6 THINGS WITH MALLORY BROWNE
6 Things with Mallory Browne Founder of Mallory With The Flowers
Based in Los Angeles, Mallory is the founder and floral artist behind Mallory With The Flowers. I'm honored to have Mallory as our first column of the year because I've seen her exponential and transparent growth from the beginning. Mallory left her corporate desk job in 2018 and taught herself to be a florist from watching Youtube videos and has since been featured in LA Times, made an appearance on an episode of Issa Rae's show Insecure on HBO, and has collaborated with brands including Revolve, Rose Inc, and Create & Cultivate x Aveeno to name a few. Mallory also started the Flowers For Black Men Initiative where 100% of proceeds were donated to Reclaim The Block. Centered around authenticity, transcendence and representation, Mallory has built a one-of-a-kind community where she pours her heart into her floral creations and gives back. Her work speaks volumes sparking emotion with each bloom she holds.
1. What started it all for you?
I had always thought working in a flower shop would be so fun and relaxing and decided to pick up floral arranging as a hobby. In the beginning, I would buy grocery store flowers and make an arrangement everyday after work and watch YouTube videos to help guide me. Then I realized there was a whole world of floral artistry on Instagram and Pinterest and I saw designs I'd never even thought existed! From then on I kept going and haven't looked back since.
2. What drives your creative spark?
Floral design, like any art form is so personal to the artist. In LA, there are so many amazing designers with signature styles and vibes. What drives me is to always elevate, which is exciting because you can see and feel your personal growth over time. It's also incredible to look around and see the growth of your peers. Pushing myself to not be complacent, constantly learning and experimenting, and always striving to take it up a few notches - no matter how scary that can be.
3. Most treasured home decor item?
My most treasured home decor item is a poster that I took home from the Women's March in DC in 2017. It was the day after the presidential inauguration so it felt like we were living through history. After that trip, I went to a few other states before heading home and had to protect the poster the entire time but it made it home and is now framed above our bed.
4. What’s the best advice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice that I've heard is "growth comes from discomfort". I think about this quote a lot because my business has grown so fast and client requests get bigger and bigger so that leads to a lot of learning by doing, which can be super scary. I always want to do an amazing job, even if it's something I haven't done before, so reminding myself the journey may be a little bit uncomfortable puts me at ease and allows me to just ride the feelings and try my very best.
5. It's 5 o'clock at home. What would you be pouring?
The liquor store down the street isn't your typical liquor store. They have an amazing selection of wines, Japanese whiskeys, local breweries, and quirky mixed cocktails. However, my favorite part is that they carry so many yummy organic orange wines so I've been trying a new one every week. My current favorite is Christina Orange which is a natural wine made by a female winemaker.
6. What are your favorite 6 accounts that you follow for inspiration?
@lesleymobo
@sew_trill
@sirenfloralco
@bloomsbymelly
@cheyennekimora
@lara_kaur
SHOP MALLORY'S 6 HOME PICKS
"What drives me is to always elevate, which is exciting because you can see and feel your personal growth over time. Pushing myself to not be complacent, constantly learning and experimenting, and always striving to take it up a few notches - no matter how scary that can be." - Mallory Browne
