STYLING FLORALS FOR SMALLER SPACES
With Christelle Scifo
For our latest Journal, we step into the world of Sydney-based florist and event stylist Christelle Scifo, founder of Fleurette, whose love of flowers is rooted in childhood memories, French gardens, and a fondness for the imperfect. From treasured antique vessels to delicate seasonal stems, Christelle shares her affection for old-world treasures and the art of creating charming floral arrangements for intimate spaces.
What first captured your imagination about flowers, and how has that evolved?
I think my love of flowers began quite naturally. I grew up by the ocean in Sydney, with a French father, and spent some of my early adult years living, studying and working in Paris. I have such vivid memories of the gardens there, particularly the Jardin des Tuileries, and the way flowers were woven into everyday life. My aunties were wonderful gardeners and oil painters too, and flowers were at the heart of their homes throughout my childhood. I think those early influences have always stayed with me, I’ve drawn flowers ever since I can remember. I trained in classical ballet from a very young age, which certainly shaped my appreciation for movement, beautiful lines and things that feel a little effortless. It trained my eye, my awareness of space and the beauty in the smallest details. Over time, flowers became a way of bringing all those worlds together. I love that they're such a fleeting medium to work with, the changing seasons, the individuality of each stem, and that no two days or arrangements are ever quite the same.
When working in a smaller space, where do you begin: the room, the vessel or the flowers?
I often begin with the room itself, and the little objects and treasures that already have a place within it. I've always loved collected vessels, antique silver, old ceramics and pieces with a little history. Sometimes a particular vessel inspires the entire arrangement, and I'll choose the flowers especially for it.
I think about the light, the proportions of the room and how the flowers will be experienced. In the kitchen, I love something a little more abundant, perhaps alongside fresh seasonal produce from the market. Beside the bed, a few fragrant stems can feel incredibly special, while a single beautiful flower in the bathroom can be enough.
I particularly love spring and summer entertaining, when flowers become part of the everyday rituals of gathering friends around the table. For me, it's less about filling a space and more about finding those little moments where something beautiful can naturally belong.
What's your secret to creating arrangements that feel gathered from the garden rather than carefully arranged?
I think it begins with observing nature and allowing flowers to retain their own character. I love the way tulips bend and move, or dahlias almost fall over themselves. Nothing in a garden grows in perfect symmetry, and there's something so beautiful about those little irregularities. I like working with varying stem lengths, allowing flowers to move naturally, and leaving a little space between them. Sometimes it's just as much about what you leave out as what you put in. I try not to overwork things. A handful of seasonal flowers, loosely gathered in an old vessel, can be more beautiful than something elaborate. I love arrangements that feel as though they've just been picked from the garden, a little wild, a little imperfect, with their own movement and personality.
Are there particular flowers or foliage you find especially suited to petite arrangements?
I love them all, really. I'm particularly fond of Cécile Brünner roses, chamomile, tulips and those delicate little wild garden flowers with a beautiful scent and personality. Peony season is just beginning, which is always a favourite time of year. I love watching them slowly open and change over the course of a few days, sometimes an entire week. I'm also especially fond of winter flowers. As an August-born Leo, camellias, hellebores and beautifully fragrant gardenias always remind me of my aunties' gardens. I think the loveliest little floral gestures often come from just a few seasonal stems that you love, that hold significance or simply speak to you. It depends on the season, the mood you're in, the feeling you want to evoke within a space or a home, and the occasion. Each flower holds its own meaning, much like fragrance or music. They can be such a beautiful connection to memory.
Do you have favourite nontraditional vessels, perhaps something vintage, collected or repurposed?
I've always had a love for beautiful old objects and pieces with a little history. Antique silver cups, old ceramic bowls, vintage glassware and little treasures collected while travelling or wandering through brocantes in France.
I love finding a new purpose for something that wasn't necessarily intended to hold flowers. Sometimes it's a piece that's been handed down through the family, or a small object discovered quite by chance.
There's something lovely about bringing those collected pieces into everyday life.
A few garden roses in an old silver cup, a single stem in a beautiful drinking glass, or something gathered loosely in a ceramic bowl. I think the vessel can be just as much a part of the story as the flowers themselves.
What's one simple thing people can do to help their arrangements last longer?
Fresh water and a clean vessel make such a difference. I always trim the stems before placing them in water, remove any foliage that would sit below the waterline, and change the water regularly. Keeping flowers away from direct sunlight and heat will also help them last a little longer. But I also love watching flowers evolve. There's something beautiful about a rose opening fully, the petals softening, or tulips continuing to grow and move within their vessel. Flowers are such a fleeting medium, and I think part of their beauty is appreciating every stage of their life, not just the moment they're perfectly fresh.
