George V Hotel & Florist Extraordinaire

Last night I was dreaming of a weekend in Paris, and found myself perusing gorgeous photos from the majestic George V Hotel.

 History 

Hotel George V is a famous luxury hotel set just off the Champs-Élysées on Avenue George V,
in Paris, France.

The Hotel George V is an eight story hotel built by Joel Hillman at a cost of $31 million and opened in 1928. Its next owner was François Dupré who also owned the Plaza Athénée at 25 avenue Montaigne in Paris and the Hotel Ritz in Montreal. It has 245 guest rooms and is the winner of several awards from Condé Nast Traveler + every other luxury traveller in the world.

As of 2008 it is managed by Four Seasons Hotels and is owned by Kingdom Holding Company, the investment company controlled by HRH Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. The Le Cinq restaurant has two Michelin stars. The general manager and regional vice president is Christopher Norton.

  But what really caught my eye were the incredible designs by in-house florist Jeff Leatham, known as the ‘rock ‘n roll florist’ by his celebrity clientele

(as in Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, & George Clooney.)

I have not stayed in the hotel since it's recent renovation & re-opening, but I know from

just having cocktails there that the flowers alone are worth the price of a drink or dinner.

Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere have I ever seen flowers this elaborate and

visually stunning.

As another example:

Eva Longoria's Wedding Flowers, designed by Jeff Leatham

below

Style-setting clients like Eva Longoria (who pegged Leatham

as florist for her lavish wedding to Tony Parker), are drawn to his strong,

architectural looks that often use a monochromatic palette to stunning effect.

From an interview with Leatham in France Magazine:

“Basically, I’m the John Galliano of flowers.”

Settled comfortably into the plump cushions of a Louis XVI chair

at the Four Seasons George V,

Jeff Leatham matter-of-factly delivers the perfect

analogy for his place in the world of floral design.”

Jeff Leatham arranging flowers at the George V Hotel

According to the description by France Magazine, his creativity knows no bounds: “Rather than merely adorning the George V with tasteful arrangements, he has practically turned the hotel into a fabulous backdrop for his daring creations. In fact, the word “arrangements” hardly begins to convey Leatham’s work; “installations” is perhaps more apt.”

Lobby of the George V Hotel in Paris

Recently, the space in front of a majestic mirror was occupied by 15 transparent four-foot-high vases holding up a sheet of glass, which in turn was topped by dozens of smaller vases filled with vara orchids, forming a stunning bright-purple carpet. The entire composition took up about 100 square feet.

Hotel George V

Hotel George V

Love these simple yet striking clusters of peonies designed by Leatham for a wedding at the George V.

By the way, if you’re like me, you’re curious to know the hotel’s annual floral budget that allows them to refresh thousands of blooms hourly… reportedly, a cool $1 Million

(I thought it would be more!)


One thing in particular to note:  Jeff has NO formal training.
His personality which is vibrant and his individual styling have
made him one of the most famous floral designers in the world.
Think of this:  NO FORMAL TRAINING
This should be an inspiration to any young person in the world who
aspires to achieve anything artistic.

 To see more of Mr. Leatham's work go to his website

http://www.jeffleatham.com/

or view his TV show "Flowers Uncut"

on TLC/Discovery Channel

which airs on Wednesday