Award-winning Romanian floral artist Nicu Bocancea created a beautiful installation conceived as a Valentine’s Day statement about emotion, supported by structure. Nicu sculpted the arrangement with deliberate lines and structural precision, bringing out romance from the carefully arranged installation. He elevated the composition further by crafting refined glamelia-style pieces, which added to creating a Valentine’s Day table that were a bold symbol of love.
“I didn’t want to create just a romantic arrangement,” says Nicu. “I wanted to build an immersive floral environment where the table itself becomes part of the story. The idea was to reinterpret the classic red rose through a contemporary, almost architectural lens, transforming a dinner setting into a theatrical experience.”
What do you hope everyone who sees this work, and especially fellow florists, takes away from the creation when working with Red Naomi for Valentine’s Day?
I hope florists feel encouraged to go beyond the predictable. Porta Nova Red Naomi is already a powerful rose, but its strength allows us to experiment with scale, contrast, and design language. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean only bouquets; it can be bold installations, sculptural gestures, or conceptual storytelling. My message is simple: trust the flower, but don’t be afraid to challenge tradition.
We really love how this Valentine’s Day composition almost feels architectural, with woven branches forming sculptural frames around the Red Naomi roses. Can you walk us through your technique and how you structured the installation?
The process started with building a lightweight skeletal structure using woven branches. I treated the branches like lines in a sketch, creating rhythm, movement, and vertical tension. Once the framework was stable, the roses were placed strategically to emphasize curves and focal points, not to cover the structure but to highlight it. I always think in layers: first the architecture, then the gesture, and only at the end the floral accents that bring emotion into the design.
There is a powerful yet beautiful contrast with the candlelight, black tableware, and the vivid Porta Nova Red Naomi roses. How important was lighting and material selection in enhancing the impact of the roses within this setting?
Lighting and materials were essential. The deep black tableware acts like a visual pause, allowing the red of the roses to feel more intense and dramatic. Candlelight adds movement and warmth, softening the strong graphic lines of the installation.
For me, flowers never exist alone, they live in dialogue with texture, color, and atmosphere. Every element was chosen to elevate the roses without competing with them.
Concept: Decor & Flowers @nicubocancea @florariairis @iriseventsconcept
Event planning: @irinabocancea
Venue: @iris_orangerie
Photos: @cristianpopa.photographer
