Sweet Sabelle was founded in 2012 when my daughter was just nearing kindergarten. As a working florist with an art degree from Arizona State University and an Associates Degree from The New York School of Interior Design, the artistic and cultural riches that are daily discoveries in my home of New York City beckoned me to take a closer look. Through those visits documenting art in New York City institutions or unique treasures in iconic design shops, I uncovered a delight in recording the beauty I find. The camera lens became my medium and my blog was a way to keep my sense of curiosity alive.

A year later FlowerSchool New York called on me to teach floral design in their growing Professional Certificate Program. For five years I was a teacher and designer meeting some of the world’s most significant florists as well as designing for and traveling the world helping them facilitate large scale events. Through it all my camera came along for the ride and, looking back, collected visual treasures from Goa, India to Mexico City, Mexico, and many places in between.

I had my second child four years ago and gave up teaching to nurture the growing needs of my bustling family life. And of course with smart phones there is never a second in daily life that goes unrecorded. As my youngest is nearing school age now, Sweet Sabelle the Blog calls me yet again. And especially as we are living in a strange new Covid-world. The small floral design business that I had begun a few years ago feels like a luxury that will have to wait for another day. As I had been delivering weekly fresh flowers to Swarovski corporate offices and designing for their press events in mid-town Manhattan, that return to normal feels years down the road.

So yes, A Return to Beauty feels like just the right balm for these dark times. I made my first masked-visit to an interior design shop last week to document the paintings and drawings of iconic restauranteur Charles Masson (in a full-circle moment, as I had documented his art of flowers in a post about his then restaurant, La Grenouille, in October 2012). I felt that buzz and excitement, which filled me in my Blog days, and realized I desired more of that! Hopefully, you will feel something sweet as a result of my discoveries. Thank you for visiting!

–Beth Was Horta July 22, 2020

For design inquiries, please email me: beth@sweetsabelle.com