Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Myslinsky.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
My story begins with 6 suitcases, a move across the country (after graduating from the University of San Francisco), 3 months of savings and a big dream of living in New York City to work in fashion.
Arriving in NYC, I first worked for a small internet start-up doing website merchandising and then landed a job at Saks Fifth Avenue as an Assistant Buyer in Eveningwear. These roots were the beginning of a long love affair with luxury retail. After 5 years on the merchandising and planning side of the business I made a leap into visual production based on a desire to dive deeper into the creative side of the business. This transition launched me on a new trajectory of working and building worldwide creative store environments. Specifically, I produced everything from window and interior displays to holiday decor, rugs, fixtures and basically anything that wasn’t a permanent furniture piece. For the next decade, I worked in this capacity for the corporate headquarters of David Yurman, Coach and Tiffany & Co.
At the helm of my retail career, I was the Creative Production and Sourcing Director for Tiffany & Co. In a nutshell, I worked alongside amazingly creative and talented visual designers and ultimately brought their wildest desires to stores. Here, we mocked-up windows in our in-house studio, experimenting with perspective, color theory, and production methods of 3D modeling, printing, molds and laser cutting. We bridged the gap between product and storytelling building stores, pop-ups, window displays and producing interior displays. We each became part of the narrative as we wove together creative environments around the world. Many of the projects I worked on are explored in the Assouline book Windows at Tiffany and Co, released in 2019: https://www.assouline.com/
In 2017, I took my first floral class at the Flower School New York as a way of exploring my own art form. On that frigid NYC night in January, a new ambition began to unfold. I naturally gravitated towards the color and texture of flowers, quickly discovering that floral design blended my passions for art, design and production. Flowers had the power to change space and evoke an emotional reaction. I was hooked. Taking the rich learnings from my luxury retail career, I decided to launch Field & Floret.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Goodness, no! Is it ever a smooth road?
We relocated to Austin, TX for my husband’s job in 2019 and I had plans of what life would be like as an artist and entrepreneur in my new city. However, little did we know the world was about to flip over.
Covid, paused my business plans as we lived through the early part of the pandemic. However, now that we’re coming forth on the other side, I’ve re-launched my business with a renewed sense of clarity. I’ve started to envision what life looks like after covid. For example, what types of experiences we desire when out at restaurants and traveling the world.
It’s almost as if I’ve spent the Covid years envisioning a new found freedom and elevation of life. When I am dreaming within the white space of time my most creative work flows in a stream of consciousness. It sounds silly, but I feel like a child again. Giddy with excitement of what’s to come.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
Field & Floret is a fine art floral and design studio. We provide tailored floral design for hospitality, restaurants, commercial and residential spaces. At our core, we understand the need to tell a cohesive brand story across all marketplaces. We work with businesses in all shapes and sizes. You dream it and we figure out how to visually tell the story within your budget and timeline. That is the essence of what we do.
What sets us apart is my experience working within the demanding and ever changing creative field with some of the most respected Creative Directors. I learned very early in my career, how to design, source and produce a luxury best-in-class product. Today, Field & Floret is held to the same design integrity that was ingrained into my interior from years of luxury creative work. Whether we are sourcing flowers, vases, holiday decor or the mechanics that hold up a visual display, every detail is evaluated for quality, color correctness, sightlines and pressure tested for extremities (climate, audience or simply unknown elements).
In designing, I’m often most taken with a unique stem, striking color palettes and adding textural elements such as curly willow or flowering branches. I also love to experiment with negative space and movement. These design elements give character to the natural juxtaposition between art and design. A floral arrangement or visual display must be both: a piece of art and functional design. Ultimately, If you enter a space and have an emotional reaction to the environment then I’ve done my job.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is actually a very simple, yet fragrant one. I grew up on a farm in Sonoma Country, California and the perimeter was walled with these enormous eucalyptus trees. In the Spring and Summer my Mother would shoo us kids, (my two sisters, brother and I) out the door to play in our fields. We’d often find ourselves along the perimeter of our property playing in the trees. Large branches hung low creating natural hiding areas and the ideal spot for us to play. We’d spend hours breathing in the minty tang of eucalyptus while building elaborate forts, crushing the leaves with rocks and painting with dirt and crushed dandelions.
Contact Info:
- Email: fieldandfloret@gmail.com
- Website: www.fieldandfloret.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fieldandfloret/
Image Credits
Select images: Amy Weiss photography
