A love of beautiful art objects, travel and flowers are showcased in Flore.

The store is much more than flowers, but flowers remain at the heart of the business owned by Denis d’Etcheverry and Gilles Lord. They designed the unique space when their former location at 4912 Sherbrooke became too small after 11 years. They moved into the new premises at 5008 Sherbrooke in July 2006.

At the centre is an island enclosed by marble counters where the four floral designers create their arrangements.

“Here we have the luxury of space,” says D’Etcheverry. “The workshop is like an open kitchen concept.”

Instead of refrigerated cases for flowers, there is a large conservatory which vary upon seasons or importation. Clients walk in to look at the available flowers. Lord is a florist, but D’Etcheverry comes from a business background and only recently emerged from his role as a silent partner and began to work full-time at the store.

The vases, cache-pots, urns are in a wide-ranging variety of styles and materials. None are antiques, although traditional sytles and materials may give that impression. Rustic furniture as well as polished marble statues are found side-by-side, giving a very European aspect to the store. Customers may take larger pieces home for a few days before making a final decision. “We don’t repeat orders,” says D’Etcheverry, “you won’t find your neighbour has the same item as you do.” He will also visit a home in order to make recommendations and works regularly with designers.

The stock ranges from Chinese porcelain, items such as finials in 97.5% pure pewter. The urns at the entrance are in cast iron. Many of the objects can be used outdoors as well as indoors. Flore is a proud member of B. Brooks Fine Flowers, an international network of florists specialized in fresh, seasonal flowers arranged with exquisite artistry.