Tegan O’Brien runs The Lillipillian, a floral design studio in western Sydney that produces wedding and event flowers with a style she calls 'moody and badass with plenty of texture'. Her approach comes from years spent studying fine arts, jewellery, and object design. That background shows in how she chooses colours, shapes, and structures, and in how each arrangement is built to look balanced from all angles. This week, she's part of the beloved florist special series.
Tegan O'Brien - The Founder of the Lillipillian
Tegan O’Brien is the creative mind behind The Lillipillian, a Sydney-based floral design studio known for its moody, textured, and slightly rebellious style. Alongside her daughter Rua — unofficial cheerleader and occasional sidekick — Tegan leads a small team that specialises in crafting weddings and events for couples who want a laid-back, stress-free experience.
A self-confessed coffee devotee, Jurassic Park fan, neon sign enthusiast, and chocolate lover, she brings a mix of personality and design flair to every project. The studio’s work blends abundant fresh flowers with generous mood lighting, often weaving in eclectic elements like statement signage to create bold, memorable settings. While based in Sydney’s West, The Lillipillian happily travels wherever the job takes them, working closely with clients to make the process as easy and as fun as possible.
Tegan shares:
"We love nothing more than designing, planning, and styling flowers for special events anywhere and anytime (and yes, we will bump out at midnight if you need us to)".
The Lillipillian - How Design Training Shapes Unconventional Flower Work
Tegan uses methods she learned in design school when building her arrangements. Instead of starting with whatever flowers are available, she first works out the structure, color combinations, and surface textures she wants. She often works with layered tones like blush, tan, toffee, and burgundy, which create depth without relying on bright contrasts. She also brings in structural props such as neon signage or unusual stands to make her installations feel more like set pieces than table decorations.
The Lillipillian offers complete wedding and event services, from bouquets and buttonholes to large-scale installations. Tegan builds each project around the people she’s working with, often encouraging them to try shapes, textures, or flower types they wouldn’t have thought to use. Her aim is to produce something that looks personal instead of a copy of what’s currently trending on social media.
She says:
"My team and I have an easy-going philosophy and thrive on creating stunning weddings for laid-back couples. We love nothing more than styling and creating events using an abundance of fresh flowers and tonnes of mood lighting. A little bit wild, a little bit eclectic; our style is moody and badass with plenty of texture. We believe that weddings should be fun and stress-free, and that’s why we’re here to make things as easy as possible for you. We love what we do, from styling to florals, and everything in between – especially if you throw a neon sign into the mix as well!"
While The Lillipillian is her own studio, Tegan regularly brings in other freelance florists and stylists for big jobs. This way, she can take on large installations without losing the studio’s distinctive style. It also creates opportunities for sharing techniques and keeping skills fresh through working with different people.
Industry Presence and Media Features
The floral designer's work has been featured in publications such as Vogue Italia, Hello May, Polka Dot Bride, and Lita Magazine. Tegan’s designs also appear in wedding industry directories and editorial shoots, where her mix of color control and texture is easily recognized. She has become known among both couples and other designers for her strong visual style and for treating flowers as part of a bigger design picture.
She treats flowers the way other designers treat materials like fabric, wood, or metal, considering several factors before she begins, and builds everything to work perfectly in the space where it will be displayed. That perspective has helped her business develop a style that stands out in Australia’s wedding and events industry — one that mixes artistic training with practical skills to create arrangements that feel complete and well considered from the start.
To see more of her badass floral arrangements and creations, head to The Lillipillian's Instagram.
Photos by @the.lillipillian.
