About Studio Choo
Jill and Alethea create mixed-garden compositions with local flowers, plants and foraged natural treasures in a style that can be characterized as unconventional, sculptural, and beautiful. Co-authors of "The Flower Recipe Book" and "Branches and Blooms" (formerly "The Wreath Recipe Book"), their work has been featured in renown publications and blogs such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple, Veranda and Sunset. Studio Choo travel across the country flowering weddings, speaking at lecture engagements and teaching floral design classes.
Studio Choo started with a sneeze. Jill's tiny sneeze, to be exact. It was so small Alethea remarked upon this tiny sneeze and thus "Choo" became a shared nickname between the two. They remained friends when Alethea left the Bay Area and dreamed of starting a business together one day. Upon Alethea's return in early 2009, they took the plunge, opened their floral studio and the eponymous Studio Choo was born.
After running the business out of Jill's kitchen, Alethea's Honda Element, and a garage in South San Francisco for a year, they were ready for a new home base. In January 2010, Studio Choo joined forces with Magpie & Rye to form Prairie Collective. They opened a small studio/showroom in San Francisco's NOPA neighborhood featuring unique displays of plants and blooms, jewelry and home accessories. With a focus on seasonal local flowers, Studio Choo created arrangements for deliveries, restaurants and weekly clients, weddings and events, and taught workshops and classes all over the SF Bay Area. The women also penned/photographed a floral column on the New York design blog, Design*Sponge and became known across the country for their floral stylings. The tiny shop became a popular spot for locals to get their flower fix as well as a destination for out of town visitors.
After a few years it was clear that the wedding portion of the business needed room to grow and the women sought a larger space outside the city. Their first book, The Flower Recipe Book, was released and with it the need for an expanded classroom. In March of 2013, Studio Choo opened the beautiful new space of their dreams in South San Francisco...designed to be a flexible workshop with moveable tables and displays, and a home to all kinds of classes and events.
