anne vitchen, dame des fleurs ritz paris, invades DAAily bar with flower installation
a nature invasion by anne vitchen at daaily bar
Anne Vitchen brings a mesmerizing botanical flower installation to the DAAily Bar at Milan Design Week 2022 and discusses her journey as a floral designer with designboom’s Editor-in-Chief, Birgit Lohmann. Rich in color and narrative, the venue overflows with the fragrances of the plants and dives the audience into Vitchen’s poetic floral universe. Standing out for their unabashed vibrancy, locally sourced flowers invade the space, blooming between the showcases and creating an enchanting stage for the talks.
Steered by her effortless passion and creative eye, Anne Vitchen opened her own boutique in 1998 in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The idea came after her beloved husband passed away, which drove her to do something for herself. So she followed the path of her heart, working with flowers. For her, it was impossible to limit her inexhaustible enthusiasm and devotion to flowers for the ‘bouquet’ work. Thus, her passion spread to the jewelry and fashion world, collaborating with iconic brands as well as with luxury hotels and museums.
Anne Vitchen, Dame des Fleurs of the Ritz Paris, created the flower installation inside the DAAily bar
images © José Salto FELICES Agency unless stated otherwise
HOTEL RITZ: BEAUTY AND AWARENESS
In 2015, she was chosen to be the ‘Dame des Fleurs’ translated as the ‘Lady of Flowers’ at the Hotel Ritz Paris, while during the talk, she described it as ‘the most classy and beautiful hotel in the world’. Working for the premium destination, Anne Vitchen addresses a broad audience and successfully meets the needs of the clients, which differ in many aspects, originating from age or cultural background.
The flower artist and her reliable team of six people prepare delicate flowery poetry by using 2,000 flowers daily to adorn the Ritz Hotel’s historic rooms, corridors, and lavish amenities. The importance of hotel waste management is part of her priorities, because Anne Vitchen has a clear eco-friendly approach to all her design projects. The flowers that symbolize a warm welcome to the guests are locally sourced (from Italy and France) and every day flowers that are maturing (versus at the end of their life cycle) are carried to hospitals and nursing homes for elderly people. Others are used for composting — solid state fermentation for the conversion into different value-added products via local bio waste methods.
Anne Vitchen on stage with Birgit Lohmann, editor in chief designboom | image © designboom
Celebrating the beauty of Nature
Working for weddings, anniversaries, and festivities, her delicate style accompanies people through some of the most emotional moments of their lives. Vitchen and her team put the needs and requests of the customer first, resulting in a sleek and stylized invention. Apart from celebrations, the designer works with the most prestigious fashion, couture, and jewelry houses, including Dior, Chanel, Vogue, and Tatler, and exceptional artisans to create unique floral installations as well as photoshoot sets.
For the Dame des Fleurs, the starting point of a project is to visit the place and dream in full color. She wants to capture the details of the site with her eyes and imagine its floral identity. As shared during the talk, she wouldn’t be able to do the scenography of the project without having an in-person impression. Contradicting the standard perception of the most beautiful moment of a flower, she discloses that for her, the most charming moment is when the flower begins to die. This reveals Vitchen’s poetic view of life, romanticizing a very moving moment. ‘My favorite flower is violet, it stands for its delicacy and charming perfume.’ Watch the conversation in full on the video above.
our DAAily talks inside the venue
