in life, I would go to the flower mart every weekend to get flowers for myself. Sometimes I would buy so much that I had no choice but to give arrangements away to friends and neighbors. One of those friends had a hair salon in Beverly Hills, and people started asking about the flowers there. Luis (the other half of Sweet Peas) had a very green thumb and would make planted baskets out of cuttings he grew, and before we knew it, we were in business.
2. Where do you find your inspiration?
Anywhere and everything inspires me. It could be a color, a flower, fashion, a place or an experience. But, mostly without question, my clients inspire me. The majority of the work we do is a weekly residential floral service. It's the work I personally enjoy the most.
3. Can you share some photos of your favorite floral arrangement(s) and/or projects you have worked on?
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