The Creative Rebirth that led Cecilia Paganini to found La Fiorellaia

There are moments in life that arrive quietly and others that break open with undeniable force. For Cecilia Paganini, the founder of La Fiorellaia, her entrance into the world of flowers belonged entirely to the second kind. It wasn’t a long-cultivated aspiration or the outcome of strategic planning. It was a sudden, overwhelming intuition that emerged during a period of personal exhaustion, when the need for creativity grew louder than the comfort of stability.

A Calling That Arrived Without Warning

Before flowers, Cecilia worked in a job that offered security but not fulfillment. She felt drained, unable to express the most authentic and urgent parts of herself. Then, in October 2015, everything shifted during a conversation with a friend. Days later, that same friend sent her a screenshot: the flower shop in her village was for sale. “That shop is yours,” she told her, recognizing Cecilia’s natural talent for nurturing plants.

The impact of that message was immediate. Cecilia describes it as a fire she couldn’t contain. She felt a push from within, strong and unexplainable, something she now calls her “vocazione,” her calling. That same evening, she researched floral design courses, and the next morning she stepped into what would soon become the first small home of La Fiorellaia.

The shift was instinctive, almost impulsive, but deeply truthful. It marked the beginning of a journey shaped not by expertise but by passion strong enough to dismantle every certainty she had known.

The First Creations and the Birth of an Artistic Language

When asked about the moment she decided to found La Fiorellaia, Cecilia explains that it happened instantly—at the very moment she read her friend’s message. She didn’t yet know what form her work would take, nor could she have imagined how profoundly flowers would transform her life, especially given that she knew nothing about them at the time.

Her first creation that felt entirely hers was the project now known as “Fiori di Testa.” In these portraits, she appears with a bouquet replacing her head, a concept she envisioned and developed with photographer and close friend Mara Brioni. “These bouquets express emotions and visions,” she explains, “completely free from market expectations.” Over the years she produced many versions, including those created during her travels around the world with her husband Marcello.

This early phase was both liberating and challenging. Cecilia arrived without the constraints of traditional florist training, which she considers both her greatest advantage and her greatest struggle. For her, flowers are emotional landscapes, living shapes and colors that transform and eventually fade, each one unique and unrepeatable.

As she learned the craft, she devoted herself to educating her clients — teaching them how to treat flowers, how to make them last, and how to appreciate their value. Her approach resonated, but it required time for the public to understand her artistic interpretation.

A Vision That Redefined Her Work and Her Studio

Today, the identity of La Fiorellaia is shaped by a clear and distinctive vision. Cecilia explains that she built a studio structure with procedures, organization, and a mindset that allows her team to handle even the most complex floral projects. This blend of creativity and structure has become a hallmark of the Fiorellaia approach.

A defining influence in her artistic growth came from a 2017 trip to Japan. Cecilia feels deeply connected to Japanese floral culture, which aligns with her sensitivity and view of nature. Her favorite flower artist, Azuma Makoto, embodies the qualities she admires most: courage, clarity of vision, and artistic genius.

Another pivotal chapter in her evolution was the transition from a small village shop to a multifunctional studio at Via Milano 43 in Brescia, completed at the end of 2019. This leap represented a decisive investment and marked a turning point for La Fiorellaia. “That space defined us,” Cecilia says. “It shaped our vision within the floral design world.”

Looking Back With Wisdom and Gratitude

Reflecting on her earlier self, Cecilia says she would advise being slightly more prudent during the transition from Bedizzole to the new studio and less naive with certain people encountered along the way. Yet she acknowledges that every challenge contributed to the maturity she now carries.

The story of La Fiorellaia is not just the story of a business. It is the story of a woman who chose instinct over certainty, creativity over predictability, and emotion over convention. What began as a sudden and unexpected calling has become a space where art, nature, and personal vision converge daily.

It is a reminder that sometimes the most transformative paths are the ones we do not plan — those that reveal themselves with the force of truth and reshape us in the process.