If you’ve stepped into our store over the last two years chances are you’ve seen work from Sare Harvell. From holiday installs to our closing and re-opening parties, Sare has conceived memorable floral designs — granting us a peek into their lustrous mind. Warm Flowers was incepted in 2018 and inspired by themes of romance and vulnerability in an effort to connect with others and practice gratitude in tandem. The brand has consistently evolved through the years with boundary pushing designs, thoughtful objects, and a sultry voice encouraging us to find the exoticism in everything around us. We spent a day with Sare dissecting their processes as they set up camp in our stock room and created seasonally attuned focal pieces for the store, in tandem with some product shots. It wasn’t all work though, at the end of the day we took a stroll and spin through the Fan and heard more from the artist in their element. If you have seen Sare around town then you may have seen them with their four-legged bestie Cash or in their truck (bad ass) hauling supple blooms with a poignant vanity plate. After witnessing Sare in action — we can confirm, they do it all.
Dig into our transparent conversation with the artist and make sure to follow their work and maybe order a juicy arrangement and check out their coveted merch.
@warm.flowers
TELL ME WHY YOU WENT WITH THE NAME WARM FLOWERS IN THE FIRST PLACE, DOES IT HAVE A DEEPER MEANING TO YOU?
Warm Flowers was originally a separate Instagram account I made back in 2017 or 2018. I would post flowers I saw in different places and eventually started taking [image] submissions from my followers and would post those too, crediting the sender. I remember when I was trying to think of the Instagram handle I was sitting on the couch like “Hmm…What do I like? I like warm weather…the account is about flowers…Warm Flowers? Yeah, that sounds good...let’s run it.”
Back then I would say I was more of a flower enthusiast if you will, or an aspiring florist but not practicing yet. Eventually when I did start creating I wanted to seem more professional and polished so I took the original Warm Flowers account and changed the name to @plantdriveby. Since then [my business has] exclusively gone by Warm Flowers. Throughout the years I feel like the name has evolved into something so much more that deeply resonates with others and that feels really sweet to me. Originally the name felt a bit thoughtless, but looking back now it seems I was always on my path.
AT THE END OF THIS YEAR WARM FLOWERS WILL BE SEVEN YEARS OLD, WHAT’S YOUR ROSE AND your THORN THROUGH THESE significant YEARS OF EVOLUTION?
ROSE: I guess I never really knew what I was capable of and Warm Flowers has been able to show me that. It’s been a really personal and special journey for me. I hope I can continue to expand and the brand evolves for years to come.
THORN: I am particularly hard on myself when it comes to “success”. Often times WF feels like a direct extension of me. I bleed for it. When I feel like things aren’t going as well as I’d like, I often internalize it. I’m actively working on this every day and constantly trying to hit a reframe. It’s okay to be a student, I have so much to learn.
YOU HAVE SET ROOTS IN A FEW PLACES WHILE WORKING ON WF. IS THERE A SIGNIFICANT PLACE THAT INSPIRES YOU THE MOST? OR IS IT A CUMULATION OF YOUR TRAVELS?
Warm Flowers’ style has changed so much based on location and product availability in the last six years. It’s so wild to see what my designs were like when I was in Los Angeles, the market and foraging there is simply the best of the best. It’s so sick, I was so inspired by the West Coast. Texas was eh, but I was able to grow some of my own product and that was a special experience in and of itself. Virginia is cool because we have [full] seasons and foraging can be awesome, however there is barely any market culture in Richmond and it’s really been weighing on me. As of late, I’ve been feeling inspired by New York City and how fast paced it is, they also have a flower district and it’s pretty similar to LA in terms of having premium quality product as well as diverse options.
" It's okay to be a student, I have so much to learn "
TAKE ME THROUGH YOUR PROCESS WHEN YOU’RE IDEATING AN ARRANGEMENT OR A PRODUCT? ARE YOU INSPIRED BY ENTITIES YOU FIND IN NATURE? IS IT MEDIA OR ART THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FLOWERS? WHAT IS THE EMOTIONAL FEELING WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM A PROJECT KNOWING YOU EXECUTED IT JUST AS YOU DREAMED?
When I’m ideating an arrangement for myself: Sometimes I can go on a walk and be inspired by what I see. Sometimes I think about a word or a theme and it simply just moves through me. Sometimes I like what comes out and sometimes I don’t.
When I’m executing an arrangement for a client: I try to think pretty critically about what they want and what kind of feeling/mood their event or idea invokes. If the client is a business I most definitely look at their branding, I don’t want it to feel disjointed.
When I’m developing a product: I’m really inspired by fashion, graphics, color, and functionality. I take a lot of random photos on my silly little iPhone as a way to save inspo for later. Sometimes I can have a conversation with someone and something they say just clicks. The ‘Highly Blessed & Favored’ aftercare cards were developed that way, same with the Valentine’s Day cards from 2023 that said ‘My Heart is a Portal’.
When I’m able to execute a project and it’s comes out exactly as I envisioned: It feels a lot like fitting the last piece of the puzzle into place, similarly to putting a stem into an arrangement that takes it to the next level. Satisfying.
THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW CONCEPTS YOU HAVE LAUNCHED THAT GO BEYOND FLORALS, LIKE YOUR WELL KNOWN NATURE HAT, THE FANTASY CANDLE, AND YOUR LATEST T-SHIRT…ALL DONNING A CLEVER YET ROMANTIC FEEL. DID YOU ALWAYS ENVISION WF CREATING OBJECTS OUTSIDE OF FLORALS? IS THERE ANYTHING NEW ON THE HORIZON?
I had always wanted to create physical objects, even before Warm Flowers was incepted. I used to make zines and other things but sometimes the concepts didn’t feel super grounded to me. I really feel like through WF I have been able to learn so much about myself, how I process, and my practice in general. Through the natural development of the brand identity I’ve gotten to take a closer look at themes like romance, love, and vulnerability. Now my objects feel so much more grounded and clear and that is deeply satisfying for me, it’s just a plus that they are well received.
And yes…some new things are about to go into production :)
YOU RECENTLY HAD AN INSTALLATION AT MATERIAL ROOM, WHICH WAS A FULL SENSORY EXPERIENCE, IT WAS ULTRA-STIMULATING IN THE BEST WAY. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO SEE EVERYONE’S REACTION TO ‘NIGHT GARDEN’ AND DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO KEEP BRINGING FLORALS TO LIFE IN THAT WAY?
It was really cool to see everyone’s reaction when they stepped into the garden. I had been thinking about the idea for a few years and it took me at least a year to execute it for various reasons. It was a big release for me. Currently I do not have any plans to do another immersive room like that, but maybe one day!
" Now my objects feel so much more grounded and clear and that is deeply satisfying for me, it’s just a plus that they are well received. "
WHAT DOES SARE LIKE TO DO WHEN THEY’RE NOT BEING A BOSS AND SCULPTING BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS FOR CLIENTS?
Lol. I’m a Taurus Sun, Gemini Moon, Leo Rising…if that means anything. It sounds so silly but I really love relaxing. I love my home and all of my little trinkets. I love comfy and functional clothing, I love to be with my dog, go outside, see people that I feel genuine connection to, share a nice meal, do yoga, or go to the gym. I love to dance and I love to visit places I’ve never been to before. One time someone told me that life is supposed to be the therapy, I try to keep that in mind.
HAVE YOU HAD AN EXPERIENCE LATELY THAT HAS MADE YOUR BRAIN GO OFF LIKE FIREWORKS ON A WARM SUMMER DAY? MAYBE A MEAL YOU ATE, AN EXHIBITION YOU SAW, A COMMUNITY YOU VISITED?
Lately when I’ve been in NYC to freelance for other florists I’ve gotten to meet other artists and they’ve made me feel this way. Richmond can feel so small and claustrophobic for me. Everyone knows everyone or has their groups/ go to’s. To be able to have some level of anonymity again and meet others based on a mutual love feels nice and the projects I’ve gotten to work on have been cool too. It’s been a good reminder for me of why I do what I do and that there is so much more out there.
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