Let's build a flower studio

I am Bex Partridge and I am a floral artist and grower living on the East Devon coastline, not far from the bustling town of  Lyme Regis. I am the owner of Botanical Tales, a creative business. I am inspired by the natural world, constantly influenced by the incredible, intricate web of nature and all things everlasting flowers. 

I grow and dry my own flowers on a small plot high up on the wooded hills of Uplyme and on two allotments just down the hill in Musbury. My growing space has expanded over the last few years - meaning I can grow many more flowers to dry.

Everything I grow,  is lovingly dried and then used to create ethereal, sustainable installations and pieces for peoples homes and spaces. I also love to teach, write and educate people about the incredible beauty of dried flowers. I grow organically, following no digs methods with no chemical intervention and follow the same principles when creating with my flowers - no plastic, no bleaching, no chemicals.

I moved to Devon with my family just under four years ago and until now I have been working from a garden shed that has served me (and its previous owners) well.  But this past winter with all the rain, cold and limited sunshine has taken its toll on the building which has been there in some form since the 1970's and is unfortunately no longer fit for purpose, becoming increasingly damp - a nightmare for drying flowers!

So, it is with great sadness and equal levels of excitement that I have made the decision to rebuild the studio to create a space which is much better suited for my work and the flowers. This new studio, that has featured so heavily in my dreams and wishes over the last few years, will have a pitched roof, a slightly larger square footage allowing me the space to focus on larger installation work, run group workshops and dry oodles more flowers that are currently growing in my garden and on the allotment. All this whilst maintaining the magic and beauty of my current space.

My dreams for the new studio

My new flower studio, which I’ll be building this summer in time for the drying season in Autumn will help me realise so many of my flowery dreams! The studio will be fully insulated and will give me the space to dry lots more flowers in a controlled environment for maximum colour and structure retention away from the damp air and heavy rain that falls so often here in Devon and that I am currently battling with in the existing shed. 

My favourite part of my job is teaching others the beauty of dried flowers and how to create with them. With this new studio I will be able to teach bigger classes including installation workshops, group workshops on a much wider breadth of subjects than possible at the moment and in-depth one to ones. 

I have dreams of running a regular flower club where we can come together and create with our hands and the  beauty of the garden for a moments calm in amongst the busyness of life, building a local community of creative flower sessions for you. I am so passionate about dried flowers on so many levels, about their sustainability credentials, their creative potential and most of all how they can help plug a gap in the winter months when fresh flowers are lying dormant and sharing this passion with you is what I would love to do more of.

As my business has evolved and grown, so to have my creations and this new studio will give me the space and freedom to really dive into the visions I have for installation work. Encouraging my creativity to blossom and flourish.

And of course as with all creatives there are the more farfetched dreams! Of selling seeds so you can all go on and grow your own flowers, of creating pressed flower artworks and dying ribbons for my wreaths, the list goes on - all of which will become a reality through this new space in which I can practice and release my creativity. 

The studio design

The new flower studio has been thoughtfully designed to blend seamlessly with its natural surroundings, ensuring minimal impact on the environment. We will avoid digging foundations or pouring concrete into the ground, preserving the integrity of the space it occupies. The studio will be highly insulated to reduce the need for heating and dehumidifiers, and if funding allows, it will feature solar panels, water capture systems, and bird housing.

Inspired by the simplicity and functionality of Nordic design, the studio will maximise space with a stunning, minimalist aesthetic. This eco-friendly approach ensures that the studio not only supports my work but also honours the beauty and sustainability of the environment.

You can see the inspiration behind my studio here on this pinterest board: Flower Cabin

What will it cost?

The total cost for the new studio is estimated at £20,000 of which I have managed saved £5000 over the last few years running this business. The majority of the budget is allocated for materials including windows, doors, wood for the frame and the cladding for the roof and walls. I am fortunate to have an amazing family—my husband, brother, and mum's partner—who will be assisting me with the build helping to ensure that costs are kept down as much as possible. Together, with the help of a few extra hands when needed, we'll be doing most of the hard work ourselves. It's important to me that the cabin embodies our energy and love within its walls.

To help manage costs, I’ve spent the last few weeks reaching out to suppliers to negotiate discounts in exchange for a bit of publicity. And I am already incredibly grateful to all the businesses supporting me in this and enabling me to build the studio at a reduced cost. Their generosity is helping to make my dream a reality.

When will it be built?

The busiest time for my business and drying flowers is from August onwards, so my goal is to have the new studio up and running by the time we return from our summer holidays in early August. I’ve cleared my diary until then to focus entirely on the build, ensuring it's ready for the armfuls of flowers I'll be cutting from the garden, growing space, and allotment.

This new studio will not only provide the perfect environment to dry the many flowers I'm growing, but it will also host seasonal workshops in the autumn and in the lead up to Christmas and offer a safe space for storing all my harvested seeds.

In the coming months, I will be without a studio as we need to dismantle the old one before building the new one. While this poses its own challenges, I am confident it will be worth it once the new space is complete and ready to support my creative journey.

Dear friends, family and loved ones, thank you for taking the time to read this and for considering  supporting my crowdfunder. I am so excited for you to be part of the next stage of my creative journey.

Love and light, Bex