On the first day of spring at a New York florist, amidst the wet snow and chill you might expect to see clouds of bright gold forsythia, window boxes of gold and purple crocuses, and pansies in all hues of the rainbow.
But when you see the stunning colors, play of light, space and display of Ovando, and its “art of floral design,” you will be astonished. The store looks like a glowing stage set.
Yes, there is a huge armful of bright yellow forsythia branches in the window, but they might be flanked by a group of giant brilliant green cacti. Or a cluster of tiny bright red cacti all in a row. Or a clutch of voluptuous orchids in purple, pink, white, wheeling through a rectangular glass case; or a tightly packed rich red bouquet of roses which might have been featured in a Frida Kahlo portrait. Or the store’s signature piece, pale-shading-to-golden lilies forming a perfect set of successive ovals in another glass rectangular vase, forming a kind of window box frame without detracting from the contents.
Simple, breathtaking, memorable.
You might even see a perfect white ball of white flowers, floating at the bottom of a vase. All are exquisite, all different, all cry out for touch and the breath of their scent.
And yet, these seemingly disparate blooms all work together, catching the eye and carrying the client irresistibly throughout the somber hued store. The black walls and floors inspired by proprietor Sandra de Ovando’s Mexican folkloric esthetic of black, (often paired with gold, and red) sets off these brilliant colors, even the paler more muted hues of a cactus in green with pale pink spines, and does so beautifully.
The flowers tell the story. Here every structure, every form, every color of the flowers combine to create a dramatic statement ranging from a bouquet of not very traditional posies carried by a bride…
…to a huge floral sculpture or branches framing an event of consequence.
Ovando’s themes are dramatic, edgy, chic, ever changing, and it reaches a very select clientele of celebrities and families of wealth, high-end restaurants, fashion houses and boutique hotels.
Definitely not a florist’s shop! Ovando is a full-service Floral and Event Design Company. Ovando’s flagship store on Bleecker Street opened in 2003 and in November, 2010, the company opened its second store on East 65th Street; and it is already a strong presence in the new neighborhood.
The proprietor, Sandra de Ovando, born in Mexico City, credits her interests in flowers to her mother, who spent many hours each day gardening and constructing floral arrangements. Sandra, joining her in the garden, became fascinated with the beauty and the endless possibilities of flowers and arrangements. She was fortunate enough to travel to Europe and Asia and indeed some of her designs have what might be taken as a distinctly Japanese esthetic—such as her treatments of orchids in glass vases, forming an off center, circular sculpture, performing a balancing act, similar to some Japanese ikebana.
In her travels Sandra also discovered exotic plants, fruits, and vegetables, which she has incorporated into her floral designs. It is the mixture of the familiar and the unusual, the traditional Western and the exotic import that characterizes her designs today. And that makes them strangely beautiful, striking and unique.
Sandra’s esthetic has a distinctively sharp, edgy, but chic quality which perfectly suited her downtown clients when she opened the first Ovando on Bleecker Street. The West Village clientele immediately “got it.” And they loved it. But from the first she was determined also to bring Ovando to the Upper East Side. She was confident that her signature style would also be appreciated by her clients in this new location—indeed many, such as her corporate clients and those with a monthly budget for flower arrangements, were already there.
Sandra de Ovando and her floral designs have received a great deal of acclaim. Notably, in 2008 the Daily News named Sandra de Ovando one of Fashion’s “50 Most Powerful.” Of No. 33— Sandra de Ovando—the Daily News reported, “West Village-based flower merchant Ovando treats her bouquets like designer collections. Each quarter, she decides on a seasonal color palette drawing from runway trends. Her savvy has snagged her clients like Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes.”
This new Ovando location carries on the tradition in its style and drama and grandeur. Sandra says that her Upper East Side clients share her eye for beautiful things. “They trust us! To be creative!” Sandra also says that the new Ovando will always remain true to its origins. “The Ovando brand [remains] the brand.”
And now Ovando is offering to people who really appreciate these beautiful floral creations the opportunity to participate in the process. Ovando is holding monthly single-session classes in floral design at its Ovando’s Production Studio soon.
Led by Ovando’s designers, each class will discuss themes and design principles, as well as modern design philosophies which define Ovando’s signature style. The $250 fee for classes includes beverages, snacks, and all necessary supplies. Participants will then get to take home their own brilliant creations.
Evening Workshop: Sustainable Floral Arrangements
03/16/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Evening Workshop: Wedding Workshop
04/13/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Evening Workshop: Floral Terrariums
05/18/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Evening Workshop: Summer Flowers
06/15/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Evening Workshop: Designing with Fruit
07/13/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Evening Workshop: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Fashion
09/14/2011 Wednesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Ovando
19 East 65th Street
(between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
337 Bleecker Street
For more information, go to Ovando’s website.
