The sun is shining and people are out enjoying the day. As I pass under a stone arch, I notice a girl with delicate flowers woven into her hair. It catches my attention because it’s something I never see. I don’t consider the synchronicity of it until a while later when Sebastian is explaining to me about how he has loved working with flowers since he was a child and how he would weave flower tiaras for the girls in his neighborhood.
Sebastian and I are seated in Hotel Russie’s luxurious courtyard when the waiter arrives to take our order. I ask for ginger tea, Sebastian orders mint. Soon Frank arrives and greets me warmly. He asks if we have ordered a drink. When he hears we’ve ordered tea, he raises his eyebrows and says, “Well, how civilized.” We all laugh. I can tell I’m going to enjoy talking to these guys.
Kasper, Sebastian and Frank
Together, Frank and Sebastian are Sebastian Flowers, a floral design, interior decor, and event management company. They have been partners in life and business for 27 years. Their first venture was a flower shop in Holland whose success got the attention of a businesswoman from Milan who persuaded them to relocate to Italy and work with her. The next few years were exciting and fast paced with a lot of travel, but eventually it started to wear on Frank and Sebastian, as well as on their relationship. They decided to move back to Holland where they took over an Italian furniture shop, expanding it to include flowers, a coffee bar, music and more; but the day came when they felt the itch to change it up again. Frank and Sebastian admit to me they were a bit spoiled by the fast paced life in Italy. And so the duo moved again, back to Italy to merge their flower business with an eclectic concept store which was similar to the business they had in Holland.
The years passed enjoyably. The store became a legend in society until multiple tragedies struck and upset the balance enough so that the store would never recover. Frank and Sebastian mourned the family’s loss and Rome’s loss. So once again the two moved on. This time, they set up inside Hotel Russie, where they have been situated for 7 years. Since then, they’ve also opened a store in Florence and, very recently, they’ve started on a new venture in Sicily that focuses specifically on weddings.
The waiter presents our tea. The scent of fresh mint leaves reaches me, carried on the steam that escapes the teapot as the server passes it to Sebastian.
I ask the two how they met. Frank says they encountered each other randomly one night during Carnevale in Holland and they both felt a connection. Coincidentally, the next night, in a different bar in a different town, they both found each other again. Frank says that later he encountered Sebastian yet again, seemingly randomly, in yet another city. But Sebastian smiles and admits it wasn’t a coincidence at all. He had decided he needed to pursue Frank. He pieced together clues from their conversations, figured out where Frank lived, and tracked him down.
Frank dresses stylishly and is quite talkative. Sebastian wears the uniform of his company and is less vocal. While different, Frank and Sebastian have a great rapport. Clearly they both share the same passion. I ask if they ever need to get away from flowers and design. Frank shakes his head and says, “It never stops because it’s part of you. I’m always looking at colors, and shapes and compositions.” He turns to Sebastian and says, “And you’re always fascinated by nature, wherever you go, aren’t you?”
Sebastian agrees. “Yes, even a strange flower on a tree that I’ve never seen, I’ll snap a quick picture for later. It’s all inspiration. You’re always making little photos in your head. If you need it you can pull it up and use it.”
They tell me their relationship has worked very well over the years and that they never get bored. I ask them what they do when they’re not at work. Frank says he must paint. He shows me some photos of his recent works and tells me about his exhibition currently showing at Studio Undici. Sebastian says that he enjoys just relaxing with a glass of wine on his terrace, taking in the light of the sunset, or watching people walk by.
I ask the men about their vision for the future of the business. They both look at me and shake their heads, smiling. I get the picture. Their story has shown me they prefer to go with the flow and it has worked quite well for them so far. Right now, the people of Rome are lucky to have Frank and Sebastian providing the highest quality floral and interior design.
A light rain starts falling and soon grows strong enough that we decide the flow is pulling us out of the courtyard and into the lobby of the Russie, where I can take the time to admire all the gorgeous items Frank and Sebastian have collected and arranged. There is a wide variety of flowers and beautiful objects. I am especially attracted to a few exotic flowers I’ve never seen before, like the Kangaroo Paw, with its velvety skin and warm colors; and the parrot tulip, a wild, rough-edged take on the classic version. Frank takes me around to show the items that he has collected; vases, antiques, art objects, all for sale. He shows me some beautiful and unique art pieces that he commissioned artists to create, things that must be seen to be believed.
The rain stops, the sun returns, and we move back outside so they can show me the grounds of the hotel, with its multiple terraced levels. Soon Sebastian says he must get back to work and bids me a warm farewell. Frank takes a few more minutes to walk me through the hallways of the hotel, telling me about how it was originally a single residence. It makes sense, as we pass from room to room. It clearly wasn’t built for the high traffic of a hotel. It is a large building but it feels quaint, intimate. We come back around to the lobby and I bid Frank goodbye. I step outside, entering the trickle of people flowing into the piazza, but I continue to think about the synergy that Sebastian and Frank have found with each other, with the Russie, with nature, with Rome.
Sebastian
Frank
