Photo by Tracy Tucholski
The red Chippendale sofa upholstered in chinoiserie fabric serves as a signature moment of style in the boutique, complemented by a theatrical amaryllis arrangement in a Biedermeier urn.
Bloomfield’s fleurdetroit, a floral studio and retail space co-founded and owned by Phillip Morici and Joe Nieradka, offers an immersive holiday experience framed by woodland-themed corners on the inside and snow-kissed greenery on the outside. Bonded by their love of gardens and landscape, Phillip and Joe opened their all-encompassing business to serve as both a retail store and a landscape design center. Phillip handles the design and boutique space while Joe primarily runs the landscape side. From the item selection and display design to the friendly customer service team, the duo wants fleurdetroit to feel wholly different from the average retail space. “Even though it’s a store, we never want people to feel pressure,” Phillip says. “We have a lot of customers who visit multiple times a week just to ‘hang out.’ The world’s a little chaotic, so it’s nice when they can come in and just get lost in some mindful design.”
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
Co-founder and shopkeeper Phillip Morici knows that starting plans early in the year is the key for a successful Christmas season at the shop.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
A fresh coat of snow covers winter greens, creating a wonderland moment in the courtyard.
For this year’s holiday décor, Phillip edited his selections a bit more than usual. “It allows the shop to breathe,” the designer says. He explains that the store evolves each year to suit what his team anticipates will be the needs of customers. “Our goal is to help buyers recognize that the products in store are intentionally chosen.”
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
As part of the floral studio, fleurdetroit creates custom fresh wreaths during the holidays. This one includes pepper berries, rose hips,, bay leaves, cedar, and juniper pods.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
A cast-iron bust of Nike takes center stage in a woodland-themed Christmas tree.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
A cedar holiday garland adorns a bronze statue that overlooks the courtyard.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
A feminine take on a holiday table includes Ginori Oriente Italiano plates in Porpora, Murano glass candlestick holders, and Murano glass wineglasses with gold filigree.
While Phillip enjoys keeping things fresh, he does have some standard themes he keeps to every year, such as the woodland selections that include mushrooms and a variety of mosses. He also notes that repeat customers love anything “white Christmas,” while designers always love some glitz.
The real goal behind the displays is to give visitors decorating inspiration. “We like to create things that are aspirational,” says Phillip. “People may not be able to install exactly what we did in their own homes, but they can definitely take pieces and elements to embellish mantels and tabletops with different components.”
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
The shop team loves to create aspirational design moments across the store. Here, they braided a lavish custom garland with an 1800s French brass candelabra and hung a vintage oil painting in the background.
To create these displays, Phillip taps over half of his almost 50-person team to get the job done. It takes weeks of planning and sorting that starts in the summer and ends with several grueling days from dawn to dusk in early November. “It’s inspiring to see what we can achieve when working as a giant team,” he says.
MORE SCENES FROM FLEURDETROIT
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Photo by Tracy Tucholski
The shop provides a bold, contemporary twist on a white Christmas with a polyresin deer and dramatic glass pillar candleholders.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
Trumbull, the shop kitty, always finds a comfortable spot to curl up.
Photo by Tracy Tucholski
Colorful glass candleholders add a playful note to the elegant Christmas décor.
For their own personal Christmas celebration, Phillip and Joe keep things simple with a bowl of pomegranates on the table and a “Charlie Brown” tree. Joe is always in charge of the cut flowers and enjoys scattering his arrangements around the house. It’s among this minimal décor that the duo likes to rest and reflect on the year and the things they’ve built together. From Joe’s huge environmental landscape projects to Phillip’s elegant designs inside and outside the retail space, the couple has a lot to celebrate. Some of the things they’re most grateful for are the people they get to interact with and the lives they get to touch. “We wanted to build community through our campus, and we’ve achieved that,” says Phillip. “That’s our number one thing—creating a place of respite and inspiration.”
