West Elm And David Stark's (Purely Paper) Flower Shoppe

A modern furniture retailer and event designer showcase unusual paper creations in New York City.

Last night event designer extroidinaire David Stark unveiled his latest collaboration with West Elm: The (purely paper) Flower Shoppe. The Flower Shoppe is equal parts art installation and pop-up shop, with nearly everything for sale. David has created a flower shop in which everything is made from recycled paper, including potted plants, individual flower stems, bird houses, topiaries and even gardening tools and wellies. (A birdhouse with a bird sticking its head into the hole drew lots of attention, but it was marked with a 'sold' sticker within fifteen minutes of the shop's opening.)

I spoke with David last night at the event, and he shared some of his inspiration for the (purely paper) Flower Shoppe. David said that he set out to create "the cutest corner flower shop," but with a bit of a twist... in his own words, it looks as if you've "dropped down the rabbit hole." With acid green walls and witty paper details like paper shingles on the exterior and a paper cash register and telephone (both non-functioning), this is one Wonderland-like space.

David also told me that after years working in the events industry he was tired of all the waste he saw, and a few years ago, he began to really focus on how his work could "walk more lightly" on the earth. For example, David says The Flower Shoppe was inspired by all the books that you see discarded on stoops in New York City (much of the paper used int he creations is recycled book pages).

In recent years, this focus on eco-friendly design has lead to many creative and unusual designs, including his famed design for the Cooper Hewitt's 2007 National Design Awards, in which 6,000 pounds of recycled office paper were shredded and re-purposed into stunning decorations.

Last spring, Stark installed a cardboard installation at the same West Elm location's opening event, which was made entirely from the cardboard waste from the store (Grace from Design*Sponge snapped some great images last year, if you're curious). And then this past holiday season, West Elm offered a limited edition line of holiday decorations by David Stark.

During our conversation, David revealed that his Holiday 2010 collection for West Elm will also be fashioned from the recycled pages of books. We can't wait to see what he comes up with next! The event was also a celebration of David's new book, David Stark Design, which, personally, I am dying to read.

A host of paper tropical plants. Photo: Patrick McMullan/Joe Schildhorn

If you're in New York, be sure to stop in to see the shop in person. The (purely paper) Flower Shoppe will be open inside of the West Elm location at 62nd and Broadway for four days only (today, May 13, through Sunday, May 16):

The (purely paper) Flower Shoppe
@ West Elm Broadway
1870 Broadway at 62nd Street
New York, NY
11 am to 8 pm

And if you're far away, why not recreate one of David Stark's creations at home? Design*Sponge has a great how-to based on one of the smaller pieces from the (purely paper) Flower Shoppe.