Miami: How Travel Shapes My Floral Designs

When people think about floral design, they often assume inspiration begins with flowers.

The truth is, some of my favorite ideas begin long before I step into a flower market or open Pinterest. They begin while wandering through a new city, lingering in a historic garden, noticing the way afternoon light falls across old architecture, or discovering an unexpected color palette in a quiet corner of a neighborhood.

Travel has always been one of the greatest influences on the way I see the world, and, in turn, the way I design.

Our recent trip to Miami was a reminder of just how much inspiration exists beyond the flowers themselves.

Looking Beyond the Blooms

As floral designer, it's easy to become consumed by flower varieties, mechanics, and recipes. While those things are an essential part of our craft, I've found that the most meaningful designs often come from paying attention to everything surrounding them.

During our time in Miami, I found myself constantly observing.

The lush tropical gardens at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. The orchids tucked into the historic orchidarium. Layers of palms casting shadows across stone pathways. The contrast between vibrant foliage and weathered architecture. Buckets overflowing with flowers beneath an overpass in the Design District. Even conversations shared over dinner and the colors found in beautifully plated meals became part of the story.

These moments may seem unrelated to floral design, but together they create a feeling. And it's that feeling I'm always trying to recreate through flowers.

Continuing to Learn

One of the highlights of the trip was spending time learning and creating alongside a floral designer whose work has inspired me for years.

One of my favorite things about this industry is that there is always more to discover. Every designer approaches flowers differently, and stepping into another creative's studio is a reminder that growth comes from curiosity, not perfection.

Watching someone else's process, asking questions, experimenting with unfamiliar techniques, and creating alongside other designers challenged me to look at my own work with fresh eyes.

I left feeling inspired, not to replicate someone else's style, but to continue refining my own.

Translating a Place Into Flowers

One of my favorite exercises during the workshop was creating floral arrangements inspired by Miami itself.

Rather than recreating something I had seen, I wanted to capture the feeling of the city.

One arrangement leaned into lush garden movement and layered textures, echoing the romantic gardens of Vizcaya. Another embraced bold tropical forms with anthuriums, orchids, ginger, and gloriosa, reflecting the vibrant energy found throughout the city.

The goal wasn't to copy Miami.

It was to translate it.

I think that's what design is at its best: taking inspiration from the world around us and creating something that feels both familiar and entirely new.

Bringing Inspiration Home

One of the reasons I chose the name Noma is because it was inspired by the word nomad.

To me, it represents a life of wandering with intention, collecting ideas, experiences, colors, textures, and stories from the places we visit and allowing them to quietly shape the work we create.

Every destination leaves behind something worth carrying home.

As I prepare for the weddings ahead this season, I'll be bringing a little piece of Miami with me. Not by recreating the city, but by weaving its colors, textures, movement, and sense of place into designs that tell each couple's own story.

Because inspiration rarely comes from just flowers.

Sometimes, it begins with wandering.