After years behind a desk, Lydia swapped corporate life for floristry. Her Little Green Room has given her the space to make that new way of working work from home.
No two days look quite the same for Lydia. She might be collecting flowers from a local flower farm, conditioning stems in the garden, preparing arrangements for a wedding or meeting a client to talk through ideas.
It’s a very different rhythm from her previous career.
A more creative way to work
Before The Flower Lab, Lydia worked in HR consultancy, spending much of her time behind a desk or on video calls.
When the opportunity came to do something different, she knew she wanted a more creative and active working life.
“I really wanted to be more active, work outdoors, and have more freedom in my day.”
Today, Lydia creates flowers for weddings and events, alongside subscriptions and bouquets across Bristol, Somerset and beyond. Her days are hands-on and varied, with the freedom to structure her time around the work she has on.
A workspace waiting in the garden
When Lydia began thinking about what The Flower Lab might look like, she and her partner Carlo already had a useful extra space at home.
Their Little Green Room had been installed a few years earlier to make use of an empty spot at the bottom of the garden. It became home to Carlo’s DJ equipment and vinyl collection, as well as an extension of their living space – somewhere to put a record on, pour a glass of wine and spend an evening with friends.
When Lydia decided to pursue floristry, that same flexibility became invaluable. Knowing she already had somewhere to work and store everything she needed made running The Flower Lab from home much easier.
Work stays at work
Floristry comes with a fair amount of stuff. Buckets, tools, flowers and equipment all need somewhere to live, and having the Little Green Room means they don’t have to spill into the house.
The room gives Lydia space to prepare her flowers, while the side storage keeps her tools and equipment organised and within easy reach. Disco, Lydia and Carlo’s black Labrador, is generally nearby too, happily observing the day’s preparations.
More importantly, Lydia has somewhere she can properly go to work. At the end of the day, everything can be packed away, the door closed and work left at the bottom of the garden.
Space that evolves with you
The Little Green Room hasn’t stopped being Carlo’s music space or somewhere to spend time with friends. Lydia’s business has simply become another part of its life.
“As The Flower Lab has evolved, I’ve also kind of developed how I wanted to use the space.”
That’s perhaps what Lydia and Carlo’s room does best. It didn’t need to be designed around a future they couldn’t yet predict. It simply gave them useful extra space that could adapt as their lives did.
Today, it’s a music room, a place to gather with friends and a base for Lydia’s growing floristry business. And whatever comes next, there’s room for that too.
