"Highlights from my Flower Career: Princess Beatrice's 18th Birthday Party at the Windsor Castle; Salma Hayek and Francois Henri Pinault's wedding in Venice; and the
Flower Photograph Project in Thailand to commemorate the King's 60 years on the throne and 80th
birthday."
Flowers courtesy of TheBouqs
Much like the merits of a good haircut, fancy-ass cheese boards, French bath oils with names we can't pronounce and a well-fitting, beautifully made bra, flowers are just one of those little things that for us make all the difference in our day-to-day. Much like the latter, they make your life instantly Instagram-friendly (whatever, you were thinking it too), and in this weather, the potent, placebo-like effects on our mood are palpable. And given that they're staples in the homes of everyone from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Emily Schuman to Miranda Kerr, Amy Astley, Adam Glassman, Rumi Neely... yeah, pretty much everyone ever, we dare you not to find reason to throw some $8 tulips in a mason jar and feel the teensiest bit better every time you see them.
"I had been living in London working for Versace and then Valentino, and wanted to move out of fashion, so I moved back to London to figure out what I wanted to do
when I grew up. A friend was having a party and I said, “Oh, I will do the flowers.” It was fun and everyone was calling her after to ask who had done them. She gave people my number as a joke. Somehow I did a couple of things for Hollywood types and loved it... the rest is
history."
"Being in my late 20s and working with Versace was an amazing
experience. Versace was the king. I always remember the times at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. So
fun. Glamorous shows with rock stars, movie stars. Then the most amazing after
parties. Naomi Campbell and I became friends when she was 16. We have been close since then.
She is loyal, lovely and lively."Fast forward to the afternoon we spent with Eric Buterbaugh, the Beverly Hills-based florist behind TheBouqs, which, not going to lie, is essentially the online flower service of our dreams, sending your bouquets straight from farms in South America the day of your order. Eric has created floral arrangements for the likes of everyone from Nicole Richie to Salma Hayek to Demi Moore to Princess Beatrice (you know, the one with the insane hats?) to CHANEL and Dior.
While stopping by Buterbaugh's eponymous floral shop at The Four Seasons, we tasked him with putting together three Valentine's Day arrangements—you know, in lieu of Kiki de Montparnasse paddles and Charlotte Olympia clutches—for three of the, ahem, favorites in your life: your Drake-lyric-worthy ex, your judgmental in-law, and one for your secret crush. Or to, uh, send to yourself at the office with an anonymous note, if you completely lack all and any self-awareness.
"The red rose says love. Other than that I don’t feel that flowers
have meaning."
As Buterbaugh got down to work, he filled us in on his (unreal) career so far, a few floral faux-pas and oh yeah, that time he became besties with Naomi Campbell. "Being in my late 20's and working with Versace was an amazing experience—Versace was the king! I always remember the times at the Ritz in Paris, glamorous shows with rock stars, movie stars, then the most amazing after parties. Naomi [Campbell] and I became friends when she was 16. We have been close since then—she is loyal, lovely and lively!"
"Flower arrangement pet-peeve: too many colors. I call it fruit salads." 
"I have been in the Four Seasons Hotel for 17 years. It is amazing to be here. They let me use the hotel
as a playground to try new looks and over the top creations. It is really like family here and I
never want to leave."
So how exactly does one go from Versace prints to peonies (white are his favorite)? "I had been living in London working for Versace, and then Valentino and wanted go move out of fashion. I moved back to London to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up, and a friend was having a party and I said, 'Oh, I'll do the flowers!' It was fun and everyone was calling her to ask who had done them. She gave people my number as a joke. Somehow I did a couple of things for Hollywood types and loved it... the rest is history!"
All Vanity Fair-worthy anecdotes aside, our visit to Buterbaugh's wasn't without its lessons in all things botanical.
Why should you snip away at the stems of fresh flowers, for instance? “[The stem] clots up like if you cut your arm and had a scab on it. It doesn’t pull water anymore, so if you cut it, it starts pulling water again. Another way is to put a few drops of bleach in the water. The feeder stuff [that you get with the bouquet] is something of a dry bleach." The more you know.
In between dispensing flower life-lengthening tips and spilling his distaste for lilies, Buterbaugh brought our vision of three distinctive bouquets to life.
"I can't live without my:
1. Christian Louboutin high heeled men’s boots (80cm) 2. Lanvin shirts
3. Jennifer Meyer diamond necklaces
4. I'm obsessed with mid-century glass
5. Aqua Universalis Forte Eau de Perfume by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Classic red roses for your ex ("the really love-birdie ones, they always want red. At Valentines, probably half the orders are red"), orange roses for your judgmental mother-in-law ("It’s friendly, but there could just be a little touch of fire. Just as a ‘wink, wink, wink’ because the orange is sort of a fiery color, so you have just that touch of ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, b*tch’") and white ranunculus ("pure as the driven snow") for your secret admirer. It's the thought that counts, right?
"Highlights from my Flower Career: Princess Beatrice's 18th Birthday Party at the Windsor Castle; Salma Hayek and Francois Henri Pinault's wedding in Venice; and the
Flower Photograph Project in Thailand to commemorate the King's 60 years on the throne and 80th
birthday."