“It’s like you’re eating under a canopy of lemons,” said Carlos Franqui, describing the outdoor courtyard that he yearns for and normally visits every year. It's part of his favorite restaurant on the island of Capri, Da Paolino.
This summer, Carlos was unable to visit Italy, so he used memories from the Amalfi Coast to transform the entrances and open-air dining areas of Italian restaurants into the enchanting places that he missed. The founder of Floratorium calls these installations, “floral storefronts,” and some draw thousands of people, both in person and on Instagram.
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The appetite for his unusual displays of greenery continues after restaurants were given approval to continue serving outdoors for another year. Carlos's flowers serve a new function in the peak of the shopping season, providing a festive backdrop for holiday dining in New York City.
At Marea, a Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant specialized in seafood, Carlos made a shadowy stretch of scaffolding disappear.
“I was playing with the concept of the tides receding, the moment when you get to see what’s underneath,” he said, adding that marea means “tide” in Italian. “I wanted to show that what’s underneath is a vibrant restaurant.”
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His crew spent a week working on the ground, using the bus stop and scaffolding as props for their vision. They painted the poles jutting out of the sidewalk and wrapped the criss-crossing bars with willow branches and silk flowers. The gloomy patch of sidewalk became a blooming pergola and one of the most sought after selfie zones in the city.
Carlos calls the scaffolding makeover, “glamfolding.” Mixing the natural wood with the artificial flowers is what makes it look real and last longer, Carlos explained. His professional experience in marketing and branding, plus an internship with the eminent floral designer, Oscar Mora, has led to extraordinary projects for Beyoncé to Sarah Jessica Parker, and prominent restaurant groups. They all begin with research.
“I always ask for a tour of the kitchen and the restaurant. I want to get inspired,” he said, explaining his process. “I want to find out how they came up with the menu. I want to see everything, from the napkins to the special utensils.”
At Ai Fiori in the Langham Hotel, Carlos took a tour before it reopened. He saw the kitchen, the empty tables, and the withered flowers left in their vases after months of abandonment. The place was on the brink of revival, and he wanted to capture its resilience.
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“So I thought, ‘What if the plants were growing while we were away and customers could come back and see an explosion of branches coming out of the ground through the glass of the hotel window and up the staircase?” he said. “With beautiful garden roses blooming everywhere, it would show the idea of ‘life finding its way.’”
Now, a magnificent trunk of a rosebush presses through the window, climbing the staircase and flowing into the dining area, bringing the illusion of “everything growing” as promised for hotel guests and diners.
Carlos Franqui, the founder and owner of Floratorium
This winter, Carlos will remain busy. With the change of seasons, come updates and new projects. He already planned an après-ski-themed flower explosion at Marea that plays with illusion and fantasy.
“You may not be going anywhere this year, because there’s no skiing,” he said. “But at least you will get the feeling of it.”