Inspiring floral design in a stately English home

I'm delighted to share with you this beautiful floral workshop and editorial story. Named "LItha" which is Scandinavian for 'Midsummer', it was captured by TAYLOR & PORTER at BYLAUGH HALL in Norfolk, England. Florists attended from all four corners of the world and learnt under the expert tutorage of JO FLOWERS and HART FLORAL. Louise from TAYLOR & PORTER tells us, "Bylaugh Hall is a beautiful relic, a crumbling Stately Home full of intrigue and history. Embracing the time worn beauty, we styled and enjoyed three dinners there together. Communal eating and sharing together being a huge part of the workshop ethos; culminating in a feast under the boughs of an ancient tree in the grounds. I also captured bridal portraits showcasing MIRA ZWILLINGER couture, selected for it's delicate floral aspects and breezy summertime nature that complimented the seasonal florals created by the florists."

Stylist Susie of KNOT & POP tells us: "With the venue in the midst of being restored to its former glory, I wanted the Welcome Supper to set the scene and to tell the story of the surrounds. From the grand entrance with large urn arrangements and reclaimed orbs placed surreally on steps, the Welcome Supper further cemented the history of the venue and the regrowth it is going through. Taking restoration as inspiration, for the dinner I therefore used doors as the table tops, found with Jo Flowers at a local Norfolk Reclamation Yard. A palette was established for the Monday supper that pulled in the green of the Plaster Room, with knowing the doors would be open and the colour link through. Shades of yellow, brick brown, weathered whites, and creams sat against plenty of texture with reclaimed tiles acting as table mats, bricks becoming centre-pieces and the beautifully crafted ceramics of Kana London playing perfectly to the setting. The room was styled with abstract feature props - old doors, with section of arches, chimney stacks and oddities that added to the story-telling of the venue in renovation period. With guests coming from all over the world and meeting one another for the first time, welcome button-holes with their name were placed on place settings and worn through the Welcome Supper. The Brick Room played host to the workshops so it was lovely to welcome guests in the space that would become their creative haven for the coming days.

Continuing through to the Tuesday, the dinner took place in the Marble Hall. As guests had their tutorials in the Brick Room that day, we set up and styled the dinner in the Marble Hall, placing the arrangements on the table that the guests had made that day - a lovely way to round off the day's lesson and for guests to celebrate their creations. Inspiration for the Tuesday dinner came once again from the building surrounds. Luxe-ing it up, yet still wanting to give that sense of restoration, we painted tablecloths in rough brush-strokes and opted for a palette of soft pinks, creams, old rose and white to tie to the setting, with brass brought in as the highlight metallic to echo the features of the room. Gorgeous menu packs where designed by The Little North Sea Studio with paper and tracing paper layered to add to the textural nature of the tablescape. A foliage cloud cascaded down from the balcony above so guests felt fully immersed in the flowery world of Litha. The Last Supper on Midsummer's Day was all about dining outdoors to enjoy the long day-light. With reclaimed oak slabs forming the table tops, I focussed on natural elements to style this final get together. Wooden candlesticks, and mis-match wooden and bone handle cutlery mixed with hand-turned ceramics by GX Design and caged lanterns for added twinkle come sun-set. Place settings zig zagged due to the width of oak slabs, giving each place setting a very individual focus, with guest centre-pieces designed on the Wednesday used to dress the table. The palette moved on through rustic browns, scales of grey, black and chalky white with old rose bridging over from the Tuesday dinner, so the palettes across all three days sat beautifully together."

If you're interested in attending this workshop in the future, the creative team are in the early stages of planning Litha 2018. To find out more about it please contact [email protected] or [email protected] who will share further information when details are finalised.