more long lasting arrangements!

Permanent arrangements -

brunia and wood flower in birch container | dried artichoke blossoms aka cardoons | birch and pussywilow

Spring flowers at Bloomingayles ~ inspired botanicals

Bloomingayles-inspired botanicals at Mill Valley Lumber Yard

Bloomingayles opened in November 2013 at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, along with Guideboat Co. and Ambatalia. Artist studios, other retail shops and cafe, coming soon!

Bloomingayles-inspired botanicals

BLOOMINGAYLES 
PLANTS, CONTAINERS AND RELATED HOME AND GARDEN ACCESSORIES AND A CUSTOM, INSPIRING FLORAL DESIGN STUDIO

Bloomingayles’ founder, owner and Mill Valley resident, Gayle Nicoletti, describes her non-traditional style of creating natural arrangements as European with a West Coast twist. Bloomingayles celebrates the entire life of the flower, from seedling to the last petal falling to the tabletop. Bloomingayles evokes your senses with our signature creations and curated collection of nature inspired hostess gifts, vintage and modern objects for the home and fresh and permanent seasonal arrangements.   Bloomingayles serves many blooming needs; whether it be simply one bouquet for a gift or your own home, an intimate dinner party, family events, weddings or parties, Bloomingayles customizes something special for any occasion. Additionally, Bloomingayles stocks nature inspired permanent installations and plants for residences and businesses as well as vessels and vases for all your arrangement needs.

located in the Train Car

Monday – Friday  11-6,  Saturday 11-5,  Closed Sunday
Orders may be placed for pick-up & delivery
www.gaylenicoletti.com
info@gaylenicoletti.com
415-298-4047

Hope to see you soon!!

Bloomingayles-inspired botanicals

Bloomingayles at Mill Valley Lumber Company is Open!

Bloomingayles – inspired botanicals

We love our new space at Mill Valley Lumber Company!  We have seasonal wreaths, permanent arrangements, floral bouquets, succulents and ‘blessings’ – something for everyone!  Pre-order flowers for dinner parties and gifts.  415-298-4047.

Please stop by.  We are open daily Monday – Saturday, 11 – 6.

Flowers for 2013 Junior League ‘Hidden Gems of San Francisco’ Home Tour

 

Bloomingayles featured in SF Chronicle Home & Garden: Stylemaker Spotlight article by Anh-Minh Le

European savvy meets West Coast flair

Gayle Nicoletti

      Gayle Nicoletti

 

When she was 17 years old, New York native Gayle Nicoletti traveled by train from the East Coast to San Francisco. “I fell in love with Big Sur and the Northern California coastline,” she says. “I knew I had to live here.” She moved to the Bay Area 35 years ago and, for the past two decades, the self-taught floral designer has called Mill Valley home.

It was her travels to Europe that determined her career path; she was inspired by the flower shops in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and St. Tropez. “One morning, I walked down to the port in St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to buy flowers for my friends,” she recalls. “A woman was selling bouquets and the sun was shining and the sea was glistening. In that moment, I knew I wanted to launch a European-style flower shop when I returned to San Francisco.”

Bloomingayles has been around for 18 years – initially operating out of a small outdoor greenhouse in Mill Valley, and now out of a studio in Nicoletti’s home ( www.gaylenicoletti.com). She has corporate and residential clients whom she delivers to weekly, and designs flowers for special events. She also works with interior designers on custom installations, from live plants and blooms to permanent arrangements; has collaborated with stylists and architects for photo shoots; and has done staging for commercials and theater.

Her favorite flower? One that is especially popular this time of the year: roses. “I still remember my mother making bouquets of fragrant garden roses for my sister and me for the first day of school, dance recitals and other special occasions.”

The Nicoletti cheat sheet

Permanent fixture: “The many requests I’ve received over the years for long-lasting arrangements led me to develop a collection of permanent designs constructed of natural and preserved elements. I install custom designs by appointment, as well as display my birch and branch sculptures at Cabana Home in Mill Valley.” ( www.cabanahome.com)

Well contained: “When making a floral design, finding a fabulous container or vessel is half the battle. Astier de Villatte ceramic vessels and Simon Pearce glass vases are so beautifully crafted they can enhance your floral design or stand alone.”( www.astierdevillatte.comwww.simonpearce.com)

Grow a garden: “Many times when looking for fresh cut flowers, I will purchase the plant instead. For example, I’ll cut a hydrangea stem and use it in my floral design and then place the plant in my garden to add to my cutting garden. You can plant dahlias, roses, echinacea, various herbs, any plant you enjoy. It is such a pleasure to be able to go out to your own garden and snip a few blooms to casually place in your home.”

Past meets present: “My lifestyle seems to always be influenced by my European ancestry, my family traditions and New York roots. That is why I think of my floral design as European style with a West Coast twist. Parisian floral designer Christian Tortu has influenced me from the very start. His natural philosophy resonates with me. And I love the way European households always have fresh flowers on the table, even if it is only a sprig of ivy or a violet in a tiny cup.”

Words of wisdom: “Valentine’s Day is such a lovely, romantic tradition. It is a time to think about what your love means for your special someone and to take the time to send them a handwritten poem, sonnet or simple ‘I love you’ in a card you have chosen. The flowers can be a lovely bouquet of roses (traditional), tulips, ranunculus, lily of the valley (very precious), or nontraditional blooming branches.”

A few favorites

Screen shot 2013-02-02 at 3.24.50 PM

Workshops: “This is a birch sculpture that I designed and constructed for my studio, where I teach floral design workshops. I also like to take advantage of workshops given by other artists and designers. Some of my favorite artists to take classes from are Inez Storer for painting, collage, mixed media and ceramics; and Lauren McIntosh for painting, calligraphy, cursive and printing.” ( www.inezstorer.comwww.laurenmcintosh.com)

Screen shot 2013-02-02 at 3.25.01 PM

Weddings: “I loved being part of the wedding team for Emily Schuman, the blogger behind Cupcakes and Cashmere. Her wedding flowers were pink peonies, vintage garden roses and pink jasmine – perfect for the woodsy setting of the Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley.” ( www.cupcakesandcashmere.com)

Screen shot 2013-02-02 at 3.25.09 PM

2012 San Francisco Decorator Showcase: “Over the years, I have worked with interior designers to accentuate their rooms at the showcase with flowers, but last year I submitted my own plan to create a floral design studio and workshop. My room was selected, and it was an incredible experience.” (www.decoratorshowcase.org)

Anh-Minh Le is a Portola Valley freelancer. E-mail: home@sfchronicle.com.  Photo credits: Liz Hafalia/ The Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/stylemakerspotlight/article/European-savvy-meets-West-Coast-flair-4244350.php#ixzz2Jmr00w00

Bloomingayles on Gardenista

 

Michelle over at Gardenista wrote a lovely article about my recent Backyard Bouquet class.  Please be sure to read it by clicking here.

Inspiration board for upcoming wedding in Mill Valley at the Ralston White Retreat Center

This is the inspiration board that we are working from for the enchanted wedding at the Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley this weekend. Wedding team:

Floral design by Bloomingayles (www.gaylenicoletti.com)
Event planning by ‘bash, please’(www.bashplease.com)
Vintage containers by OneTrueLoveVintage Rentals(www.onetruelovevintage.com)
Photography by Max Wanger (www.maxwangerblog.com).

Floral design by Bloomingayles

San Francisco Gate Features Our Tips On Holiday Floral Displays

The San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com featured Bloomingayles secrets to long lasting holiday floral arrangements in the Home & Garden section on Sunday, December 19, 2010.  The editor included a beautiful image of a monochromatic design of green figs on branches from my website taken by the amazing photographer Leslie Sophia Lindell as well!  I enjoyed working on the article with Jeannie Matteucci, a SF Bay Area-based freelance writer who covers style, culture and home design for cover stories for SF Chronicle Home & Garden and a variety of top publications.  I am looking forward to collaborating with Jeannie on more design related articles in 2011!  Follow the link above for the full write up.

And for my faithful readers, here is a very brief summary of what I shared:

1.  Use a grouping of vases with a small number of flowers in each to create a modern and dramatic look.

2.  Go monochromatic for an elegant display.

3.  Stay seasonal in your choices!

Welcome

Welcome to my beautiful new blog…