Episode 70: On finding beauty in the everyday with Florist Sammy Go
Hello, I'm Kenny Gong, one of the founders and partners of Willowmar Real Estate, and welcome to the Thoughtful Realtor Podcast. This is a podcast where we sit down for insights, stories, and conversations about all things real estate, running a real estate team here in California, and how we find our way as leaders and business partners.
And sometimes we just talk to interesting people who are cultivating their lives and careers in the communities that we serve. And today my guest is Sammy Go, the founder and creative director of Lambert Floral Studio. I have seen his work and it is the embodiment of beauty. It's elegant, it's raw, it's refined, and especially at large scale.
It is truly magical. Sammy's florals have been featured in Harper's Bazaar, the New York Times, and Martha Stewart Living. Sammy's also the florist in residence at Chez Panis, the famed Berkeley restaurant, known for pioneering farm to table cuisine in California. And he is only the third florist in the restaurant's almost 55-year history.
A longtime dancer, Sammy was also just casually on the Warriors Dance Team, Blue Crew, during their championship winning season in 2022. No big deal. And I'm so excited for this conversation. We're diving into Sammy's world, what beauty means to him, the intentionality he brings to his work and life, and also how we all can be inspired to bring a little creativity and artistry into our own homes and lives.
So with that being said, hello, welcome, Sammy.
Wow! Hello Kenny. Thank you for those kind words. And I am sitting here but I feel like I am in the future listening to this episode.
It's a weird thing, isn't it?
It's a weird thing. Yeah, when I listen to y'all, I feel like I'm having a conversation, but now we're actually having a conversation. But I'm stuck in that meta space.
I know. It's a funky thing and I do love it. And it just feels strange. Well we're just gonna dive in. For folks that don't know, Sammy and I are dear, dear friends. And so this is especially exciting because we've never actually kind of had this kind of formal conversation, but it feels really special and I'm really excited to ask some of these deep questions and really kind of get in there into Sammy's mind and Sammy's world.
I have always loved that you have cultivated a life surrounded by beauty, truly surrounded by beauty from florals to dance. And so I wanna start off with just how it all started. How did you first kind of come to appreciate beauty in your life?
Well truly as a child of mainstream culture of the nineties, there's a little film in 1991 called Beauty and the Beast. You might have heard of it. And this will sound so silly, but it's true and honest, but the ending scene of Beauty and the Beast is, I think, marked me from an early age.
Just a little recap–and spoiler, spoiler alert, for those who have not heard of this story–at the end of the movie, this Beast garners someone's love and affection, and it breaks a spell, and the beast is reverted to a former human self and a curse is broken on his, on his home. And everything is animated so wonderfully, like I think there's like pink sparkle, rainstorm showers, and then like all the gargoyles turn into like Renaissance angels, and then all the objects turn into humans again.
And truly, I think that scene and that sentiment is something that has always stuck with me and probably marked me as a little kid, which is all to say that I think when I think about beauty, it goes beyond the surface. And I don't think it's necessarily something just about aesthetics. I think it's about like a story, something more felt and expressive. And in this particular case, the beauty is not like, oh, this dark castle is now made out of like white marble, but it's more of like, oh, this person is redeemed, or this group of people has been restored.
And that can only go so far because it is a Disney movie. But, it is to me something that I want to believe and something that I carry that beauty is something more powerful and impactful and potent than just saying something is pretty on the surface.
Right. Well, it sounds like it speaks to transformation.
There you go. Right? Yes.
Because that seems to be the transformation of beast to human, but also what you're talking about, even with a dark castle, the transformation that can happen that is possible into something that is different, that speaks different, that that resonates differently.
I agree. And I mean, it's funny that you say that because, to nerd out, the score for Beauty and the Beast, that scene, it is called transformation. I mean, who would've thought there's, as if there's not a transformation happening.
Yeah, I do think it is about completing this narrative, or not even completing, but like usurping the narrative where you think there is something dead, in this case, the beast, and then it experiences life again. In this case it is the reversion to its natural state.
Yeah. And did it feel like that clearly had an impact on you as a little kid from sort of a place of just like the understanding and seeing beauty, seeing sort of the power and impact that beauty can have? And did that then have some kind of shaping of how you saw the world and how you see yourself moving through the world?
You know, great question. Maybe not when I was that young.
Yeah. Not when you were seven.
Yeah. Not then, but I do think in my formative years there are other particular moments that do feel like they resulted in that type of impact. Maybe this question is better answered as like, the first chunk of my life which was marked by the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast, and other moments.
So I can speak to those. There was a time after I had graduated college, so this is 2012. So fast forward a little bit, but my grandmother was ill and there were certain things that were surrounding her illness that really, I think spoke to–again, this kinda like the narrative of beauty transformation, redemption, restoration–there was a moment when…I'm sorry that we are jumping in to the deep end.
That's what we're here for.
With all due respect, but they had to amputate my grandmother's foot and I remember it being such an intense decision. And she was hesitant at first, but she decided, she was like, I need to do this.
And I, at the time, was talking to my mother. I was like, what's going on? This is so sudden, like, why is papa like choosing this? And my mom was very sober-minded. Like, she's doing this because she is choosing to live. And there was this understanding that if she'd decided to keep her foot, her body would be intact, but it would just lead to a more rapid decline of her overall body. And so for her, it was this kind of sacrifice, like, oh, for me to truly be living at my fullest, I need to just cut it off. In that instance, my grandmother actually ended up passing shortly after.
But that season, it was unexpectedly very bittersweet and was also, in my own personal timeline, coincided with me graduating college. And I was like, what is happening in my life right now? I am presented with this wide expansive opportunity as a recent grad, but I'm also feeling this tension of experiencing like the passing of my closest relative. And I think the tension in that was actually quite rich and feeling like, oh, there's this duality as I enter my adulthood of life, meaning wide opportunity and death.
Meaning, the passing of my grandmother and feeling like maybe there's a pocket to sit in that's not exclusive of either of these, and instead kind of like settling into both of them would be meaningful and like an interesting thing to explore and ponder on.
Yeah, it's really interesting to hear you talk about it because it's beauty, but not for the sake of aesthetics. It's beauty for the sake of understanding the dualities of life.
Yeah, for sure.
Right. And I don't think it speaks so much about florals in general where you're having to, in order to create beauty, there's like a severance and there's like a cutting off of that in order to create something, but that also, it's like speaking to the ephemeral nature of florals maybe. Is that kind of like what drew you to florals in the first place? Like all of these things?
I think it's probably not what drew me to florals, but I think it's what made me stay. I think if I were to tell someone I'm a florist or if you close your eyes, or if you asked AI render me a florist, I think we'd all have a very similar initial image.
It's probably like a cute little shop on the corner with an awning, lots of like little buckets of flowers. It's like bright yellow, bright red, bright pink, and there's probably like a lady wearing an apron making bouquets.
Yeah.
And so I think that's like, I don't know your stock image of what it means to be a florist.
If you talk to most florists they'll say like, it's not glamorous, it's not all pretty, it's not all easy. There's a lot of hard work that goes into it for sure. But I think the poignant and beautiful thing that makes it so meaningful to me is exactly as you're describing. There is a story that is even represented so well by the fact that like when you are holding, or beholding, or arranging, or working with a cut flower, like it is technically dead.
When you cut it off of its plant, it's no longer connected to a source of life. And I think that can feel grim and morbid, but it could also feel very beautiful like thinking about ephemerality, like the finiteness of this thing that possesses so much beauty.
And even if you think about like a flower stem that continues to grow, or its petals continue to unfurl or develop even after it's cut, what does that mean as something that's technically already in its process of decay, but it feels like it's still releasing or unveiling deeper levels of beauty? And I think you can kind of think of it as like a swan song or like a last expression of beauty or in some ways there's some flowers where if you cut it and you put it in a vase, the stem will continue to grow.
And oftentimes, they are growing and reaching towards a source of light which is my absolute favorite form. If you put a stem of tulips or like a stem of ranunculus in a vase, and put it kind of near a window over the course of the next few days, you'll kind of notice its stem slowly start to bend and gnarl towards the light.
And I just think it's so elegant in form and also it's sad because it's a flower trying to find a light source. It's trying to do its final duty knowing, or even unknowing, that its time is limited. Yeah, and even thinking about now, I feel like it's just, it's so poetic because the reason why this tulip, let's say, is looking for a light source, is that as it's opening its petals, what it hopes to do especially in leaning towards the light, is open and create enough of a pocket of warmth for some pollinator to come visit it.
So in its last duty, what it really wants to do is just give life on to continue life. And that feels so sad. It makes me like–why did I start talking about this, Kenny, I'm so grim–but it is just like quite beautiful. And I think the beauty of it too is that the story is there for those who will want to kind of like stop, pause, think, question, and not just see this tulip as something that looks pretty on the kitchen counter. You know?
I would love for you to talk a little bit more about this and the definition, your definition of beauty, right? Because I think what you're talking about is that it's not just aesthetic, it's not just visual. There's so much more to this esoteric word of beauty.
But I am curious to know if you can kind of help us into your brain and see when you define beauty, what makes something truly beautiful to you? What comes to mind?
When I think of something that feels truly beautiful, it has the power to move. I mean, I feel like it has to be, that definition obviously feels very broad and maybe too vague. But I'm just kind of going through my Rolodex of moments in my life that like a shiver has been sent down my spine or I've kind of paused, and rewind it a little bit, or just given another second to think about something. I mean, in the examples that I've given all of them are so sad and morose, I do think that I'm drawn to expressions of beauty that do speak to the cycle of life and death or unexpected life or redemptive or restorative death.
And that's not to say that my existence is melancholic or that I just spend all day kind of sulking but I, I do think that there's something so powerful in that, and I think it's something that in my adulthood, I don't think we're necessarily trained to think about things in that way.
But I think you can find a lot of instances where that cycle exists outside of flowers for sure. But you know, since that is my profession, that's what comes to mind.
Well, I love that you had said that it's about being moved, that there's, again, some kind of transformation that not just exists with the subject of beauty, but that the observer of that beauty is somehow being transformed.
Yeah. I think that's interesting to kind of bring an aspect of relationship into it, whether it's from person to person or whether it's like flower to person or flower to pollinator or just like the subject of beauty to observer or receiver. And I think thinking about it in that way also just fascinates me to kind of think about like, does beauty only exist when there's more than one party involved?
Is beauty qualified by the observer? Does the expression of beauty exist for the subject first or the observer first? And I think things can get kind of complicated and murky in that way, which is why it's nice to go back to flowers because you're like, this flower will bloom whether or not someone's around to see it. This flower will bloom in an effort to attract a pollinator, but no one is guaranteeing that it will be successful in that way.
When I think about, as humans, our rituals of performance for one another – whether that be in social situations, like I'm gonna try to perform or in a way so I can feel accepted, or even in ways where like, oh, we went to the symphony and we saw a performance – on all these ways of exchanging and sharing that space, I think there is something to kind of think and flesh out and ruminate on in terms of like the, what's going on? Are we purely consumers or like how do we both participate in this moment of exchange? But I think that's one of the things why beauty is so fascinating and complicated, because when you start involving more than one being in the equation, it always just gets a little more interesting.
Yeah. I also think that this is why people really have, for so many years now, resonated with your work. I think that it's not, we live in an aesthetic centralized, like, oh, does it look good for the grid? Or whatever it is. Like is it just beauty for the surface level sake of beauty?
But I think what continually comes up for me when I see your work is that there is something more at depth. There's so much more depth to the work, right? I can see an arrangement of yours and think about, yeah, it just looks beautiful. Like it just looks good. Like it's somehow just my brain is like, I like that.
But I think that what is also underneath that, everything that you're talking about, infusing that into how you go about your creative process, I think really comes through. So that when people see your work, they are moved. Right? And it's this weird thing of like, everyone's gonna be, it is art, right? Like everyone's going to experience art differently.
They're gonna have a different reaction to it. But I do think that there's this like transference of an artist's point of view, whatever they're trying to communicate is being transferred through the medium upon which they're working in. In your case, flowers. And if that transference has happened, if that intentionality has happened, then there's also this transference to the viewer, to the observer, to the wedding guest, to the restaurant guest that goes to Chez Panis, and just is somehow impacted, somehow moved when they see a piece of yours.
And I think that that really resonates and why you've been so successful is because I think it's there, right? Like it's in there even if it's just you moving around flowers. But that is, I think, why it's like an amazing thing of like, this is actually why your work has really resonated for so long. I think that it's 'cause it's not just moving around flowers. It's so much more than that.
Hmm. Well thank you Kenny. That's entirely kind of you. And I mean, I think you're able to articulate like that because the role that you play in this exchange of seeing the beauty in the world around you is that you're also in a space to be ready to look for it and to enjoy it, you know?
And so, I mean, I think I'm just trying to deflect, but thank you so much.
I am curious about when you go about your design or your creative process. Is there deliberation when you're going about your creative process or are you really just like, I'm just in the moment and I'm just doing my thing and allowing myself to kind of be like a vessel or whatever? Like what is that?
Maybe definitely a blend. Yeah. I think there are some aspects of creativity that feel very intuitive and visceral and kind of just untamed. And there are also other aspects of creativity that do feel like just talking about deliberate and thought through and strategic to a certain sense.
Not to completely reduce this whole conversation, but that reminds me of something that someone told me about the difference between art and design. It is kind of like how much it is crafted for “a purpose”. Yeah, again, I don't wanna get into that because I think folks could debate about that for a long time.
But I do think though, as my job as a floral designer is that there are some goals that we want to achieve, and when designing an arrangement those are certain things that you have to kind of keep in the back of your head.
So, some of those goals, they vary a lot. Like one could be like, oh, I love this Dahlia so much. How can I make sure that when I put it in an arrangement and design it, that whoever's receiving this arrangement will be able to see the qualities that I see. And so you think about composition and what kind of material pairings will help accentuate and highlight its natural beauty.
There is kind of like another camp of goal setting, which might be like in the restaurant if I'm designing an arrangement, it's like, how does this relate to the design of the space? How does it speak to the seasons? How does it lead the eye from, you know, left to right? How does it lead into the center of the arrangement and back out? And all those things are like, hopefully we'll be able to accomplish all those goals in an arrangement. And if not, then I'll just be crossing my arms and rethinking everything and not satisfied with it.
But yeah, I think there's definitely a blend and the ratio of how much of it's just like pure, unfiltered, unleashed creativity and how much of it's like, okay, we need to be a little more dialed in and focused and strategic. It kind of depends on each project, but I think having that blend is actually pretty satisfying and helpful.
And it also seems like, 'cause there's parameters, you're given a container whether literal or figurative. And then it's sort of like, you have to figure out, okay, I have this much space, I have these options of flowers given the particular season. I have this space. How do I create something that feels beautiful and moving within those constraints?
And I think in this sense it actually feels a little bit more liberating that there are those constraints, because then your job as a designer is more about like you're just responding to something.
I personally feel like that removes some pressure as opposed to like a complete blank canvas where you could do anything. I feel like the amount of possibilities feels a little bit paralyzing. But even the fact that like with flowers you're working with found material, I think it kind of keeps your creative ego in check also where it's like, oh, this flower was beautiful before you even touched it, before you even saw it.
And your job then is to not detract from its inherent beauty. And instead like, what can I do to accentuate it or present it to tell a very particular story. And that kind of lesson is so applicable to life outside of designing flowers too. It's like, okay, let me respond to the situation. How do I respond with grace and with courage, or with kind of like an optimized idea of hope even, you know? And so I'm thankful for my job for being able to teach these lessons that go beyond, beyond the vase.
I mean, I am curious to hear about that because you're a husband and a father, and I am curious to hear how you think about applying that level of intentionality and some of these things that we're talking about when it comes to beauty to the rest of your life.
What a question. Just kind of like on the topic of responding and maybe this feels just way too oversimplified, but as a father, it's really about rolling with the punches, like surrendering control.
My dear firstborn Griffin broke his wrist last week as you know. Sarah, my wife, to those that don't know Sarah. Sarah and I are just like, it's so cute. I don't know. It's so cute. Obviously, he's not in too much pain and it's gonna be okay. But a lot of folks who have been checking in on us–which we were thankful for–like, I hope it's not too stressful for you, or like, how are you and Sarah? And I think we're like, we're fine.
But it does kind of illuminate this notion that being a parent is so taxing because everything just keeps going wrong, which is no, which is not what I'm saying. But I feel grateful for moments like this where we can make lemonade outta lemons or take a, take a deep breath and see beyond what is inherently kind of like a stressful or like unideal situation, and just like make the most of it. I think it helps that Griffin himself is pretty cheerful and has been a trooper about it all. But yeah, I think that just seems like a silly but top of mind example.
Yeah. I think it also it that responding to that, responding to whatever life throws your way, the rolling with the punches, the kind of like moving with whatever is in front of you, it really does feel so aligned with how you work with flowers and how you think about beauty in general and that like in order to find beauty, there's this, in the way that you have that we've been talking about it, you have to also be okay with like seeing what's in the shadows or like what could be beautiful, even if it's not immediately beautiful.
Yeah, it really is like an invitation, if not like a demand that you alter your perspective. And like you absolutely need to see things through different eyes if it's gonna be of worth to you and to others.
I mean, yeah, there you go. Like life lessons, letting go of the control of your own focus and like this human desire to write our own stories and to choreograph it and dictate the timing and dictate the plot and dictate everything about it. None of that is really going to yield an enjoyable existence for myself. And so that is a lesson of, yeah, letting go of just coming at the scene from a different perspective. Zooming out, so you're not just held hostage to the micro moment. And yeah, just again, this sounds so cliche, but like yeah, finding the beauty in it because it's gotta be there whether or not you can, you can easily identify it or not.
Which already feels like such an incredible mindset that people don't have to say, there has to be beauty there.
'Cause I think some folks maybe see a challenging situation or see something that doesn't feel ideal, and they're like, it's not, there's nothing good that can come out of this. So I think that's such an incredible mindset to be like, there must be beauty here. We just have to unearth it.
Totally. And I mean, I think part of that is like this aspect of like you need to kind of believe in the unseen aspects yet. 'Cause I think if we are thinking about oh, this moment, this situation becoming ultimately beautiful, then again, that implies that there is this narrative of like, okay, it's bad now, but hopefully it'll get better.
And that just takes time, and takes zooming out, and like we're saying, requires you to think beyond the situation in front of you. And yeah, I'm not saying that that's not hard or difficult, especially with the plethora of unfortunate and unideal things that we're kind of exposed to in 2025.
And I think that just makes you dig your heels in a little bit deeper to this notion or this hope that things will be better and more beautiful. And I think that speaks again to this deeper understanding of beauty, which is like not equating a beautiful outcome to a happy ending.
Like if we are gonna go back to that morbid story that I started this chit chat with, my grandmother did pass away, you know, and like, that wasn't the happy ending, but the beautiful outcome was being able to observe her resilience and to be able to essentialize that and think about what is a practice that feels like this, this gumption could be honored, this like fight for life and for a living even if it's not what you would want or the way you thought it would play out.
I love everything that you just said, and it does remind me that you recently had to sort of renegotiate your relationship to flowers. And I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit more about that.
Yeah. Renegotiating my relationship with flowers is like a very elegant way of putting it, because I was like, yeah, I was gonna quit. And then I told all my friends, all my family, all of my peers and colleagues and business contacts, like, Hey y'all, I am retiring, not from working but from the flower game.
This was a couple of years ago in like 2022, 2023, and that was quite a process. And I think why I've probably felt so gung-ho about doing it is because I do kind of carry with me this life philosophy that like the death or the retirement or like the pruning back of something is not, not the end.
But I think I just felt within myself that what my career looked like at the moment was not what I wanted to keep on committing to or investing in. Anyway, we don't have to. Yeah. So that I had made this decision like, Hey, I think I'm going to step away from flowers professionally, because in this moment I feel like if I wanted to preserve the bigger picture, which was my relationship with flowers, that I needed to stop doing them professionally.
And that felt very liberating, if not difficult from a business perspective. And then in that instance of walking away from it, fast forward a couple months, I actually felt more clarity that what needed to happen is that I needed to go back to flowers. That there was still a way to professionally engage with flowers that would be a more sustainable, more enjoyable way of working with them.
And that when I wanted to retire, when I wanted to quit and shut down the business, I didn't feel in control of my business which I thought I was fine with, because flowers have taught me all these lessons about surrendering and letting go and not being in control. But I was not enjoying my work.
And I think there was a moment where I remembered that I could do with this business what I wanted to do with a few tweaks or recalibrations or just kind of like changing my focus a little bit. Then I could optimize for something different. I could optimize for something that felt better for my family, for me as someone who had been doing it for 10 plus years. And so I think it started kind of with a decision or a resolve to kind of take a swallow, be okay with being the boy who cried wolf, and getting back in the game. And so kind of sheepishly told everyone, Hey guys, I'm, I'm unretiring, but I swear I was gonna retire for real. Like, I wasn't trying to just, you know, create like a pump fake.
I'm still kind of in that process of what it looks like to come back to flowers and, and it feels refreshing because it feels like a choice. I feel like, okay, I am back here because I want to, and I am kind of brought back to a place of renewed wonder and renewed awe in the same way that I was when I started doing flowers like 10 years ago. But it also is still a process of not falling back into like old rhythms and patterns that burnt me out or made me feel like I was not in control.
And that's just like a delicate process and one that I don't feel like I'll be able to figure out except through doing it.
Yeah, and you had said, the words, of course, of pruning back. I don't know if you ever thought that 10 years was gonna be a single season, but that kind of is the case here. And having to prune back in order to then find this next season of life and your career sounds so much like everything we've been talking about.
Yeah, I think so. And it's kind of like, oh, are we just looking for the nature metaphors? Or are they actually just really, really powerful and when they present themselves to us, does it make you pause and think especially like now at the beginning of March?
I love the pruning metaphor because I'm starting to notice and observe like a lot of these plants coming back to life after our very mild Bay Area winter. This is so nerdy, and I feel like I like to pull this little, these little factoids outta my back pocket, but in pruning, when you prune something back, it grows back stronger.
And there are times when, a flowering tree, maybe you've cut it back. And although maybe sometimes that feels like a very unwise decision because you're like, why would you eliminate all these beautiful branches? Like the following seasons, those branches come back more floriferous and stronger than ever.
Yeah. Which feels, I mean, I just think about this and, and so incredibly, that entire journey that you went on, that renegotiation then very much led to you becoming the florist in residence at Chez Panis.
Which for folks that don't know, is just the most, one of the most iconic restaurants, not only in the Bay Area, but across the country and even globally, that really embodies California farm-to-table founded by Alice Waters, equally iconic. And I think it's just really cool to see that as the new branch, the new thread of what your career is gonna look like.
And so I'm, I'm curious to know about this new post. How does this new post feel emblematic of where you are in your career and your life?
It feels kind of surreal. I'm just kind of stunned and very grateful that this is kind of how it all played out. And I'm still very much like pinching myself that I get to make flowers in this place and in this space. And I think when I wanted to start doing flowers again, one of my goals was to make flowers for more folks to enjoy.
I love weddings and making flowers for wedding clients is really, really special. Especially to be like, given that honor and to develop and work for that much trust for a client. But it's also like in any given wedding, there's only x amount of people that can enjoy it, and it's just for one night.
And so, Chez Panis, although it is not necessarily open to the public on any given evening, it's not on the sidewalk. Like I think there are more folks who are able to come into that hallowed space. And so for that, I feel really grateful just even on that level that like, oh, I get to create flowers for something that more people get to enjoy.
I even say that knowing that it's like quite an anonymous endeavor, there's no plaque on the vase that's like, Sammy, go hit 'em up. But just knowing that, there's so many people that, they put Chez Panis on their calendar and they plan vacations around it. And that's so wild. And the whole team is amazing. And I love getting to know them. And I just love playing a small part in this legacy. But it was just an unexpected turn. And it feels good to kind of come back and do things in a way that's different.
And so there's so many aspects about it that do feel exciting to me because they are fresh. So, for example, I'm making fewer arrangements per week and it's so seasonal. And so the way of working is different than like, let's say Kenny, if you're like, my favorite color is purple and I'm throwing this event, and the event is in September and we're chitchatting in March.
And I'm like, okay, here's what I think will be blooming in season. And we're planning in advance and writing recipes in advance, but the way of working it in the restaurant is like, let's see what looks good right now, and let's be inspired in the moment and let's try to capture that moment and put it in a vase.
And so that feels both inspiring and demanding. And it feels very exciting, very interesting, the opposite of boring. And it also kind of requires me to keep developing my own friendships and relationships with the folks that grow the flowers that we use. And just kind of helps me stay more connected to the seasons. And so it just feels like a privilege to be able to work in, in this way.
One thing that you had mentioned about weddings, it's that it's for that one day, that one night. Those flowers can just burst and be at their most beautiful, most prime. And then it's okay. That's it. But like at Chez Panis, this whole process of these flower arrangements have to last. And to kind of think about like, now, not just the most optimal time, but how they will age and how they'll...
Sammy: Yeah. I think there's like, I mean, there's a whole separate conversation about waste in the floral industry. It's extremely wasteful because these are perishable products. But I remember when I first started, I was so, like, I thought that was so romantic. Yeah. I was like, there's all this extravagance for this one night of celebration and when done well, it's like what are we willing to invest in just for this one celebration?
And I do believe in that, and I want to believe in that as humans, we have a tendency to invest effort and resources and time and care into something that we know exists only for a little bit, you know? And I think that there's like a philosophy or a culture of celebration that feels quite radical in some ways about what you will do to highlight and frame what could be like reasoned out of as something small.
And there's multiple sides to that coin. On the other side, on the other side of that, as you're what we're talking about with the restaurant, it is a slightly different game. It's like, how do we build something that doesn't just have to look good for the moment or for the picture?
And sometimes like that is one of the nice things about a wedding is that sometimes if it's a really hot day, I'll just be like, yo, flowers, you just gotta, you just gotta like, hang on, you just gotta hang on. Please just keep it together for the next four to six hours. And I think we'll be good in gravy. The luxury of that, I mean, it's funny that I'm just calling the luxury of that ephemerality is not present when this arrangement has to look good for the next week.
And then you just kind of adjust, you figure out what feels a little bit hardier. Like if I'm gonna use something that I know will wilt quickly, is that still worth me coming in and replacing it with a fresher stem of the same variety?
But yeah, again, it's like how do we consider the experience of the observer in both of those situations. And like my job is really to be in service of the observer and what will we do to provide the most optimal experience for them to have a moment or a moment of interaction or experiencing with the beauty that we're creating.
Yeah. And it does, there is something about like a flash of a flash in the pan moment versus creating, curating for longevity.
Yeah, I agree. And I feel like that's something that, I mean, when I think about Willowmar and like you, and like the way that you and I have related professionally, like when I think of a home, it feels, it can feel very much like the opposite of ephemerality.
Like I would like this house to not be a flash in the pan. I want to be living here in a couple of years and there's so much effort and energy that realtors and homeowners or home sellers put into it that you feel like you want it to last and be worthwhile and substantial and have a very healthy lifespan. And I think that's wonderful. And I also think that there's wonderful things that have shorter lifespans and I think the combination of both is what makes life interesting.
Yeah. I think that there is, one of the things that I would love to hear from you on is how do you think people can bring in beauty into their homes?
Like some of these things that we've been talking about, how do you think that they can bring in some of these elements, some of these philosophies around beauty into their home to make their homes more beautiful, but with, with the depth that you're talking about some of the, the, the really wonderful nuances that we're talking about.
Are there thoughts on how you bring beauty into your home?
You know, I think, to give examples is well one is to admit that it's always a process. And then two, like in our modern day in age, I do think it's like an uphill battle, 'cause I think the first thing that comes to mind is like, I am personally trying to be less on my phone, which like, who isn't, but like truly I do believe that like getting off the screen and just creating more opportunities to connect with each other or with your space will just be richer. And actually, I mean, this is a, a silly example is like Kenny, you know that like Sarah and I had quite a few conversations of if we should have a television in our living room, and you're so kind to indulge us in, in, um, in our, uh, strategizing. Um, should we have a tv? Like, are we TV people, are we non TV people? Like if we don't have the tv, like what are we gonna do? And so we do not have a TV in our living room unless we carry it there to watch movies together.
But when we don't have the TV there, I just find that our time spent together is like so rich and enjoyable and like, you know, you and I can both envision an hour we're like, you know, sitting on the floor eating sweet things and chitchatting or like playing with my children's toys.
But just kind of like, I think not to say that when we watch films together that that's less valuable, but I think our default being a more analog makes me feel like we're just more present with each other. So I don't know, there's an aspect of that feels...
It does feel really intentional, right? Like you had to have all of those conversations to think about this one decision that can impact our lifestyle in our homes, and whether that decision is leaning us, steering us towards the kind of vision of the life and the family that we wanna create and the home that we wanna create.
Yeah. Although, I mean, that sounds, thank you for saying that. 'cause I'm, you know, just so close to moving the TV out there.
But which also I think that is, I mean, what's interesting is like there's no right or wrong answers when it comes to these things. And I think that there is just like the, how do you put deliberate intention into whatever those decisions are and how, however you create your home, however you fill it without it being frivolous.
And I think that to me feels like the right way that I also always go about clients when they're thinking about anything. When they're thinking about how they're gonna use the space, what kind of home that they want to ultimately end up going after seeking out. There's so many different kinds.
There's so many different variables. And to me, as long as someone is not frivolous with their decisions, and it's an informed decision that like, we want this in our life and our lifestyle demands this or requires this, and we're okay with that because we've actually thought it through and it's a thoughtful approach to life, that feels like the most important part.
Yes. That's very wise advice that I know speaks to the bigger picture of like, it's not about the TV at the end of the day. It's really about, do you feel like you are able to make this home the home you want it to be?
I have another question. Are there other ways that you think that folks can bring creativity and artistry, not only to their homes, but with their loved ones? And I think this goes to how you've been so intentional about being a father and being a husband and being a brother and son. Like all of those things. Also, again, take kind of an intention to be thoughtful about.
I feel like I'm doing that exercise in my mind where like, I'm closing my eyes and I'm like, creativity with loved ones. The stock image that pops up is like, where we have crayons and we're at an easel and so we want to try to askew from that.
I feel like there's such a rich opportunity to cultivate a more open posture that's like looking for ways to be moved or to experience beauty, especially in relationships with your loved ones. And I think in the Bay area, we have such a privilege too to be surrounded by so many catalysts for beauty.
So even if it's like small rituals of like, oh, I discovered this bakery that I really like, and their flavor profiles are so interesting, or their craftsmanship is really impressive, and like I want to share this with my mother, or like oh, today is a sunshiny day, let's go to a playground and then lemme text my brother and see if my niece wants to come join us.
I think the prescription is more about just inviting others in to witness or observe your POV and not to say that we all have to be like main character energy and ask other people to jump on board, but more of like just enforcing a practice or a culture of sharing.
Yeah. I dunno, that sounds very simple, but I can think of ways where my children are so wide-eyed and the way that they live is so pure. And so I'm learning from them. Like Griffin woke me up today at 6:00 AM and he was like– maybe that doesn't sound that early, for me it was early–Griffin was like, Daddy, I just had the most incredible dream. I was like, who taught you this phrase? He's like, I had the most incredible dream. My friends and I saw a giant sloth. And then he was like, can you keep me company? And I was like, no, I'm gonna escort you back to your bed and I'll wake you up when I wake up.
But I think as children, kids wanna share everything with you. And it's more often like, at this age, and I assume that it will change when he gets older. But now it's like the blocker for the sharing exchange is me. I'm like, oh, Griffin, I'm so sorry. I'm busy right now, cannot listen to your story right now. Or like, I cannot play with you right now.
And instead just trying to for me making a tweak of like, okay, let me actually make more space, because he is wanting to connect and it's such a privilege that he wants to share, and it's so charming and delightful when he does.
And kind of like trying to replicate that with me and my adult relationships with being like, I'm not necessarily texting everyone, Hey, I had this incredible dream about these giant sloths, but mirroring that in a way that feels age appropriate. And just kinda like, yeah, I think delight is contagious. And so knowing what others find delightful, it encourages you to kind of pass that on or to develop that within yourself as well.
Yeah. Being I think it's like having your eyes open to the opportunities for beauty and connection and how those things are intertwined.
Yeah. And I do feel like once upon a time, maybe like Instagram or like social media, was that in its pure form, in like 2010, 2012, like filter, deep filter era. We were just posting stuff 'cause we thought it was cool or we saw it. And like, not saying that it was all, you know, innocent and what back then, but like now everything feels like optimized for engagement, which I just feel like is a detractor from something that feels so special and pure as like I just wanted to share this with someone, and kind of going back to like the essence of what's really going on there I think is, is helpful.
Yeah. I love that. It's like this is a beautiful thing and I just wanted to share it with you.
Yeah, I think that's, it's sweet. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like you thinking of a kid being like, I found this thing, look daddy, it's a random rock.
Well we of course can talk and talk and talk so much more. But for now, is there anything else that you want to share with our audience about beauty or about creativity or about ephemerality that we haven't talked about?
Yeah. I think creativity feels like such a contested topic. I don't even know. Is it a topic, concept? It feels conceptually confusing because I think people in their adulthood label themselves as creative or not creative.
And all the stock imagery comes to mind. Like, you're creative if you dress in loud colors or you wear overalls and crocs, and like do something right. And you're not creative if you have like a nine to five or you like math. And I think that feels so superficial and I, I feel like, I feel like everyone is creative in just different ways.
And like, there's so many ways that my creativity is different than another person's creativity. And I think I sometimes feel uncomfortable with how easily this binary of creative and not creative is applied or self-identified because, if you're, I dunno, listening to this and you're like, I'm not in a creative field, or like, I didn't even want to listen to this episode because I'm not a creative person.
Like, I think I would encourage you to rethink that and think about ways that you are. Some aspect of your life or your way of thinking where you feel like the way you approach it is unique to you, or you feel like in the essence of creativity, you are creating a way that makes sense for you to do it. Whether that's like, I don't know, the way you tie your shoes or the way you do your taxes, or like the way you plan your family's recipes.
I feel like that is richer because I think as humans, we all know how to create, and it just was easier to admit or own that creative title when we were in school and there were crayons and there was art class.
I mean, that's something that I don't feel like we chit chatted about, but I do think that the mantle of creativity is broader than we think. And I would encourage folks to… Yeah, I mean, here I am chit chatting about flowers and my creative journey with that. But I feel like I would love to have a conversation with someone who's in a different field who maybe most folks would write off as non-creative, but really finding a way that you are embodying that vocation that feels innovative and different and beautiful.
Yeah. You know, you had mentioned the inherent beauty of things, and I also think that it sounds like that. What you're also speaking to now is that there's this inherent creativity that we all have in being human, right?
Like our lives are inherently creative. How we go about them and how we go about the design and the twists and the turns and the pivots all feel like expressions of that creativity.
Yeah. And I think part of it is like reclaiming, like reclaiming your way of living in this world. Again, probably not smart enough to kind of back up this thesis or statement, but I do think there's a lot of aspects of modern living that go against the way that we might normally express our way of living as humans.
And so learning to unlearn some of those things that we feel like are markers of success or stability or routine, and embracing what feels natural and what feels like visceral and human. And that's kind of like an invitation that I feel like I like to sit in. And yeah, I do think that there's an inherent creativity and inherent beauty within us, even by fact that we exist in this world that is inherently beautiful, and inherently just regenerative and restorative.
And yeah, again, peeling back the layers of like this human overlay of the natural world and thinking about how our environments, our natural environments, our natural landscapes had existed before we industrialized and everything is a helpful practice to be like, okay, this is how things are and how they were until like the last couple hundred years. And just to perceive the world in that way.
What excites you most about the future of Lambert Floral Studio?
That's a great question. What excites me most about Lambert Floral Studio is it really is this ability to share with more and more people. And I know that feels simple and, but that is what is exciting to me. Kind of trying to let as many people as possible come into contact with flowers that have moved me or have inspired me.
And what feels most exciting for me as the person who runs Lambert is being able to step into this next phase of my life as a business owner, father, creative person, husband, and feel like the business side is situated rightly alongside all the other like mantles of myself.
Yeah. And where can people find you? Where can people find Lambert? What are the places?
You know Lambert Floral Studio or what @lambertfloralstudio on Instagram is, um, where I am. If you go to Chez Panis or Chez Panis Cafe, chances are you'll see some flowers that I've made. But uh, yeah, those are digital and analog. Find me there.
Yeah, it's pretty amazing. Thank you so, so, so much, Sammy.
Oh thank you!
For this conversation. And thank you all for tuning in. We are so honored and pleased to have Sammy here.
You can find us at willowmar.com or on Instagram at @thoughtfulrealtor, and you can reach out to us directly. And if you haven't already, please hit that subscribe button and leave us a review.
We read each one of those reviews, and always appreciate when you share the love. And so until next time, bye-bye!
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