We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Fontanarosa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

A keen editorial eye, a love of design, floral artistry, color and all that blooms inspired my journey. The first time I visited France in my early 20’s it was clear it was going to be a life-long love affair. My floral obsession began in Paris when I walked into a little flower shop and was instantly taken with the French style. A trip to Provence inspired my lavender field. My gardens inspired my floral storytelling of my creations. In 2018, a search for a property with meandering gardens led me to find my 2 acre property which at the time was a blank canvas- the gardens neglected for some eight years before I acquired it. Now beautifully planted with a lavender field, lovely meandering flower gardens and paths where scented flowers unfold and perfume. The gardens I planted became the inspiration for my floral fashions- accessorizing my vintage dress forms from France made from the dried flowers and lavender from my gardens. My runway- ready sculptures are inspired by all things femme and French!
There were many challenges when I purchased this property – heavy clay soil and tree roots from the ancient giant cottonwood trees were the biggest challenges and quite disconcerting.. The lavender field had to be laser leveled and the soil amended before I was able to plant the lavender field and gardens that would become my lavender flower farm at Jo’s Farms named after my mother Josephine, whom everyone knew as Jo.
Jo’s Farms houses my floral creations as well as an ever-changing collection of coveted accessories and furnishings from Europe and beyond. Situated near my lavender farmland next to my flower shed, it is also a place that I can indulge my signature decorating aesthetic — It’s truly a curated collection . . . a chic shop where you can discover my dried floral sculptures and one-off collections from the artists I have represented From France, Sweden, Scotland the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an interior stylist and floral creator. I own a lavender flower farm and create dried floral sculptures. During my career as an interior stylist, I’ve traveled all over the world working with A-list designers and style makers and collecting the beautiful objects that I surround myself with in my shop and in my home.

I create luxurious spaces for private clients and work with designers who create custom pieces for some of the biggest names in the business.

I am a curator and creator of a world filled with poetic pieces. My choices are guided by Paris, where the mix of antique and modern complement each other like a favorite old shirt and shiny new shoes.

My interest in design started at age 14 when my mother, who was born in Sicily, and my dad, who was from Naples, took me on a trip to the Mediterranean.

It left an indelible mark on my heart and led me to France and the lavender fields of Provence, where my passion for design, art and flowers became the inspiration for my styling business in which I source unique objects, lighting and textiles to incorporate into the rooms I style.

I spent my early career in the New York fashion scene working for magazines such as Vogue and Architectural Digest. It was a job styling the window displays for the Henri Bendel department store that solidified my love of interior design and styling and ultimately led to an international design career and the founding of my business, The Lisa Fontanarosa Collection www.lisafontanarosa.com in 1997.

My success means that I have one foot in Europe and especially France – a culture and lifestyle for which I have a particular fondness. A favorite point in my career was in 2009, when the Paris boutique, Colette, asked me to style an exhibition from three different artists. I think of myself as a savant for interiors, rather than providing the usual full chauffeur service that interiors designers provide, I see clients and help them come up with a road map to decorate that defines their spaces and one that suits their budget

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Conceiving, creating, styling, arranging is always a visual pleasure.

I like to mix and match my finds to create unique, beautiful, whimsical, playful and inviting spaces Sourcing unique creations and beautiful textiles has been my passion and my work since 1997. Creating a story for oneself from these objects and my floral creations, is what I think is the most beautiful way of expressing yourself in your home and what I love. At home, the boundaries between private and professional life are blurred. I am constantly searching here at home and in my shop for a certain aesthetic in everyday life and when I am working, I’m thinking about artistic direction and staging and styling. Everything’s linked. My job has been to work with artists and tell their stories and in turn tell mine.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

What I’ve learned…. I have always looked to France for instruction in matters of elegance as much as a child looks with wonder and awe the first time she sees special.
I always look for the unexpected and sometimes what’s not there is what catches my attention.
My advice is to see the world. Travel. Training the eye is critical. Go to Venice, Florence, Paris, walk down the street, and you’ll learn more than at any design school. Not everyone comes back a master of the Renaissance, but something sticks!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lisafontanarosa.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lisafontanarosa/
• Others: https://josfarms.com/

Image Credits
Northern Light Photography ( Portrait pictures ) Gabriella Marks Photography (Flower Shed and Mannequins) Moon And Midnight (My shop)