our story

A few years ago, I was standing around a table, working with my hands and being taught a new skill — the art of floristry. I knew in that moment I wanted a place where people could come together, create, and share their stories and knowledge. We learn through teaching, we learn through listening, and we learn through doing. I believe this common pursuit produces the best product, and we all get to be proud of what we send out into the world.

I was lucky that at that time, Katie was also standing around that table. She understood my vision, and Blooms Collective quickly became our shared dream of place where community and shared experiences connect people. Today we are excited to welcome you to the studio — the reality of that dream — whether it’s for a flower arrangement for a special occasion, because you love beautiful things in your life, because you are joining us for a workshop, or just because you want to look around and smell the roses. We look forward to you being part of our collective.

xoxo,

Lauren & Katie

Lauren lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, three children, and a sassy boxer named Louise. She has lived off and on in the UK, as well as the New York/Connecticut area, but DC is home. Originally a large animal veterinarian, she came to floristry in a very Sliding Doors kind of moment. After experiencing the loss of her mother, she was seeking a reboot and one evening while in an Uber (where many magical things happen — like tapping a button and having a car and driver show up and take you anywhere you want to go), she looked up and saw a name of a local flower shop. Two weeks later she was working at that flower shop and the rest is as they say history ... and a lot of freelancing, wiring, watering, so many flowers, late nights, and really, really, dry, cracked hands.

Katie also lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and a 95-pound lap dog, but she feels it's important you know she's truly a cat person at heart. Starting from childhood dreams of fashion designing or being an astronaut, Katie is happy to have landed somewhere in the middle after an overly long detour through corporate America. After a work-induced period of burnout during COVID, Katie was looking for a new path. As a gardener and creator of many farmers market flower arrangements, floristry seemed worth a try. A few years on, she can confidently say it was the right choice.