Alexandra Nutting & Jessica Lister

Aesme Studio

Flower designer

©Aesme Studio

Flowers with an urban twist

Sisters Alexandra and Jessica grow almost all the flowers they use
Their studio was founded in a dismissed railway arch
They combine romanticism and minimal design

One studied English at university, the other History, then they worked in various fields for many years, but somehow the sisters Alexandra Nutting and Jessica Lister always knew they would run a business together one day. Aesme Studio was born in 2016, it is a floral atelier for weddings and events as well as being a flower design school, this was soon followed by a farm in Hampshire where they’ve been growing 90 percent of the plants for their arrangements. “We have always liked decorating” they say. “When we were kids, it was imaginary home-making or dinner parties.” Their idyllic childhood in Wilshire did the rest. “Our father created a charming cottage garden with apple tunnels and sweet peas, and we would play in the surrounding meadows, picking wild flowers and grasses. This must have influenced us a lot, considering what we do now!”

Interview

©Al Roberts

©Aesme Studio

Do cities play a role in your style?: Alexandra: The juxtaposition of city and rural life is very inspiring and definitely part of our make up. Our studio itself – a converted railway arch – is in an urban setting, surrounded by Victorian houses and blocks of flats, but when we bring all our wild ingredients from the farm, it becomes a leafy, flowery haven.
Is it difficult to work together?: Jessica: It was at the beginning, but less and less so. Although we have a similar aesthetic – romantic, garden-inspired, rambling, a little dishevelled – it is always uplifting to bring different ideas to the table and work through them to get to a final design. It would be so boring if we had exactly the same vision all the time.
What’s the best part of your job?: Alexandra: We enjoy creating magical environments for our clients as well as teaching. But there’s nothing we love more than simply growing and arranging flowers. There’s so much possibility in an empty vase and a bucket of freshly cut branches, leaves, berries and flowers. It’s pure happiness.
How do you combine innovation and tradition in what you do?: Jessica: We use quite old fashioned techniques, like pin holders or chicken wire, and we grow a lot of old fashioned flowers, like carnations, chrysanthemum and marigolds. But we like modern aesthetic and minimal designs. So we combine all these aspects with simple props and strict editing.

Alexandra Nutting & Jessica Lister are master artisans: they began their career in 2015 and they started teaching in 2018