Product Description

New York's premier fashion industry florist, Michael George is known for his signature graphic, modern arrangements that are as popular in Manhattan hotels and storefronts as they are on the pages of Vogue and on the set of Good Morning America. In Simply Elegant Flowers, George shares his secrets for creating these beautiful arrangements as he guides you, season by season, through a year of flowers.

George's philosophy of living and creating with flowers is contagious, and soon you'll agree that fresh, seasonal arrangements can enhance your life every day, not just on special occasions. His compositions recreate flowers as they are in nature--which, as he reminds us, is already perfect. Typically overlooked blooms, like carnations, take on a stunning new character when arranged en masse in a perfect dome, while more exotic stems, like dendrobium orchids, are at their most elegant when allowed to stand alone in a simple vase.

Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and photographs show you how to master George's techniques for building clean, contemporary floral compositions with his trademark architectural precision. Along the way, George shares helpful insights from a lifetime of working with flowers, and his recommendations of choice blooms for every season give you the confidence you need to begin creating your own unique arrangements, regardless of your budget. Beautiful photography brings the flowers to life on every page as he shows you how simple it is to apply these basic techniques to virtually any bloom. With Simply Elegant Flowers as your guide, you'll be arranging flowers like a professional--and displaying them like a celebrity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43688 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

About the Author
Michael George is the owner of Hybrid and the artistic director of Flower School New York. He is a second-generation florist who specializes in monochromatic, monofloral arrangements that are disciplined and modern. Michael has appeared on television numerous times and is considered New York's leading fashion florist.

At Flower School New York, Michael oversees and puts his stamp of approval on each and every florist who instructs at the school. He teaches his minimalist style--a style that demands architectural precision in design and a keen eye for color. His school attracts professional from around the world. Michael's clients include Giorgio Armani, Atlantic Records, Hugo Boss, Columbia Records, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Tom Ford, Gucci, Jive Records, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Modern Bride, New York Magazine, The Rainbow Room, Sony, Ian Schrager Hotels, Yves Saint Laurent and Vera Wang. His arrangements have been displayed or profiled in Allure, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Details, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart Living magazines and Vogue. Michael and his flowers have appeared on Martha Stewart, and his arrangements are regularly featured on Good Morning America.

Customer Reviews

Simply beautiful!!
My mother ordered this book after she and I went to see a Michael George lecture at a local museum. To begin with, we really liked Michael George as a person and that made ordering his book an easy decision. He has a great sense of humor and, despite having celebrity clientèle, is down to earth and without pretense.

The book itself is stunning. Each glossy page features pictures full of color and life and the arrangements are truly inspiring. Michael's philosophy is to "keep things simple." He feels that, the more natural, the more beautiful and therefore one does not need to go crazy when arranging their flowers.

The book is divided in the following manner:

Foreword by Martha Stewart
Introduction by Michael George (in which he explains his philosophy)

PART 1: Floral Design
Chapter 1: Flowers in Today's World
Chapter 2: Tools & Tricks of the Trade
Chapter 3: Signature Flower Arranging Techniques

PART 2: Four Seasons
Chapter 4: Spring
Chapter 5: Summer
Chapter 6: Autumn
Chapter 7: Winter

Index

One of the best features of the book is Michael's explanation of his "Hybrid Tabletop" technique. He shows the reader how to do it (step-by-step) with classic and miniature calla lilies. The result is a gorgeous arrangement with stems that appear twisted (I'm not doing the way it looks justice with that explanation but I don't know how else to describe it). Michael uses all glass containers which really show-case the bright green stems. He gives instruction on stacking the flowers, before cutting, how to cut (and what tools to use), how to gently manipulate the stems of certain flowers to achieve varying looks, how to use clear rubber bands to hold your arrangements together, what temperature water to use in your arrangements and many other helpful hints.

In conclusion, this book is perfect for a coffee table but it is also so much more, given that it offers loads of instruction. Do not hesitate to purchase this for yourself or as a gift for someone else (this would be a great Mother's Day gift for any mother who enjoys flowers).

Simply Gorgeous
I really enjoyed this book. The photography is fabulous, and I learned so much about the different flowers. I bought it as a coffee-table book and put it out in the living room. Then I saw my 12-year-old daughter reading it, completely fascinated. We went to the Korean market to buy flowers and started to arrange a bouquet back home--which is actually something Michael George recommends doing with the family. Our simple arrangement of tulips is holding up and continues to make us smile when we pass by it. We're already planning on doing more. A very nice book, which isn't in the living room anymore!

Simply Fabulous
I was surprised to see another reviewer calling the book pedestrian and not cutting-edge. I would say quite the opposite. I have a few other flower arranging books and I think this one is by far the most modern and stylish. The arrangements are very minimalist but that's what makes them so stunning and impactful. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in flowers and flower arranging.