Saturday was action packed and so much fun ( Mike, my unpaid assistant/fiance/super hero might disagree) with not one but two event deliveries. I will do a post with wedding photos once I get those, but today lets talk about West Elm. I love West Elm and have been obsessed with the company for years. I attended several PR events with them through my career and worked closely with their previous Creative Director during my last project in NYC. ( see that project here and here and here - to name a few. #proud) They are an amazing company with talented people and I always want everything in the store. Did you know they offer a wedding registry service now? That was really fun for me!
The West Elm here in Indianapolis is super supportive of local makers. They have an area in the front of the store that carries locally made goods and they often host pop-up events to support makers in the Indianapolis community. Score! This past Saturday my friend Ellie of Ellie Kort had a housewares pop-up. She created original abstract pieces that consisted of plates, bowls and accents that were displayed as a dinner party tablescape. When I was asked to do the florals, I knew it would be a fun experience because I have worked with Ellie before during Art in Bloom, a charity event by the Carmel Arts Council, that has floral designers create a piece inspired by a local artist. I still need to post about that, but you can see Ellie's piece here and mine here. I first met Ellie through mutual friends not long after moving here. We quickly bonded over being transplants as Ellie had moved to Indiana after working for Hallmark in London. I was excited to meet another creative person who knew what it felt like to be the new kid in town. I knew Ellie would give me creative freedom with this event and she did. The outcome was vibrant and fun - just like her pieces. I plan to do a pop-up at West Elm myself in the near future and will be sure to let you guys know that date!
Thank you to Ellie + West Elm Indianapolis for having me. The staff at this location is helpful, welcoming and fun to chat with so get in there and buy all the cute stuff so I won't. :) These are the types of projects that are the heart of my business. Art is my foundation and any chance I get to combine that love with florals is the best possible scenario.
Ellie Kort's Artist Statement
Ellie Kort is a native of Kansas City. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Kansas in 2001. She currently works as a design manager with Creative Converting in Indianapolis. Ellie says her work has been most inspired by artists Frank Stella, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Antoni Gaudí, Hung Liu, Chuck Close, André Saraiva, Jonathan Saunders, Margaret Killgallan, Barry McGee, and Banksy. She attributes her love of art to her mother, the “picture lady” at her grade school.
