“During my mechanical engineering degree, a friends, father fell very ill. Short on time, I decided to produce a bouquet with the hope that myarrangement may promote the deep healing I wished for my friend’sfather.
A day after delivering the bouquet, my friends father insisted I come see him. Perplexed, I thought maybe he absolutely hated thebouquet, it gave him allergies or just depressed him. I was surprised tolearn that he wanted to express his deep gratitude in person and theimpact the bouquet had on him.
He emphasized that I had a special gift from Allah and I should pursue it at any cost. This was inspiringand, five years later, I’m so thankful to my friends Father for that initialencouragement.”
“My bouquet had a concept: healing, happiness, recovery, and this was clearly felt and appreciated by the recipient. A floral designerseeks to share and depict a work of art that is interpreted through flowersby channeling this inspiration, which could be a picture, a pieceof art, a concept or a feeling. Flower designing is an art like any otherkind of art such as drawing, sculpting and many others.”
“As of now, there’s nothing offered in Saudi. This led me to pursue floral design courses in London, Holland and Belgium and also travelextensively for inspiration. There are many schools in the world with theirown ideas and thoughts about designing and arranging. I believe it allcomes down to the tradition and culture of the country.”
Design Magazine: Sounds quite technical.
Where does one learn how to create art throughflowers?
What would you say to those critics that think floral décor is a feminine trade?
“Flower designing is not a feminine trade because I don’t deal with delicate or feminine things but with nature and nature is the beauty that Allahhas created. For example, Ahmed al Sunusi, a chemistry scientist, usedto teach his students chemistry by using plants because he believed thatchemistry was more of a theoretical subject than practical and used plantsto relate his subject to reality. He once said ‹if you wanted to know Allah,you will do so by planting.”
Jean-Pierre Gabriel also said, ‘In the west, floral art is concerned with the physicality of flowers, while in the far east it has a more spiritual dimension.’People throughout the world understand the physicality and spiritualityof flowers, but in some places primitive thinking still exists by linkingflower design to femininity.
What’s your take on artificial flowers?
“What differentiates a real flower from an artificial one is the soul that it has. An international designer from Germany once said, “I am happy thata real flower dies because that helps me change my designs constantly.”Butdefinitely there are cases where artificial flowers can be used .”
What is the purpose of a flower?
“There are many scientific purposes for flowers. There is a purpose for everything and the main purpose of a flower is to help us psychologicallyby giving us positive energy, stimulating our senses and providingnutrition for all living creatures. A scientific study was conducted on ahundred people in three different environments and concluded that themost productive people were the ones that worked in an environment thatis surrounded by flowers and plants.”
What’s your favorite flower?
“I have a lot, white gloriosa, orchid family, roses. I hate when people put die in the water to give the flower color because it takes away the naturalbeauty of the flower. I hate leaf spray too, I prefer the natural simplicity ofthings. Freesia are fun to work with, and so are Calla lilies, but one of themost beautiful is the red Warrata flower, which is very unique, and comesjust once a year from Australia and New Zealand.”
Do you always have fresh flowers in your house?
“Don’t ask me that – when I get married inshalla I will have them in my house everyday.”
Are there any tricks in the business for making your flowers stay alive longer?
“Aspirin works. You can also use 7up, but be careful because it gives the flower a lot of energy and makes it open very fast. A copper coin workstoo, but the coin gives the flower bacteria. A new product called crystalworks very well and does everything to promote flower growth and health,energy, fights bacteria, and helps it grow at a normal pace. You can’t findit locally, but when I open my shop I’ll have it.”
What›s the trick to cutting flowers?
“Cut the stem in a diagonal line so the flower can drink water easily. In Japan they cut the stem in the water to decrease bacteria and air thatgoes into the stem, allowing the flower to drink more water and lastlonger.”