If you’ve ever taken a photo in front of City Bistro’s floral backdrop at brunch, or seen the gorgeous flowers creeping up the walls of Bond Salon in Hoboken, then you’re already familiar with Carolina Sardua’s work. Carolina is a local Hoboken resident and business owner of Alchemy by Carolina, a large-scale floral design company that she started in 2022. Her designs are larger than life, bringing nature into local businesses and other unexpected places, and making people feel like they are surrounded by natural beauty. However, these pieces are highly curated, well-thought-out designs made out of silk flowers, put together by Carolina and her team of artists. Each piece is custom designed for the space that it is in, and each one looks like a magical work of art. Read on to learn how Carolina started her business and ultimately blossomed into her more authentic self.
Pandemic Pondering
Like most people during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, Carolina felt that this was an intense time of transformation, introspection, and growth — both for our society and on an individual level. Once the rush of hectic everyday life came to a pause, Carolina had a moment to reconsider the direction of her life. Born in Venezuela, Carolina came to the US five years ago with the intention to study and practice law. During her studies, Carolina came to the realization that this was not the path she still saw herself taking. Looking for a change, she got a job at a plant and garden store in Jersey City. What seemed like a simple change of pace would end up setting Carolina on an entirely different career path.
Read more: This Local Artist Captures Hoboken + Jersey City Throughout the Years
New Beginnings
During her stint at the plant store, she was asked to create a large floral display for their local business to welcome clients back post-lockdown. Carolina accepted the gig and unleashed a passion for art that she did not even know she had. After this exciting discovery, she went on to work in a floral shop in NYC. There, she learned how to work with fresh flowers and create eye-catching floral arrangements. She then started freelancing as a floral artist with Karma Flowers in Jersey City and Cut 1 Flowers in Hoboken, helping out with floral designs for events. Still, she was itching to create other large-scale displays and really turn some heads with her work. Luckily, she was able to get her foot in the door and freelance with a company that creates these larger designs. Here, she learned the ropes — or should we say vines.
Carolina started working on large floral designs at businesses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and even went out to California and West Palm Beach to create showstopping pieces.
By June 2022, Carolina was ready to blossom and really take this on as her art form, which inspired her to create her own business, Alchemy by Carolina.
Show-Stopping Designs
Since starting this business, Carolina has been able to witness the impact that these pieces have on the community and the businesses. She loves bringing nature into unconventional, unexpected places. She feels that this is a tangible way to bring positive energy into the spaces we visit and the experiences we have. Her art has given her purpose, and she is grateful to have had such a great experience so far.
“Nature is for everybody,” she explains. “It changes the concept when you go into a space and find a floral wall or even just a small floral arrangement. It creates a different energy.”
Carolina notices that when her pieces are on display, people just want to be near them. They want to take photos with them and sit near the arrangements because flowers make people happy. She is passionate about bringing that happiness into people’s lives and is excited that businesses are using this as a way to create new experiences for their customers.
It’s difficult for Carolina to pick one favorite design that she has made thus far. One that sticks out for her is a residential piece. A client had seen her design at the Bond Salon in Hoboken and asked Carolina to make a piece inside of her home. Carolina was surprised and honored that someone would ask for this to be in their house, and she was excited to bring it to life. The piece consists of large cherry blossom branches climbing up the wall of the client’s living room. We personally love the idea of having our morning coffee underneath one of Carolina’s cherry blossom trees every day without ever having to put on pants.
It takes up to 10 working hours for Carolina and her team of 4-6 freelancers to finish a piece. The process includes coming up with the design, laying out the design’s basic structure with real branches, and then putting on the silk flowers and leaves. Sometimes she creates a seasonal design that has the same basic structure year-round but she will replace the flowers seasonally. Silk flowers can last up to one year on display before needing to be replaced.
See More: New Jersey Artists Featured at the Montclair Art Museum
The Future is Bright
The designs of Alchemy by Carolina can be enjoyed by more people than just Hoboken and Jersey City residents. She and her team are available for travel and are excited to see what the future brings for them in terms of designs. Carolina “would love to keep sharing the beauty of flowers and keep transmitting this positive energy.” She’s open to taking new clients and open to whatever opportunities may come her way.
To learn more about Carolina, follow her on Instagram and check out Alchemy by Carolina. For inquiries, send her an email at alchemybycarolina@gmail.com.
