For the seasoned world traveler, seeking out the best florists while abroad may seem like a relatively low priority pursuit. Surely restaurants, hotels, and museums deserve top billing in a well-traveled life. But as Hans Christian Anderson, that Danish master of fairy tales, once said, "Just living is not enough… One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." Who are we to doubt? Besides, studies are perpetually trotted out to show the mood-boosting benefits of keeping fresh-cut flowers in your space—even the most glorious hotel room will benefit from the addition of another living thing, if not especially so—and more often than not, the shops themselves are oases of local color, well-curated gifts and objets, along with nature’s colorful bounty. There’s also no better way to get the feel for a place than to see how the locals decorate and celebrate. Flowers may not be the longest lasting souvenir you acquire on your travels, but it’s hard to imagine one that encourages you more to appreciate the moment. Plus, a candle or eau de parfum will ensure your scent memory stays ripe. We’ve gathered a selection of enchanting flower shops around the globe that will make you not only stop and smell the roses, but ogle them too.
The Quiet Botanist (Hudson, NY)
Inspired by “apothecaries, ateliers, and overgrown gardens of a bygone era,” Rebecca O’Donnell, a former creative director of beauty brands like Laura Mercier, Burberry Beauty, Fresh, and Estée Lauder, left New York City and founded a flower shop in the ultra-charming Hudson Valley. Brimming with dried varieties found in both O’Donnell’s native Australian countryside and her upstate cottage gardens, The Quiet Botanist, whose entrance is tucked at the end of a long, flower-draped alley, is a reminder that flowers can be as moody as they are celebratory. Bundles of wild grasses hang like brooms along the muted green walls, dripping with dark romance. Long palm fronds and cotton stems sit in buckets and pails next to bunny tails dyed in pale blue and deep magenta, under a chandelier made entirely of—you guessed it, dried flowers. It’s a rustic countryside retreat that any floraphile can only dream of, and with artfully arranged seasonal live flowers and objects for the home and garden, plus a botanical apothecary offering natural beauty products, you can take some of it home with you. No water necessary.
445 - 447 Warren Street
Hudson, NY 12534
@thequietbotanist
Castor Fleuriste (Paris)
Louis-Géraud Castor’s background in archeology and art history informed his decade-plus career as an art dealer, but when he decided to open a Paris flower shop in 2017, his signature aesthete’s eye was ever-present. Castor Fleuriste’s sophisticated, unexpected creations (often housed in elegant minimalist vases by ceramicist Mathilde Martin) quickly became a sensation for their interesting interplay of colors and textures, especially among the fashion crowd. Castor, whose fans include runway luminaries like Miuccia Prada, Alex de Betak, Christophe Lemaire, and Anthony Vaccarello, has since moved onto the runway himself; for Fendi’s Spring/ Summer 2021 couture show, he created a mossy meadow with brass patinated silk roses that emerge from a cracked marble floor—a nod to both Virginia Woolf and the brand’s new artistic director Kim Jones.
14 Rue Debelleyme Telephone: 01 40 56 34 68 @castorfleuriste
Swallows & Damsons (Sheffield, UK)
A beloved local spot three hours north of London, Swallows & Damsons offers big, romantic arrangements and event floral designs that exude English country elegance. Founder Anna Potter, author of 2019’s flower arranging guide The Flower Fix, designed her shop to reflect her passion for vintage glamor and rustic style, with vintage botanical prints up on the moss green walls, and a charming selection of houseplants and pots on the oaky wooden shelves. She’s doing something right: in the few short years since opening her doors, she’s even arranged a bouquet for the Queen.
326 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S71FN @swallowsanddamsons
Tearose (Milan)
Since it opened in 1994, Alessandra Rovati Vitali’s Via Croce Rossa boutique has attracted legions of visitors seeking out its expert curation, which is applied everywhere from a selection of chic clothes and accessories from brands like Acne, Blazé, Rick Owens, Pucci, and Margiela, to its beautiful blooms. At the boutique’s famed Flower Lab, designers live-arrange fresh seasonal flowers tailored for every personal preference, drawing inspiration from nature, architecture, classical and contemporary art. Come for the cosmetics and clothes, stay for the buckets of fresh cut flowers lining the entrance. Either way you’ll leave happy.
