When I was traveling professionally, I always used to stay at the the George V because it was so luxurious and centrally located just off the Champs Élysées. The Four Seasons Hotel George V was built by Joel Hillman at a cost of $31 million and opened in 1928 in honor of King George V. Its next owner was François Dupré who also owned the Plaza Athénée at 25 avenue Montaigne in Paris and the Ritz Carlton Montreal. It is one of the most famous hotels in Paris, Le Cinq restaurant has two Michelin stars. It was bought in 2008 by the Four Seasons Group. The flowers at the hotel have a special story. Jeff Leatham is the superstar florist who has been named best hotel florist in Europe three years running. He is the official artistic director of the George V and has often been compared to an abstract artist. Jeff’s work is a combination of his love for flowers and his passion for design. His creations are bold statements, using shape, color and simplicity to produce a dramatic effect. Breathtaking and unforgettable, Jeff’s flowers and design essentials are always integral to the setting, never merely a backdrop.
The lobby is filled with flowers, but this is just the beginning of the show. Notice the flowers are placed in the vases at an angle, to better show the faces of the flowers, a trick of the artistic director Jeff Leatham.
The marble courtyard is the focal point of the floral display and the hotel although the flowers are everywhere. Jeff Leatham has written two books, “Flowers by Jeff Leatham” and “Flowers by Design” and has been featured on numerous TV shows including Martha Stewart. He has his own show, “Flowers Uncut”, on the Discovery Channel on Wednesdays. Twelve thousand flowers a week are delivered each week to the George V from Amsterdam, every three weeks he develops a new theme. The George V spends over 100,000€ a month to maintain this lavish spectacle. The “Purple Rain” effect is created with Anco Pure Vanda Orchids, a company that produces these stunning blue/purple orchids from The Neatherlands. I especially like the combination of Anco Pure Vanda Orchids with Black Calla Lilies and Purple Hydrangea shown above.
The room for the tea, La Gallerie, is adjacent to the outdoor marble courtyard. The same purple flower theme was carried into the room with the Anco Pure Vanda Orchids.
At the end of La Gallerie is the reception desk for the George Cinq restaurant which had this lovely arrangement. The inside of the restaurant was decorated with pink orchids, pink peonies and white hydrangeas.
In front of the gift shop were white hydrangea and giant pink peonies. At the end of a hallway was this stunning arrangement of pink orchids and purple hydrangeas.
“Jeff’s work has redefined floral design as we know it. I see his influence in my travels all over the world. And when I don’t see it, what’s before me simply looks outdated…. His work is an art form, graphic, architectural and always beautiful.” Kylie Minogue
Leatham’s floral design clientele is as impressive as his work, including Tina Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Celine Dion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President and Secretary of State Clinton. Leatham had the honor of designing the flowers for the wedding of Marc Mezvinsky to Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as designing the flowers for the Royal Wedding in Qatar. If you are in Paris, consider the surprisingly affordable Tea at the Four Seasons just to see the flowers.
References:
Georges V Website: http://www.fourseasons.com/paris/
Jeff Leatham: http://jeffleatham.com/
Martha Stewart and Jeff Leatham: http://www.marthastewart.com/913559/good-thing-jeff-leathams-flower-arrangements
Flowers by Jeff Leatham: http://books.google.fr/books/about/Flowers_By_Jeff_Leatham.html?id=Bf_lrsnorrAC&redir_esc=y
Flowers by Design: http://books.google.fr/books/about/Flowers_by_Design.html?id=Q6PoHAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Jeff Leatham Pininterst: http://pinterest.com/fsparis/jeff-leatham-s-flowers/
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