Tattie Isles lights candles for a finishing touch.
Dorset- and London-based floral talent Tattie Isles thinks way beyond the petal. The designer focuses on the mood more than anything—what she wants guests to experience as they enter and engage with the setting. “It’s decidedly about surprise,” she says. “I like people to be transported and to question whether they imagined something or whether it really happened,” she says. Tattie focuses on the effects of light, movement, scale, fabrics, and even the music when executing her vision. While flower arranging is a vital part of her creative process, she really relishes the theatricality of putting together an event and making it come to life.
Held at the peak of summer, this event included foxgloves, peonies, sweet peas, Alchemilla, willow lanterns, trailing greenery, and floating candles. “It took place in a wildlife park, so we added hints toward the color and vibrancy of the location,” says Tattie.
An abundance of sweet peas and Alchemilla with apricots and rose petals brings summer joy to the south of France. ”The touch of red turns it from twee to amazing,” Tattie says.
Tattie ignores trends and doesn’t really take notice of what others in the industry are doing. Her jumping-off place also doesn’t involve the palette or the constraints of the location. “I start by meeting clients in person because I believe the best collaborations are when you have good chemistry,” she says. “I try to read someone and work out what they are like and how to tell their story through the flowers. I usually ask people what they want the event to feel like and what they want their guests to feel rather than the aesthetic itself.”
For an autumn event in England’s County Durham, huge branches of beech, spindleberry, and the last of the garden roses are part of the mix. “Scale was of great importance in this vast castle,” says Tattie.
While Tattie didn’t find her calling for flowers until she was an adult, she always had an imaginative side, even as a child. “I did not like being stuck inside four walls,” she says. “I found the classroom challenging unless I was doing art or playing an instrument.” A lot of her talent also was fostered by her artistic mother, who now works with her in the business alongside Tattie’s husband, aunt, and close friends. “My father was in the military, and we moved around a lot and often lived in these funny little buildings that were very plain,” says Tattie. “My mom made them into remarkable homes and settings for me and my siblings, and I experienced firsthand how our surroundings affect us and how, with a little ingenuity, you can make things lovely wherever you are.”
Tattie’s favorite time of year for flowers is late September. This exuberant table setting sings with garden roses, Japanese anemones, artichokes, hydrangeas, and fallen apples.
For her designs, Tattie enjoys using unconventional materials. “Anything in the natural world is up for grabs,” she says. “However, I do test everything first.” The team tries out floral designs at different temperatures and with different lighting to measure longevity and durability. “We’ve fashioned a science lab of sorts,” Tattie says.
This setting evokes midsummer joy with scabious, foxgloves, delphinium, and Sanguisorba in a wire urn lined with block-printed fabric. "The fabric adds a layer to the design," says Tattie.
With three boys ages 2, 4, and 6, the designer now finds herself wanting to balance her work and home life more than ever. Because of that, the team is focusing on fewer but larger commissions going forward to allow more time for refreshing their pools of inspiration and tending the home fires. “I find the creative breaks make me look forward to doing it again,” says Tattie. “It’s like missing someone. If you see them all the time, you don’t have an opportunity to miss them and have that excitement of seeing them again. I think this approach will keep my creativity going for many more years.”
By Alice Welsh Doyle | Photography courtesy of Tattie Rose Studio
