1. Town or Country? Both have their joys. The country is quieter of course. As I live in one and work in the other, I have the best of both worlds, but I don’t always enjoy the M11 on a Friday afternoon.
2. Can you name your three essentials – what items you refuse to leave the house (or studio) without? A sketchpad, a camera and my glasses.
3. Pulbrook and Gould started life on Sloane Street back in 1956 and has since moved to South Kensington – what does it mean to you to lead a brand with that kind of history and journey behind it? Keeping continuity has been essential as the company has grown, moved and evolved. It’s important that we remain true to the heritage whilst keeping up with contemporary opinion. I don’t think we’re at risk of AI being able to arrange flowers just yet!
4. If you could raid any garden in England for one afternoon, whose would it be? The gardens at Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire.
5. How do you think flowers can transform an interior space? They bring life to an interior, quite literally. As our founder Lady Pulbrook said, “I want everyone to enjoy flowers as much as I have. They have the power to affect your attitude to life.”
6. Colour, scent or form – which word resonates with you most when you think about a beautiful arrangement? Form, I think. That’s what I notice first with an arrangement – the height and fullness.
7. What’s the most extravagant or unexpected request a client has ever made of you? We transformed a ballroom into a 17th-century garden, complete with a fountain and pond with live fish. That commission paved the way for a few more unusual requests. When Lady Pulbrook set up the company, society hostesses tended to want to outdo the previous party.
8. Pulbrook and Gould was co-founded by Lady Pulbrook. If she walked into the studio today, what do you think she’d make of it? She’d be pleased that the English country garden was still the inspiration for all our florists. Even as we’ve expanded into modern floristry, we continue to refer to the company’s heritage and history. We’ve got a book coming out next year, so hopefully she’d be pleased with that too!
9. Is there a flower you secretly can’t stand, despite its popularity? There are no flowers that I really hate. Poinsettias have never been a favourite, as they remind me of supermarkets at Christmas, but every flower has its own redeeming qualities.
10. Out of everything Pulbrook and Gould has created over the past seventy years, is there a project or moment that still makes you smile, or that you’re particularly proud of? There is a picture in my mind of a country church decorated for a wedding, and the whole church was filled with cow parsley. It was so simple but so beautiful. There was so much detail in how it was all arranged, but so subtly done that it was made to look effortless. The ultimate in wedding chic.
11. If Pulbrook and Gould were a person at a party, how would you describe them? They would be the one who sends beautiful flowers with a handwritten thank-you letter.
12. What makes a property a Blue Book property? Distinction. All the houses are full of character and look particularly welcoming. You feel like you’d be able to go in and immediately feel at home.
Erik Karlsen is the Managing Director of Pulbrook & Gould, the prestigious London florist renowned for its timeless, English garden-inspired floral designs. To discover more about Pulbrook & Gould’s seventy-year heritage, signature style, bespoke arrangements and services, visit their website or Instagram (@pulbrookandgould).
