What exactly is an 'Irithurium', you ask? Let botanical artist Kristen Alpaugh explain it. She is the owner and creative mastermind behind the Santa Monica, California-based floral studio FLWR PSTL (@flwrpstl) and her latest venture, Haus of Stems (@hausofstems).
It was 3 a.m. on March 24, 2019, a moment Kristen Alpaugh will never forget. Wanting to impress a client who loved anything iridescent, this innovative floral designer purchased a bunch of new materials to test. Here's the Story of Irithuriums.
Q: So, what happened on March 24, 2019?
Kristen Alpaugh:
I went to bed, my mind wouldn’t stop racing. So I hopped out of bed and went to work in the middle of the night. No stranger to using flowers as a canvas, I mixed iridescent paints and Anthurium blooms, and boom! 'Irithurium' was born. With names like Abalone, Infrared, Mantis, Riverbed, and Twilight, these bold, eye-catching stems have taken the flower industry – and floral Instagram feeds – by storm."
Shimmery statements have cropped up not only at floral retailers and wholesalers across the country but also at Oscar parties, art galleries, and couture fashion displays – and even in music videos for Katy Perry and Doja Cat.
Q: Where did it all start?
Kristen:
"Like so many, I didn’t start out in the botanical world but in the corporate one. My mom worked tirelessly (as a single mom) to make sure my brother and I were taken care of. It was really hard on her, and she did what she had to do to raise us with very little. As a result of that, I decided to go into a corporate career, where I wouldn’t have to worry about money. I wanted to be able to take care of myself."
Q: So what did you do after college?
Kristen:
"I landed a job with a consulting firm in Boston. In 2014 I moved to Los Angeles, but I stayed in the same industry until the end of 2017. I loved it for a long time but started to feel restless and unfulfilled. My boss and mentor used to ask me what I would do if I would win the lottery and never had to work another day in my life…. I never knew how to answer until one day, It hit me: I wanted to become a florist!"
Q: How did you know what to do as a florist?
Kristen:
"I didn’t. So far, I hadn’t followed a single florist on Instagram and had no idea what I was doing. But I realized how connected I was to flowers and how they punctuated every important moment in my life."
Q: Did you manage in the beginning?
Kristen:
"For a year I struggled to make a profit and spent most of my money learning how to handle and arrange flowers. I was really distraught and felt like I had failed. And it wasn’t until I was at the bottom of my bank account and honestly, feeling utterly hopeless that FLWR PSTL was born."
Q: You have something unique, tell us a little bit more about it.
Kristen:
"I started playing “mad scientist” with paints, dyes, and art supplies in my dining room. I wanted to be the Willy Wonka of flowers. And my first flowers I was really anxious about: How would the floral world react to my Irithurium? I sent my flowers to my fellow competitors from Full Bloom and a few other friends, and the response was overwhelmingly positive."
Q: Is that the birth of Haus of Stems?
Kristen:
"Yes, Haus of Stems has since launched a retail component, shipping “Irithuriums” nationwide. That’s when FLWR PSTL started getting noticed."
Q: How did you end up in Full Bloom, HBO Max’s flower design competition?
Kristen"
A casting director reached out to me, to see if I would be interested in being in the first season of Full Bloom, HBO Max’s flower design competition reality show. I loved every moment of participating in the show – even the tearful ones. It made me a much more well-rounded botanical artist. I walked away having done gigantic installations, I’d never worked on a crane before and I made a ton of new friends."
Q: What are your future plans for Haus of Stems and for yourself?
Kristen:
"I started the process of patenting my signature Anthurium painting process, which’s important for the future. And I can tell you that we plan to expand our hand-painted botanical line. I will continue to push my boundaries of creativity and share my passion with the world. To me, when happiness is shared, it’s doubled. Art brings joy, and the world can always use more of that."
Photo credits: Hailey Millar, Anita Vuong, Guided by Flowers, Mystalk, FLWS PSTL This article was published in Florist Review.
