About Fiori Floral Design
Fiori has been Seattle's upscale alternative to traditional flower shops since 1995. Our floral artistry graces the homes, events and offices of discriminating individuals and businesses.
Our client list includes Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, St. John Knits, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Seattle Art Museum, Hotel Monaco, and Wild Ginger restaurant. Our arrangements have been featured in Vogue, Romantic Homes, Seattle Bride, Seattle Homes & Lifestyles and other publications.
We specialize in the French style of floral design called pavé, a jeweler's term for setting precious stones closely together so they appear to cover the entire surface of a piece of jewelry.
Floral artists use this technique as well, placing blooms closely together to create arrangements that appear to be made entirely of blossoms. In glass vases, stems are hidden by leaves so the focus remains on the flowers. We make intentional choices so that no element is used just as filler, but is integral to an arrangement's beauty and structure.
We use only premium flowers and no extraneous filler. Expect flowers like beautiful hydrangeas, Cymbidium Orchids and premium roses accented with interesting textures. As much as possible we focus on local, sustainably grown flowers from local flower farms. Each week we change our color palette so that we have a constantly changing variety of flowers to work with.
Please call us with any special requests as they are always welcome.
Miles Johnson and Leigh Grossman
Miles Johnson, Owner
I am true Seattle native (there are a few of us!) with grandparents and great-grandparents buried here. I attended the University of Washington (Go Dawgs! – please don’t hold it against me if you are Cougar and I won’t hold being a Cougar against you) earning degrees in Business Administration and Economics. I put my degrees to use as a buyer for various Seattle based retailers but longed for a career with fewer meetings.
With the help of a career counselor, I narrowed in on what I was missing and that was creativity. Soon it became clear that owning a flower shop would be a good fit with my interests. After looking at options, I decided to purchase the best flower shop in Seattle, known at the time as Fiori Floral & Garden.
It was an extreme leap of faith that has been rewarding on so many levels. Besides fulfilling my desire to be creative, I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people (some of whom I had only read about in newspapers), had my shop’s work featured in Vogue and other magazines, demonstrated floral design on a local TV station, and have taught hundreds of people the art of pavé floral design in classes in my studio. I view flowers as an expression of people’s emotions. It is an honor and a charge that I do not take lightly.
I have loved flowers my whole life. When the peonies opened in the yard of my first home I was smitten. You will never find me in a bad mood during local peony season! My yard has been turned into a cutting garden for use in our creations with mint, andromeda, dozens of hydrangea bushes, hellebores and the most amazing lilac you have ever seen, all grown with love and a respect for the environment. I have been honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Wholesale Grower’s Market, a co-operative of regional flower growers, as an Industry Representative, promoting the Slow Flowers movement and sustainable flowers.
What really makes this business special are the people. When I bought Fiori Floral Design in 2003, the manager at the time was Leigh Grossman, a woman who has taught me so much when I knew so little and who I have grown to love and admire. Leigh and I are a true team in business and close friends outside of work. I call Leigh my “Gift with Purchase.”
Leigh Grossman, Creative Director
I have been in the floral industry since, well, let’s just say my entire adult life. I started working summers while in college making hand-tied bouquets for a Bay Area florist located next door to an enormous cemetery. I next worked at the renowned Podesta Baldocchi in San Francisco. Their Christmases were famous with lines a block long to get into the store to see their dazzling themed trees.
Moving to Seattle was thrilling as a designer; it is a floral paradise here. There is an amazing variety of some of my favorite growing in my backyard: lilac, peonies, roses, wisteria, hydrangea, dahlias and on and on.
Even after so many years, I still get excited about the flowers that cross our threshold at Fiori Floral Design. In fact, my dance to celebrate the season’s first bunch of Muscari is known city-wide.
I come from a family that was centered around the Arts. Theater, museums and photography influenced my creativity, my eye for color and space and my sense of drama. By nature, I see the big picture and the small picture (a blessing and a curse), but for my role as Fiori’s Creative Director, it is this vision that provides our clientele with a floral, wedding or event that exceeds their expectations.
