Tamara Rigney, a prominent floral designer from Hawaii, has carved a niche in the world of floral design through Mei Day Flora. Based in Honolulu, the business is vastly known for its innovative interpretations of tropical floral design, combining the beauty of Hawaii's flower varieties with sustainable practices (and very colorful designs you'll love!).
Traveling to Hawaii for This Week's Florist Special With Tamara Rigney of Meiday Flora
As part of the florist special of the week, Tamara shares more about her story and Hawaiian heritage and culture. Going back in time, Rigney remembers her passion for flowers began in her childhood with an obsession for 'May Day', a Hawaiian holiday celebrating local culture and flowers.
This early fascination with florals led her to pursue a career initially in landscape architecture. However, the pleasure and passion of working directly with flowers eventually pulled her away from architecture, urging her and her instinct to start a floral studio in her grandmother’s Paiko Beach garage in 2009. This path evolved into the botanical boutique Paiko, which she later rebranded as Mei Day to focus more intensively on the art of floral design.
Mei Day - A Honolulu Based Floral Studio
Meeting floral needs in Oahu and beyond, Mei Day's work explores fresh approaches to tropical floral design while honoring Hawaii's astonishing natural beauty. Tamara and her team employ both carefully grown flowers and roadside weeds in floral creations because she believes they are both beautiful, whether in small-scale arrangements or large-scale installations. Best part? Tamara sources her flowers locally whenever possible. Continue reading to further explore her designs and style.
Mei Day Flora's designs are deeply ingrained in the natural environment of Hawaii, taking into consideration a high level of sustainable practices to achieve every design. This commitment to sustainability extends to the practices of avoiding floral foam, composting green waste, and donating leftover flowers to local hospices.
Photo: @kennareed
Tamara Rigney - Co-Author of Her Own Book
In 2016, Rigney co-authored the book 'OHI: How to Gather and Arrange Hawai'i’s Flora'. For floral designers in Hawaii, this is a must-have guide to gathering and arranging Hawaii’s abundant flora, by Paiko founder Tamara Rigney and photographer Mariko Reed. You'll learn about the essential steps and tips to gather flowers, which is the basic principle of 'OHI', a book that encourages you to explore with clippers in hand. From backyards to farmer's markets, Hawaii's flora provides endless opportunities to make beautiful arrangements
With easy sourcing and arranging tips, illustrated plant biographies, and inspiring photos, the book reveals how easy it is to bring the beauty of Hawaii's outdoors into your home.
Mei Day Flora is a preferred floral provider for high-end brands such as Tiffany & Co., The Ritz-Carlton, and Louis Vuitton in Hawaii, underscoring the studio's reputation for excellence and artistic talent. Rigney's designs are characterized by their ability to transform spaces and enhance events, with a particular emphasis on weddings and brand styling.
To see more of her work and how she uses flowers to convert scenarios and settings, visit Mei Day's Instagram account.
Photos by @meidayhawaii.
