24 April 14, 2016

Floral Artistry

Ultimate retreat forFLORAL ARTISTRY

25April 14, 2016

Floral Artistry

Dutch couple Narayano Vrolijks and Satyamo, have brought exceptional floral decorations and glassware from the Netherlands to the

Sultanate for the first time. The floral couple on a short visit to Muscat in October last decided

to make their dream a reality.

Narayanoadmits technology hasevolved newertechniques in floralindustry which aids fresh flowers last longer without water to give lot more possibilities providing for unique designs.

Floral Artistry

26 April 14, 2016

Liju Cherian

Vanda Orchids, Heliconia, Aloe Vera, Matsumata, Nutans – all these and many more flowering plants,succulents, creepers jostle

for space at the newly launched flowershop called ‘Ultimate Planner,’ near Al Qurum Round About.

The shop which opened in March is expected to change the local Oman scene on weddings, stage decorations, parties and corporate functions.

Dutch couple Narayano Vrolijks and Satyamo, have brought exceptional floral decorations and glassware from the Netherlands to the Sultanate for the first time. The floral couple on a short visit to Muscat in October last decided to make their dream a reality. Just weeks after they opened the shop, they are getting slowly addicted to ‘Dream it, Live it’, the sloganthey happened to notice upon arrival at Muscat Airport.

Narayano admits technology has evolved newer techniques in floral industry which aids fresh flowers last longer without water to give lot more possibilities providing for unique designs.

‘Ultimate Planner ’was chosen to make clear that it was apart from the special Dutch Master Floral Art, to take care of all things a bride and groom could wish for their wedding.

Narayano says they are all set to take up decorations for other private or corporate functions, such as diner parties or business openings. “We will come and see the place of the function and offer special and unique works of flower art specifically designed for the location they will be in.”

An international Master Floral Designer having nearly 40 years of experience, Narayano believes that the most important trend today is the total freedom to floral artists, to create whatever comes to mind, the further out of the box and away from the ‘rules’ in floral design, the better. “And if that is not the trend, at least it is my way of working. I do not feel restricted by trends; I just do what I love to do. The crazier, the better.” he admits.

Having started at Floral Design School at the age of 17, he says confidently that every

27April 14, 2016

Floral Artistry

floral piece which he created will be unique, from a small gift for a friend or loved one to the biggest decoration for a wedding, will always do his best to give it a Narayanotwist.

He feels the Omani clients are ready for something different from what they have been used to for years. “And that is what I always will try and give them, whatever the occasion is and having a specific design in mind. When I start on a floral art piece, I even don't know what the outcome will be, each flower is different, and so the outcome can be a surprise to me as well.”

How did Narayano become a professional floral stylist? Having trained at one of the floral design academies in Holland, his training for Master in Dutch Floral Design (MDFD), was completed at the only privately owned floral design school in the world, the Boerma Institute, in Aalsmeer, the flower town in The Netherlands.

Apart from those formal trainings, he also followed many master classes with different world renowned floral artists, such as Pim van den Akker in Delft, the Netherlands. Through his years of experience as a floral designer, he reached the level of Master Designer years ago. Satyama, his wife, has been trained at one of the floral design schools in Holland as well, and with her support and creative input and help, he is confident to conquer and succeed the Oman market. Satyama came into the same field when they started their own flower shop years ago in a small town in Holland. She followed up a three-year training at one of the leading flower academies in Holland.

During these years he has been working in all aspects to do with flower trade and floral design, having owned his own shop together with Satyama, who is also trained as a master florist as well, apart from being an artist and painter.

He earlier worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for 6 years where he designed and set up a high class flowershop called Exotica, which still exists till today. In Riyadh they designed and executed many royal weddings as well as catered and decorated for many private functions and diner parties.

During all his years working as a floral stylist, Narayanaohas been involved in many events and decorations around the world, in France, Monaco, Germany, UK and USA and Canada, as well as in several Middle Eastern countries like UAE. These jobs were mainly as freelance floral designer working together with other internationally oriented floral designers from Holland. After all, the best flowers come from Holland, so the country has a lot

to offer in top class floral design and designers.Last year, he was contacted by a mutual friend of

his Omani sponsor and himself from Aalsmeer, the flower capital of the world. He told him about the possibility to create and set up a high end Floral Design Shop and wedding decoration company in Muscat. “For a very experienced Floral Designer and Master Floral artist like Narayano, , this was a challenge that was very interesting and fun to step into. Satyama and I visited Muscat for six days in October, and were so charmed by the country and the friendliness of the Omani people, that we only needed this short time to decide to move here. What you see now in the shop is the result of this first contact, and with the support and creative help of Satyama this venture will surely become a success,” he confesses.

Says AhlamTalibal Qutaiti, CEO, Ultimate Planner: “Some of the glass vases used by the experienced and artistic Dutch Master Designer are one of its kind, as they are exclusively handcrafted by an artist. Even after the flowers fade away, the glassware can still be used as a centrepiece and will hold a place of pride for the owner.”

Designing vases is a totally different expertise than the floral art that he is planning. Art vases designed and made by Anna Menichella, an Italian artist is now display. “We will source the special and unique pieces and bring them to our shop. What I can say about outsourcing is that each and every floral design we will create will be unique, and nothing will be outsourced, all pieces will be designed and made by me and my team.”

Ultimate Planner and Dutch Master Floral Art carry natural fresh flowers and plants, as well as the highest quality of silk flowers found in the world. All one gets to see in is sourced by us personally from Holland.

The silk flowers are mainly meant for decorating

28 April 14, 2016

Floral Artistry

the home as well as for corporate offices and hotels, as fresh flowers are a little more difficult to maintain in Muscat due to the climate, although wintertime appearsgentler to the flowers.

For special occasions, such as weddings and dinner parties, we will always advise and use fresh flowers and plants. They all will be of the highest quality, directly imported from the Netherlands.

Narayano says that that Oman, and particularly Muscat, says Muscat, has a lot of possibilities for creating his unique and unusual designs and decorations. “What we are bringing to Muscat with my designs is dramatically new and different to what the Omani public has seen until today in floral design.What I am creating is more a connection towards floral artistry rather than just combining flowers in a nice way.”

On how it would come up over the years, he admits a wait and watch approach.

“I am sure that the Omani public will, to say the least, be intrigued by my new, modern and contemporary designs.”

As Ultimate Planner, plans for the future, they are still working on building their team, so that they have a strong base to work with. There will be at least 2 more Floral Designers from Holland joining the team, as well as some junior florists from other countries, whom they plan to train in the modern way of working and designing that he does.

For the future, they have plans of adding an experienced wedding planner to the team, and

another to take care of marketing and social media. At the moment they are assisted by Creative Communications Advertising and

Marketing, an experienced PR company.Ultimate Planner aims to be at the top of

the market in about 5-10 years from now. They plan to designand execute the most fabulous wedding decorations and designs. “Nothing is too crazy for us to do. I would even like to

say, the crazier and more out of the box, the better. We will have lots of fun creating that. We will be working with an experienced and well trained team, and as long as each and every one of us is having fun and love what we do, we will continue to bring uniqueness in Dutch Master Floral Art to Oman, and, who knows, to other countries in the region and the world as well. The future will tell.

For the King’s Day on April 27, ‘Ultimate Planner’ has planned a special window display and a nice selection of orange flowers available, as Orange is the colour connected to Royal family, The House of Orange.

For the future, ‘Ultimate Planner’ has a lot more to offer. Over a period of time, it will extend its services to organising events that will include corporate events, concerts, theatre festivals, art and fashion shows and lots more.

29April 14, 2016

Floral Artistry