08/17/2026
For an 80th birthday celebration inspired by a lifelong love of sailing and the sea, we brought a little of that world indoors at Élysée’s Fouquet's New York.
Working alongside Lewis Miller’s beautiful existing design, we looked to the landscape around the water for our floral inspiration. Olive branches, water-dwelling grasses, palms, callas, and hydrangeas were chosen for their movement, texture, and sculptural quality.
At the bar, fan palms and grasses were arranged like sails catching the wind. Smaller arrangements continued the story throughout the space, emerging from tiny earthenware pots and dancing glass cones, with horsetail and grasses adding movement and an almost windswept quality.
The focal point of the room was a boat emerging from a sea of hydrangeas, constructed entirely from botanical materials. Bella created the hull from a palm spathe, sails from elephant ear leaves, and a mast from a wisteria vine. Peonies, hydrangeas, passion fruit vine, and cattails appeared to grow from the boat, creating an unexpected little garden at sea.
A celebration inspired by the sea, translated through flowers, foliage, and a bit of imagination.
