Sullivan Owen is a Philadelphia-based floral designer and ceramic artist whose work sits at the intersection of floristry, sculpture, and functional design. Known for her intuitive approach to both flowers and form, she creates a tightly edited collection of handmade vessels designed specifically for arranging, with each piece informed by how flowers naturally move, gather, and rest. Her transition into floristry began while planning her own wedding in 2009, where she approached floral design through a conceptual, design-led lens. After immersing herself in formal training at Longwood Gardens and the FlowerSchool New York, she launched her business, quickly gaining recognition for her distinctive, moody aesthetic. In 2020, as the events industry paused, Sullivan turned inward by restoring her garden, documenting the process, and ultimately discovering ceramics. What began as a practical pursuit — creating vessels for her own arrangements — quickly evolved into a new creative direction. Learn more about Sullivan’s take on the floral world in today’s Maker Monday.
Fritillaria’s arranged in Draped No. 1
Andrew Joseph: What inspired you to become a designer?
Sullivan Owen: Someone told me what to do. When I got married, florists told me what I had to do for a wedding, it didn’t feel like me, my husband or our friends and family. I ended up designing the flowers and table linens for my wedding. Then, after 12 years as a florist — most of them spent trying to find vessels that complemented flowers instead of containing them — I decided to make my own vase. Then I made many more. Designed with purpose to celebrate flowers.
AJ: Can you describe a project you’re particularly proud of?
SO: My Baby Twist vase. All my vases are crafted so anyone can fill their home or space with flowers whenever. But Baby Twist takes that idea and moves it to a truly personal space: your bedside table, your desk, a welcoming guest room. Like all my vases, it elevates the flowers you put in it, but it’s just for you. Almost self-care: a few quiet moments snipping from the garden or stems grabbed at checkout.
Looking at flowers gives you a moment of calm, respite from the chaos that is our world, a hit of a delicious scent or a color that cheers you. Baby Twist lets you have that anywhere.
Peonies and Iris’ arranged in Baby Twist
AJ: What is your favorite place to find inspiration?
SO: Walking around cities, including my own, Philadelphia. I’ve loved people-watching since I was a baby in New York City, seeing fashion go by, what people are carrying around, sitting at a restaurant table — personal tableaus or vignettes everywhere, not consciously curated but snippets of their real world.
AJ: How do you incorporate sustainability into your designs?
SO: I made the choice to manufacture my pieces in the United States. My small runs are made in Oregon with a single casting partner. The small team of craftspeople works in safe conditions with living wages and benefits in a high-cost-of-living area. I also engineered a gift box and packaging system that has reduced breakage in transit to less than .01%, eliminating the need for replacements and additional shipping. I package them like the heirloom these pieces are intended to become.
I want you to have it for life. This is not the fast fashion of decor.
AJ: What was the last book you read and how did it inspire you?
SO: I read Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary after taking my niece and nephew to see the movie.
The idea that first contact with an actual alien was met with curiosity, then collaboration and cooperation instead of fear, was a great reminder that we are capable of those things with each other, not just aliens.
Yellow Ranunculus’ arranged in Pearl Baby Twist
AJ: What’s your design pet peeve?
SO: Objects designed by people who have never used them.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be and why?
SO: I would likely be a creative C-suite executive with a large retailer or consumer goods brand. It’s no surprise, looking back, that the companies I worked for were started by founders similar to myself. People who saw a need, did what they needed to fill it and kept growing.
I worked my way from a fitting room associate to overseeing visual merchandising in 1200 locations with 900M in revenue across North America by the time I was 28.
I am a creative person who discovered I had a talent for not just where to put things, but how to style and sell them. I have no degree, just a drive to solve problems and contribute to the success of a company.
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