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In Conversation With Helen Ellis | Head of Floral Design at Shida Preserved Flowers

Born out of the simple fact that flowers make us happy, Shida Preserved Flowers is our newest home interior obsession. Harvested in full bloom and preserved using 100% natural materials, Shida Preserved Flowers can retain their soft and beautifully fresh appearance for up to a year!

A long-lasting alternative to cult flowers, a bouquet from Shida is a fail-safe way to brighten even the gloomiest of days.

shida preserved flowers

We sat down with Shida’s very own Head of Floral Design Helen Ellis for a chat about all things Shida Preserved Flowers…

Hi Helen! It’s safe to say the team at Coggles HQ are officially obsessed with Shida Preserved Flowers! What’s your favourite thing about the brand?

I love Shida Preserved Flowers as a brand – the quality is fantastic and I genuinely have so many arrangements at home because they’re just brilliant! My favourite thing about Shida Preserved Flowers is the variation that comes with our preserved florals and the range of colourways meaning that I can create some really fun things and experiment with new ideas. Also, because they last for up to a year, we can rearrange them for new looks all year round!

We LOVE the sound of your title – Head of Floral Design. What does a typical day look like for you?

Throughout the day, I’ll be working on bespoke work and larger bespoke projects, for example, we were in central London last week completing an install for a beautiful apartment. That’s what’s great – every day is different. One day I can be working with the marketing team or our wholesale suppliers to create designs or one-offs and exclusives, it’s all in a day’s work!

Do you have a favourite bloom?

The King protea is my favourite flower by far, it’s really beautiful, very subtle and looks effortlessly velvety to the touch. It’s a stunning shade of pink – google it and you’ll fall in love! My favourite bouquet has to be the Mirai because the colourway is really pretty and I love the contrasting deep blue, brown and tan colours that run through this bouquet.

shida preserved flowers

Love it! So, what makes a Shida Preserved Flowers bloom special?

Well, our flowers are picked at their perfect bloom and naturally preserved straight away so they always look as fresh as they possibly can be. A great example would be our hydrangeas which are so soft and supple and truly stunning. That’s what you’re getting when you purchase preserved; the gift of beautiful blooms in your home to admire all year round!

Can you share any top-secret floristry tips?

My number one top tip is to just have fun and give anything a go while creating. When you’re styling, think about where your flowers are going. For example, if you’re dressing a table, little arrangements like the Zita look great dotted along the table in cute vases. The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun creating a beautiful arrangement in your own style!

I’ve actually just finished creating a little ‘Bouquet Styling Tips’ video for you guys, so be sure to catch that over on the Coggles Instagram page.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I love working with flowers, flowers make people happy. We also have a fantastic team here where everyone is really supportive. As we carry on growing, some fantastic opportunities are arising – it’s so exciting to work on these and see them realised.

shida preserved flowers

Tell us something we didn’t know about Shida…

If you haven’t heard our brand origin before, you might not know that the word Shida is Japanese for fern. We love modern style and design and we’re inspired by exotic flowers too so the combination gives us our signature style.

Thanks again for your time today Helen! We have to ask, what does your playlist look like when you’re in the zone?

Well, I’m always on a bit of a mission but I’ve been really loving Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics albums which have a great beat and are super catchy. I can zone in and get a bit of a dance on!