“Rawan Rihani is the founder and designer behind the floral art studio Aurora Botanica. Rawan specializes in creating work with a dreamy, serene and wild aesthetic. With a background in painting and fashion design, Rawan approaches flowers like painting and creating art, and continues to combine lush and bohemian elements in her work while simultaneously playing with color and texture. She has designed for companies including No.6, Urban Outfitters, Sycamore Flowershop, and worked as head designer for accessories and Floral Guru at Stone Fox Bride before launching Aurora Botanica in February 2015. Next year, Rawan will be offering sacred flower bouquets inspired by sacred herbs and wildflowers, made for ceremonial use and inspired wellness as well as launching an inspired clothing line called Aurora Vestita.”
on her morning routine
First thing I do is feed my cats! They wake me up every morning, then I try to get another hour of sleep and then wake up again to Zac, my husband planting a kiss on me before heading to work! I then get up, take a shower, put out a little mascara and head on out to the flower market. Every day is a little different though, less of a routine. Today I woke up at 5am and was at the flower market before sunrise!
on her favorite place in brooklyn
I go to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens weekly. It always feels so zen. I always recharge there, and leave feeling rejuvenated. Sometimes at night in my neighborhood, I'll steal just one or two small branches for foliage accents in my arrangements, but I'm really not supposed to. Hopefully no one will track me down, but Ditmas Park gets really lush in the Spring and I can’t help it. I also find inspiration from traveling, books, music, tarot readings, photography, ancient art and textiles and modern dance. I search for inspiration too, and try to discover new music, and experiment in different mediums of the arts. This also inspires me, through the discovery of another medium you can balance it to the other.
on her current projects
Just last year, I designed dreamy large scale installations for high end perfume editorials, fashion brands and events, made an avant garde floral headpiece for Harper’s Bazaar editorial, installed florals for fashion week runway/set design, and did 45 weddings just in 2016!
“Carl Jung’s “Dreams” is fascinating. I love how he was like a scientist of mystical knowledge and mystical intelligence. I love how he gives us the notion that dreams can be important tools in balancing our psyche and for our own personal growth as humans. I love “The Gift” by Hafiz. One of my most favorite poems is called “The Sun Never Says,” which says, “Even after all this time. The sun never says to the earth, ‘you owe me’ Look what happens with a love like that, It lights up the Whole Sky.””
on her background
I started as a painter but went to art school and focused on fashion design at RISD. I came to NYC to pursue fashion design, loved it at first, but after 3 years, started to not feel like myself, I was unhappy and left to freelance and did a ton of odd jobs, like waitressing, for example, while figuring it out. Then, I then picked up a job at a flower shop in Ditmas Park, called Sycamore (now called Stems) and it was love at first sight. I felt that it was my calling to work with flowers and I have never stopped working with flowers since!
on upcoming projects
I am working on a clothing line right now which I am launching this Spring and also music and video collaboration with my husband, I am always working on different projects at the same time, and it all fuels me and inspires the other in a certain way.
on her aesthetic
I developed my overall aesthetic whilst in art school. My dear aunt passed away, and through that loss, I noticed that my art and perspective changed. I used to paint in a photorealistic style, and then after her loss, I started to paint and create in an abstract way, and with all feeling and emotion. Also, since that time, I had also been inspired by yoga, the connectedness of love and nature, and beauty found in the wild, untamed nature and found in life. Also, flowers were always a strong motif and subject for me when I was in art school, I would draw and paint them, and they have always captivated me. The thing I love about flowers is how varying they all are and what a wonder they are. They all make you feel a certain way too. Red swirling petal-y roses are full of deep feeling and passion, while a sherbet-toned poppy has a childlike spirit, that is light hearted and whimsical.
Blouse, Vintage ; Chair, Adaptations NY
Blouse, Vintage
“Fancy Colors is one of the records I picked. This is my husband Zac’s album. It’s just gorgeous, dreamy lush music. Give it a listen. I made the artwork for the record, the whole album is a mixture of animal dreams and human dreams because it was written when we were living in a house that critters would try to hide in the walls and floorboards for warmth. (We were renting). It’s a little psychedelic.”
on her beauty routine
I look for natural ingredients in products. Also hydration and pretty natural scents. I use lavender oil on my temples, Weleda Skin food and a little Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer Powder which is wonderful at this time of year, and adds a little glow. I like to put the luminizer on my eyelids in the center to open my eyes and on cheekbones. I love a good chapstick, mine is coconut oil based, and a little color a little brighter than my natural lip color. I wash my face twice a day, use a day cream and a night cream, and sometimes put cold cucumbers on under eyes. My eyes are so sensitive, and if Im stressed out or didnt get enough sleep, it really shows. So cold cucumber slices feels soothing on my eyes and really works.
I also use 1509 Fragrance in BABY'S BREATH BUD, Aesop Deodorant, Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash, and Bach Rescue Pastilles.
“I love vintage! I love finding a gem, something really unique and feels one of a kind, and vintage gives you that! I love the 70s, but its usually a weird detail like a color, texture, fringe, or the fabric itself that I have to click with and fall in love with in order to buy it. - usually I love anything that feels soft, loose-fitting, or something special about the fabric.”
rawan's favorite books
Dreams by C.G. Jung, Just Kids by Patti Smith, Love is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals by Melody, Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities by Albertus Seba
rawan's favorite movies
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Marie Antoinette, The Princess Bride, Breakfast at Tiffany's
rawan's favorite records
Feast by The Creatures, Ambient 1 by Brian Eno, Near Equator by Fancy Colors, Exotic Percussion by Martin Denny
rawan's favorite places in nyc
Sacred Vibes Apothecary - Herbs, tinctures, teas, crystals
Sycamore Bar + Flower Shop - For flowers and drink
Lea - Brick oven pizza and cannoli, che buono!
Cafe Tibet - Best Tibetan food
Castello Plan - Wine and cheese