Nina Kincaid is the person behind Coco Rose Design, a floral design company specializing in elegant and charming weddings. Her Instagram account is a constant feed of beautiful floral arrangements from pretty and sweet bouquets to bold and bright centerpieces. Based in Santa Barbara but also drawing from her Hawaiian roots, Nina’s work is marked by flowers and plants that are both romantic and environmentally conscious. Her floral design for a wedding at El Encanto in the foothills of Santa Barbara illustrates this aesthetic. From centerpieces in the couple’s color palette to combining Classic French Anduze pottery in a simple antiqued grey with a striking arrangement of smoke bush and liquid amber. Nina graciously answered some of our questions.

Eye of the Day: Tell me a little about yourself and how you decided to pursue a career in floral and event design.

Nina Kincaid: I have always had a passion for plants and flowers as well as a great love of art, I discovered floral design as a way to express my art while working with a medium I feel deeply connected to. I was born and raised on the Big Island and then attended UCSB. My parents had a flower farm growing bird of paradise, anthuriums and tropical foliage, so from an early age I was always around flowers. At UCSB I studied Art History and Italian Studies while working in nurseries and flower shops which eventually led to discovering the wedding and event floral business. I was immediately hooked- it was exciting, challenging, creative and I dove in.

EOTD: How does your upbringing influence your design approach? Any rules you live by in your work?

Nina Kincaid: I try not to restrict my designs to any steadfast rules, but there are patterns that I seem to follow. Color is really important to me in my work. My background in studying art influences my designs in many ways- composition, balance, depth, color theory, etc.

EOTD: Tell me about the wedding you recently worked with at El Encanto in Santa Barbara?

Nina Kincaid: This wedding was for a couple from San Francisco. The bride and I really clicked over the phone and via email. She and her (now) husband have great style and I was so happy to work with a couple that was open and excited to use bright vivid colors. We came up with this color palette that was perfect for the end of spring/start of summer- watermelon and corals with hints of peach and burgundy for drama and dimension. They were a dream to work with and not to mention the photographer they hired is one of my favorite people in the business, Mike Radford.

EOTD: Did your clients have a specific idea for the flowers and how much does your own personal aesthetic come into play?

Nina Kincaid:The client did have a specific idea for the flowers. They love loose, organic, gardenesque, seasonal floral design which plays very well to my aesthetic.

EOTD: What was it about the French Anduze vases that made you choose them? 

Nina Kincaid: I am in LOVE with the Anduze line of vessels. I think I have 3 pairs in my collection now, and use them almost weekly. The proportion of the urn, the terracotta, the glaze, the ornamental swag, everything about them calls to me. They have an understated earthy elegance that really pairs well with my designs as well as the beautiful Santa Barbara venues were my events are hosted.

EOTD: What was your favorite part about designing for this event?

Nina Kincaid: My favorite part about designing for this event was the use of bold color and the smoke bush that I got to work with which is featured in the grey Anduze urns. It is such a magical branch. It’s a beautiful deep rich burgundy plum leaf that bursts into these clouds of fluffy wine colored puffs. The season is fleeting, just a few short weeks and I was over the moon that I got the opportunity to design with them. It was super fun!

 

To see more of Nina’s work: Coco Rose Design, and follow her on Instagram!
Photo Credits: Mike Radford Photography

THE DESIGN PROCESS SHOULD BE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE
An interview with Stacy Fausett

Stacy Fausett is a highly respected Landscape Architect who takes great pride in what she does. She is quick to say that when she is asked to return and do further work for a client, she considers it a great compliment. We often see her at Eye of the Day, pen and paper in hand, walking the greenhouse and annex, taking lots of notes for her clients. She is looking for things that will fit into a particular design for her clients’ landscape and home. Stacy has worked to build long-lasting relationships with many of her clients, seeing them through a project, and over time moving on to new ideas in the same project later and then to other properties as they change homes. I asked Stacy a few questions about how she achieves these long-term client relationships.

EOD: How has your design relationship evolved with a client’s different projects?

SF: Obviously, having an established working relationship and familiarity allows me to skip the formalities of getting to know the client and then I can jump right into the design process. The familiarity is wonderful and makes for a fun project. It’s like working with an old friend.

EOD: How do you accommodate the client’s changing tastes over a span of time and still allow your own accumulated professional experience to show through?

SF: Each project varies with the style of architecture, the unique qualities of the property, and the client’s needs and desires. The client’s needs may have changed over time, so assessing these elements are the same as it would be for a new project. Having more years of experience behind me and knowing the likes and dislikes of the client allows me to make assessments and design suggestions. It is a very efficient way to work on a project.

EOD: What does it take to gain the client’s confidence in order for them to continue a long-term personal and professional relationship with you?

SF: It’s actually very simple to gain the trust and confidence of a client:

1. Listen to your clients: their wants, likes, dislikes,needs and critical elements susch as time frame and budget. Respect this information.
2. Do your homework and present quality, well thought out materials and design work.
3. Most importantly, do what you say you are going to do in a professional and timely manner. Organization and communication are key to a successful relationship in every circumstance.

 

STACY FAUSSET studied Landscape Architecture at California State Polytechnic University and has been practicing for over twenty six years. After many years of working for other Landscape Architects, she opened her own office in Santa Barbara in 2010.

Brent and I have become friends with Jonathan Reichlan and Natalie van Zelm over the last few years, not just because they use our products in their projects, but also their work is beautiful, conscientious and imaginative and Natalie and Jonathan are completely interesting, engaging people. A great way to get to know them and their style is to take a look at the website for their company Urban Eco Design (). It is evident that together they draw inspiration from native planting and xeriscape design, both so necessary with current climate change issues.

Natalie recently brought us up to date on a current Urban Eco Design project in which they have been collaborating with the owner of a local property. They agreed that they needed to update the gardens to be congruent with the future of landscaping while respecting the local environment. They installed a lemon orchard, a simple drought tolerant knot garden, and gorgeous antique pottery from Eye of the Day, concentrating much of the design design on an inviting, soft hued hardscape. The best part? There’s not a lawn in sight.

“Urban Eco Design’s primary focus is to create a relationship between the property owner and the garden, developing a personalized ‘Eden’”, says Natalie. “We consider the relationship to be a long lasting one that will fulfill all the senses, enjoying the tastes of edible plantings, the scents, colors and the feeling of being in a nurturing garden. Our intention is to incorporate low maintenance, drought tolerant and edible plantings, several usable and inviting spaces and plenty of enticements to spend time outside enjoying the majority of the square footage of one’s property.”

Jonathan and Natalie’s inventiveness and awareness are present in each of their designs, fully taking into consideration their clients’ taste, budget and the ecology of each property to bring fulfillment to their interpretation of ‘Eden’, free of lawns.