Photo courtesy of Lewis Miller Design
Floral designer Lewis Miller offers an alternative to New York City's concrete landscape with his colorful “Flower Flashes.” Many eagerly await the magical moment when he and his team will erect a gigantic pop-up display of beautiful blooms on the sidewalk. Each installation features a variety of blossoms that turn trashcans into vases and occupy old phone booths. Miller’s latest flash was in celebration of Valentine’s Day, and it’s perhaps his most impressive yet. He outfitted two ice cream trucks with thousands of flowers that extend from the vehicles’ roofs to the wheels.
Light pinks, magenta, and bright red blooms offer a stunning frame for the boxy trucks. It feels very lovey-dovey, but the color scheme marks a departure from Miller’s usual Valentine’s Day palette. “I always tend to go a little dark and moody for Valentine’s Day! Never wanting to conform to the norm, I stay away from red roses,” Miller tells My Modern Met. “When creating a Flower Flash or a floral arrangement, I like a color story that feels unexpected. Deep purples, lilacs, and black cherry with jasmine and lots of textural foliage. BUT this year, I felt like all New Yorkers needed a real jolt of love!
“We decided to festoon two Mister Softee Ice Cream Trucks with garlands and mini-explosions of freshly cut blooms such as tulips, daffodils, roses, hydrangea. We even turned on the ice cream jingle and handed out single stem roses to passersby.”
The Valentine’s Day Flower Flash debuted on February 12 in Rockefeller Center. Like Miller’s previous flashes, they didn’t last long; folks quickly picked the blooms from the truck and took them home. Hopefully, they gave it to someone they love.
Floral designer Lewis Miller installed one of his beloved “Flower Flashes” for Valentine's Day on two ice cream trucks.
Photo courtesy of Lewis Miller Design
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer
