FLORETTE, also known by ji su hua in Chinese, is a small flower shop hidden away in Beijing, China. It’s not an exaggeration to describe it as being hidden – in order to get there you have to first enter a courtyard in Baiziwan, make your way past a rock climbing activity center, and keep walking until you see a large chimney on the left. FLORETTE is located at the side of this chimney. It’s a small cottage with a red roof that sits independently by itself. Extending from the building and through the courtyard is a path consisting of red bricks that leads visitors into FLORETTE. Nowadays, most of FLORETTE’s business is done online; this physical location is primarily a private workspace for the owner and is only open to the general public over the weekends.
FLORETTE，中文名为“几束花”，是隐藏在北京城内的一个小花店。说隐藏实不为过，进入百子湾的一个大院子后，走过攀岩馆，路过足球馆，直到看到左侧的大烟囱，FLORETTE就在烟囱的旁边。这是一个红顶独栋小屋，红砖道从小屋一直铺到院子外。事实上，FLORETTE的花主要以线上销售为主，于是这个花店平日里主要用于主人私人工作室的办公，周末才对外开放。
The founder Taiwan-born Isabelle Sun and her husband Tim Kwan both come from architectural backgrounds. The two first discovered this cottage by pure chance, and fell in love with it at first sight. Originally used to manufacture miscellaneous car parts, it was later abandoned and neglected. But this cottage had open spaces all around it, there was a large tree and chimney, and the house was built in a perfectly rectangular shape – even the windows are similarly shaped. For these two, the house seemed like it almost came straight out of a fairy tale, especially the simple and minimal facade. After renovations, the 9×9 meter square space was divided into three sections: a flower arrangement area, display aisles, as well as a space for miscellaneous work and flower refrigeration. The height of the building is another reason the coupled loved this location, and so situated right above the refrigeration area is the couple’s private second floor workspace.
创立人Isabelle Sun来自台湾，与其先生Tim Kwan均为建筑出身。最初发现这间小屋时纯属误闯，却也一见钟情。这里原为汽车零件生产厂房，被废置后破烂不堪，可房子前后都有空地，旁边有大树和烟囱，整个房子方方正正，对称的窗，一如童年画的房子，简简单单。经过两位设计师的一番改造，这个9x9m的方正空间，如今被划为三等份: 花的制作区，过道，剩下的为密集功能区以及鲜花冷藏室。这间旧厂房的高挑高也是这对夫妻喜欢这里的原因，所以在功能区的上方设置有二楼，被用作他们的私人工作区。
Isabelle and her husband grew up in New Zealand. Both of their mothers were stay-at-home moms, and similarly, spent a lot of time gardening behind their houses. Having been influenced by this, Isabelle began viewing plants and flowers as an essential part of her life. After moving out on her own, she would adopt the habit of buying plants. “That way, I would have fresh flowers in my house every week,” she said. After moving to Beijing – a place known for its dry climate, tall buildings, and hectic city life, the lifestyle she was accustomed to became difficult to maintain. Flower shops aren’t common in Beijing and the variety of flowers available are limited, so Isabelle decided to open up her own flower shop.
Isabelle与先生均成长于新西兰，双方母亲也均为家庭主妇，一天中有很多时间是花费在自家大院中剪花修草。Isabelle耳濡目染，也将花花草草视为生活中自然必要的一部分。开始独立居住后，她便开始养成买花的习惯，“接下来一个礼拜家里就都有鲜花了，”她说。直至移居到北京，一座矗立高楼大厦，到处都干燥无比又繁忙的北方城市，她的这一习惯开始受到了挑战。这里的鲜花店并不频见，花的种类也略为匮乏。于是，她便索性开启自己的花店。
In FLORETTE, besides the conventional flowers one can find at most flower shops, Isabelle has a collection of seasonal flowers from around the globe. At times, she even carries wildflowers from Beijing that locals tend to overlook; other times, she will have rarer flowers like the betel flower. Customers can purchase freshly cut flowers and creatively arrange it themselves, but their prearranged signature bouquets are also available. “You don’t just leave flowers there after you buy them. You need to go home, open them, and release them from the packaging the moment you get home – then pick a suitable vase, prune the flowers, and arrange them. Anything with a life force is ever-changing; so after a few days, they will require additional pruning, and the arrangement will need readjusting. Different seasons will bear different flowers, when you put them in your home, you can feel the changing of the seasons and become more attuned to the flow of time.” Through FLORETTE, Isabelle hopes to generate more interaction between people and nature.
在FLORETTE，除了常规鲜花，Isabelle也从世界各地搜罗特别的当季鲜花。有时候，有北京当地不被人注意的小草花；有时候，也会有你完全想不到的槟榔花。你可以在这里挑选已经设计好的精选花束，也可以直接选购新鲜切花，自己发挥创意。“买了花并不是就放着了，而是一到家就需要动手把它们从包装中解放出来。挑选容器，修剪花枝，搭配摆置。有生命的东西是会变化的。所以过个几天，它们需要再次修剪，调整摆放。每个季节都有不一样的花，把它们放在家里，感受大自然的变化，感受时间的流逝。”Isabelle希望，她能通过FLORETTE将这种人和自然的互动以及感受分享给更多人。
“At this market, known as the Woodstock of Eating, over 80% of our customers had never purchased flowers before. They didn’t know what to do with it after they bring it home, I was pretty shocked. Being located in Beijing’s Sanlitun, this event was attended by all of the hippest people in the area, but most people had next to no knowledge about flowers,” Isabelle was surprised about having to explain very basic things as she was selling the flowers, but she was also very welcoming to these first-timers. “In a way, I felt a sense of accomplishment. In other places, I operate strictly like a business and don’t run into these kinds of issues. Here, we are guiding the people who don’t understand, and this creates more interaction between us and the customers. Although it was unexpected, it felt immensely rewarding.”
然而，“在伍德吃托克市集上，我们80%的顾客之前从来没买过花，拿回家里不知道怎么办。我当时蛮惊讶，在北京，在三里屯，这个活动都是最hip的人来参加，但似乎大家对这个概念都非常弱。”Isabelle很意外地注意到，她不得不一边卖鲜花，一边为人讲解这方面的基本常识以及这种生活方式。所以，每位客人的初次尝试都让她备受鼓舞。“某一方面，这让我很有成就感。在别的地方只是单纯的business，不会有这种情况。在这边，我们为不理解的人指导，所以就有更多的互动。这是特别大的意外收获。”她高兴地说道。
Coming from a background of interior design and architecture, complementing space and colors is second nature to her. And as a creative herself, Isabelle is closely knit with the entire creative community. So besides only selling flowers, Isabelle also hosts FLORETTE’s Living Room, a salon that takes place in the shop. The second floor private workspace in FLORETTE transforms into a homely living room, and Isabelle invites various individuals to come in and share their lifestyle philosophies, anything flower-related or aesthetics-related. Besides that, there will often be workshops that people can participate in, which allows them to exercise their creativity in a hands-on manner. Isabelle doesn’t want people to only take photographs of beautiful things, but she also wants them to learn to cherish and appreciate these things. She hopes that these events can be inspirational for their daily lives.
对于作为空间建筑设计师的她来说，空间比例色彩上的搭配都是信手拈来的事。作为创意人，Isabelle和整个创意社区也保持着紧密的联系。除了贩售鲜花，在这里还有“FLORETTE的客厅”，这是FLORETTE发起并组织的聚会沙龙。每每此时，FLORETTE会从工作室变成闲适的客厅，邀请“生活家”们来分享与花、与美，或与生活本身相关的事物。此外，还有各类创意活动让参与者得以亲自动手发挥创意。Isabelle，她希望大家不只是给美好的东西拍照了事，她希望通过这些活动给人们带来更多的生活灵感。
As of now, FLORETTE has already been endorsed by Kinfolk, amongst a few other publications, and praised by people who see the importance in quality of life. It’s no surprise, as this shop is a great place to experience the colors and fragrances of nature amidst the urban cityscape of Beijing. The next time you’re in the area, be sure to swing by and buy a flower or two.
如今的FLORETTE，除了受到诸如Kinfolk以及其他各类媒体的青睐，也受到热爱生活人们的厚爱。如果你也在北京，不妨到FLORETTE感受一下创意，也给自己买几束花，一起享受花的色彩和芬芳，体会自然的美好。
Address:
No. 5 Baiziwan Road, Shimen Village
Chaoyang District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China
Phone:
0086-4008 356937
Website: florette.com.cn
Weibo: FLORETTE-几束花
WeChat: FLORETTE_FLORIST
Contributors: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
Photographer: Banny Wang
地址:
中国
北京朝阳区
百子湾路石门村5号院
电话:
0086-4008 356937
网站: florette.com.cn
微博: FLORETTE-几束花
微信: FLORETTE几束花
供稿人: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
摄影师: Banny Wang
