I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where I will buy flowers everything I buy groceries. It’s for the brain.

Meet CHRISTIANA (or as we refer to her, Nan) the girlie behind Perry Florals and a very good friend of mine! Nan is talented as heck. Check out her instagram to see for yourself. She does weddings, photoshoots, events, I could go on. Anyways, here is my interview with the one and only, NANA PERRY ❤️ (or now, NANA MCCARDLE)

For anyone who’s discovering Perry Florals for the first time, tell us a little about yourself and how you found your way into flowers.

I’m constantly pinning locations on my phone when I spot a good forage opportunity (shh), I love self care, Kspa is my favorite indulgence, and my best weekends have zero plans: just the park with our son, resetting, maybe mint chip ice cream.

I owe my start in flowers to my older sister, Rachel. She ran a floral business in Michigan and I worked for her all through high school and college. Labor-intensive, but rewarding, and I felt lucky to get that much time with her.

After college I moved to San Francisco and missed working with my hands, missed flowers as my medium. So I found my way back, and haven’t stopped since!

Was there a moment when you realized this could become a career rather than just a creative outlet?

I always knew it could be a career, watching my sister. But it wasn’t until I moved to California and saw the floral industry from a different angle that I realized I wanted it to be my career.

If someone could only know one thing about your approach to floristry, what would you want it to be?

Super-natural, enhancing what already exists.

What’s inspiring you most lately—flowers or otherwise?

Nature, new places, the plants I see from the highway that thrive with little to no care. In LA it’s bougainvillea, in San Francisco maybe queen anne’s lace. Seeing something grow wild with no maintenance is so inspiring to me.

I’m also inspired by shopping, like hunting on eBay and thrifting for vessels. With the right one, the arrangement almost makes itself. Keeping things simple and letting the vase speak is something I’ve really been enjoying lately.

When you’re building an arrangement, do you think about color first, shape first, or emotion first?

When I’m buying, color, though sometimes an ingredient catches my eye and I go off plan. When I’m arranging, definitely emotion. I try to think less and just see how the ingredients work together. A lot of clients have a palette in mind, so sometimes I tweak the finished piece to fit. But I try to make something I love first, then tailor it to the client.

What’s one flower you think is criminally underrated?

Carnations. They last forever, and you can use them in installations without worrying about hydration. The color range is huge, but I also kind of love a true red carnation. Very James Bond

Are there flowers you refuse to use, no matter how trendy they become?

There are combinations I’d avoid, but no single ingredient I’d refuse. Anything en masse looks elegant. Even just a bouquet of sunflowers is gorgeous.

What interior design styles naturally pair with your floral style?

Honestly, any… I design with the setting in mind, so the arrangement either fits the room or plays against it. All interior styles benefit from fresh flowers, it adds a little soul. But my favorite aesthetic is lived-in, authentic, and collected.

If you could design an arrangement for any person, who would it be and why?

Dolly. An icon for all ages. There’s truly no one like her, and I know she appreciated flowers.

If you weren’t arranging flowers professionally, what do you think you’d be doing?

Working a 9 to 5 and getting great health insurance. Jokes! Something with my hands. Maybe making kids’ clothes. They’re expensive, and honestly the homemade pieces we’ve made for our son are my favorite.

A LIL RAPID FIRE PORTION…..

Favorite flower?

Tulips

Favorite foliage?

Jasmine

Morning market or late-night arranging?

Morning market with coffee

Vintage vase or ceramic vessel?

Vintage!

Wild and messy or sculptural and minimal?

Sculptural and wild!

xx,
P