Livia Selli is an interior flower designer who works mainly in the luxury hotel sector. Constantly moving between Rome, Paris and Tokyo, she outlines her style in a mix and match between West and East. Fascinated by Japanese aesthetic culture, she explores its deepest philosophical principles: the search for harmony, the concept of emptiness as creative potential and symmetry to give rhythm, movement and lightness become her stylistic signature.
Tell us about yourself: how did your adventure in the world of flowers begin?
I think it started when I was still a little girl. I spent hours admiring my grandmother as she picked flowers in her country garden and made magnificent Ikebana compositions. She was one of the first in Italy to practice this ancient art, passing on her passion for Japan and teaching me to grasp the aesthetic essence of nature.
In your work, the flower is no longer just a decorative element but an aesthetic-emotional one, functional to enhance the space in its uniqueness. Can you tell us how the search for a formal and material dialogue with the space guides your creative process?
In the East they say "feel with the eyes", I think this is the secret . Beauty and its constant research in nature and in everyday life has always moved and inspired me. What is ephemeral makes us aware that time passes and we must be grateful for what we can admire and love, because it makes that instant, that place or that space special. The dialogue with matter, shape, light always starts first from ourselves, and then transforms into something creative and unique.
Art and "floristics" are deeply connected in your work, are there particular influences or "interdisciplinary" references that you feel close and that inspire your creations?
Surely "fashion", many years in this sector has helped me to refine my aesthetic sense, develop a certain attention to detail and acquire a transversal creative language, where science and art, design and architecture, but also music and poetry, are a constant source of inspiration.
Can you tell us about your Upcycling project?
I firmly believe that each of us can contribute to the protection of our beautiful planet. Thinking in an eco-sustainable way is also a great creative potential for a flower designer . For years I have been carrying on my flower recovery project for an upcycling and a new concept of contemporary aesthetics. Flowers are no longer thrown away as soon as they wither, but we try to find out which organic form can still tell us a story and give us emotions. Once the petals are lost, a material minimalism of rare beauty will reveal itself to us.
What advice would you give to anyone approaching this sector today?
If after a few seconds of holding a flower, you feel butterflies in your stomach, this is your way. Be curious, study, experiment and develop your own style, in which people can meet and share their passion for flowers and nature with you.