Kitten Grayson & Harriette Tebbutt | YOLKE  
KITTEN GRAYSON & HARRIETTE TEBBUTT

Of Kitten Grayson Flowers

We’ve been friends forever, its wonderful we can be brought together through flowers and get to call it work. From sitting on Portobello one snowy evening many moons ago plotting our futures to the present day running around a blackberry field with our kids! Its brilliant to have you be a YOLKE Girl and long overdue! 


Questions by Ella RingnerPhotography by YOLKE

Blackberry Print Linen Tablecloth by YOLKE with Kitten Grayson Flowers in a field

I'm always in awe of your work and love watching the magic you and Harriette create. As the floral dream team, how did you two meet to form the perfect botanical union? 


We met whilst working for a creative design company about 6 years ago. I always loved Harriette’s style and the way she paired pieces together with colours and textures.


When we started working together more closely, the floral and styling worlds collided, and it felt really vibrant and exciting!


The idea of combining these two worlds together is intrinsic to everything we do today. Drawing inspiration from the beauty in nature, style and design.


Kitten, over lockdown you moved into the countryside… how are you finding the transition to country life?


It’s been a constant source of inspiration as I grew up in the Somerset countryside and have always foraged from the land.


The business is still very much London based but we are working towards bringing the essence and wild energy of the Somerset countryside into London as we start to grow our own flowers on a small farm there.


Running your business in lockdown must’ve been challenging, how has KGF adapted to the 'new normal’?


It’s been a bit like riding a wave! There were moments of “what will we do” but we’re now on top of the wave, moving with it rather than fighting against it and have learnt a great deal along the way.


The most important thing for us is to consider how we can bring joy to others as it’s a really challenging time for everyone. As restrictions develop and change, we are always looking to find new ways to inspire and connect people to nature.


Harriette Tebbutt of Kitten Grayson Flowers picking apples in YOLKE Anais Silk Pyjamas
Kitten Grayson in YOLKE's Juniper Dress holding a tub of flowers in a field

Harriette, how do you feel your experience with styling and interior design help with your approach to floristry? 


There is definitely a huge synergy between these three creative disciplines and many of the skills that I built throughout my styling days have come in handy!


For me, it’s striking the balance between the small details whilst always considering the bigger picture.


At KGF we like to take our clients into another world, providing escapism from everyday life.


It’s all about creative problem solving and coming up with a concept that will delight and wow our clients. We develop close relationships with them, drawing inspiration from their interests and often interiors.

I have found since working on the launch of our new ‘Everlasting Installations’ service that the relationship between floral design and interiors is all the more paramount- something I have loved.


You recently appeared in the FT with an article Bloom Raiders the secret world of the ever lasting flower, will you tell us your secret?


We loved featuring in FT How To Spend It and it was such a joy to be amongst such great company! It is one of the best kept secrets in the floral world, but dried flowers have been around for years; they just haven’t been celebrated enough! 


As a sustainable brand we feel that elongating the life of flowers and enjoying them for years to come is one of the most beautiful things that you can do. Flowers that have been dried take on a totally different personality and a dried flower arrangement or everlasting installation can transform a space or your home.  


Close up of the Blackberry Print Linen Tablecloth and Napkins tablescape with flowers by Kitten Grayson
Kitten Grayson and Harriette Tebbutt wearing YOLKE and arranging flowers
Close up of YOLKE's new Homeware Collection, the Blackberry Print


How do you feel sustainable floristry will progress into the future? 


It is already moving at such a fast rate with many florists turning their hand to growing which has been so exciting to see.


There is a huge movement towards growing and soil health, both of which we are so passionate about. If we can all continue to educate and inspire each other, things will only continue to accelerate!


With 2020 drawing to a close, what do you hope 2021 will bring for the Kitten Grayson studio?


2020 has been quite the rollercoaster ride for our industry. However, one of the positives is that it’s allowed us the time to push forward projects which would otherwise have taken some time to get going.


One of these projects has seen us returning to our roots in Somerset, Bruton specifically, and could burst with excitement about what we are working on now for spring 2021.


We are also moving more into garden design and growing directly for clients which has been a long-term dream for us all at KGF. It is so exciting to see this side of the business developing which we owe to 2020!

 

Last year, your Christmas installations bought luxury and sustainability in one! Will you be doing any special Christmas festivities we can be part of this year? 


In a few weeks’ time we are launching our Festive Home Styling service which includes creating sustainable, bespoke everlasting installations for the home.


We will also be selling festive pieces such as wreaths and our Zingara baubles online through our website so you can have even a small touch of the KGF magic at home.


We are planning a few pop-ups here and there, collaborating with some of our lovely friends in the industry, so we will keep you posted on where you can find us!


Flowers cheer everybody up, its scientifically proven! How did you use the studio to bring joy throughout lockdown & how will you continue this through the colder seasons?


We have always believed that flowers are good for the soul so it’s amazing to hear that scientists agree!


During lockdown we launched a weekly seasonal flower bunch delivery service that you could purchase through our website. We loved hearing from our clients how this door stop delivery brightened up their day, which makes us really excited to launch our Festive delivery service this winter.

We also created a few ’how to’ videos via Instagram to connect with everyone and give examples of what can be created at home to bring nature indoors!


We’ll be doing some similar activities this winter on our Instagram so keep your eyes peeled!



Thank you Kitten & Harriette! 


You can follow the girls and their adventures in florals | @kittengraysonflowers


Tablescape featuring YOLKE's Blackberry Print Linen Tablecloth and Kitten Grayson Flowers
The perfect picnic spot under an apple tree - a tablescape with YOLKE Home and Kitten Grayson Flowers
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