Japanese Roots
Kayoko Toomre, or 'Koko', was born and raised in Japan, not far from Mount Fuji, in the Shizioka Province - known for its green tea and natural beauty. Koko was always fond of the art and science of horticulture. In pursuit of the science, she received a Bachelor degree in Biotechnology. Impassioned by the art, she studied and received a degree in color design. As a Japanese florist she applied it to original floral arrangements. To expand her palette as a floral designer she traveled West.
Westward to Europe and
New York City
Intrigued by the classical European floral design of vibrant colors and grandiose shapes she trained, and received advanced floral design degrees, in two renowned European florist design schools: the Constance Spry​ Flower School in London, England and the Boerma Institute of Floral Design School in Amsterdam, Holland. She then moved to NYC to work with Miho Kosuda - a florist extraordinaire who is one of the very top NYC florists and has many celebrities as clients. Here Koko learned the inner workings of the NYC flower market and unique flower arrangement techniques all while retaining a vigilant focus on the best quality flowers and service. Koko recently moved to Guilford and started a Connecticut floral design studio specializing in CT wedding floral design and special events.
Koko's Philosophy
Her Zen and Art of Floral Design
Koko's journey has enabled her to embrace her own style and vision of floral design. Her flower design style is underpinned by Japanese values of grace and natural beauty melded with European colors and texture. Her floral designs are innovative and artistic. Sometimes she will only use one type of flower, but she harmoniously structures it in new forms to awe and inspire.
After Koko did numerous weddings and events, her current focus is on assisting floral designers to build skills and knowledge to create beautiful bouquets with confidence and efficency.