Go-To Fashion Florist Kelsie Hayes Opens Nomad Design District Space

MILAN — A floral haven fostering creativity has opened in the heart of New York City’s design district.

Kelsie Hayes who founded Popup Florist, a go-to for the fashion industry has opened a design space in NoMad, just blocks from the New York Flower District. Named House of Three, Hayes has positioned the 2,500-square-foot space as a a design-driven destination for hosting events, creating content and fostering creative collaboration.

“I don’t want it to just be about floral design — I have such a great network of artists and designers who can be amazing teachers in this space,” she told WWD in an interview on Thursday. House of Three is located on West 28th Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway and was designed by Hayes and her husband Justin Fine.

Hayes, a self-trained floral designer, started out with a tiny 40-square-meter, window-facing booth at Gansevoort Market, following a series of pop-ups. She later moved to a 400-square-foot space in the East Village and started popupflorist.com.

Her training is in fashion design, which has led her to develop a client roster. Today, she produces large-scale seasonal activations at more than 50 Prada locations; immersive installations for Gucci, Miu Miu, Hermès, Net-a-porter, Westman Atelier and Acne Studios; environments for Netflix, Target and Meta, and ongoing work for clients like Gigi Hadid and Eva Chen.

House of Three is named after her family of three and March, the third month of the year, which marks the birth of her daughter, Lenny. Overall it extends her creative lens beyond florals, into a space for brands, artists and creative explorers to gather, imagine and bring new ideas to life.

House of Three, she said, is gearing up to launch a workshop series, bringing artists and collaborators to teach their craft in House of Three’s rooms, which include a kitchen space, a living room, a makers room and a pantry. A few furniture and decor pieces were purchased in Mexico City. A wanderlust vibe is further enhanced by vintage and custom-furniture layered with contemporary pieces like an Arhaus table that is situated in the dining area.

One of their first events includes a collaboration with Veronica Beard’s visual team, teaching them Floral Design 101 “because they love the eclectic and inspiring nature of our space.”

Hayes hopes her proximity to NoMad’s growing design community will enhance her business’ edge and build bridges with the design firms and furniture-makers that surround House of Three.

“NoMad is a perfect central area for events.…I think it’s becoming a very desirable neighborhood. There’s the Ritz-Carlton hotel down the street, the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the Ned [a new members club and hotel] and amazing restaurants nearby. It’s only two blocks from the flower district, which makes sourcing very convenient,” she said.

Studio offerings include workshops and experiences, like flower arranging, live painting and jewelry-making. They will also host brand activations, including product launches and press preview, as well as, trunk shows and brand residencies, community gatherings, content and creative space for campaign shoots and full service event production execution.

“When I had this idea to create this creative space, it was finally a large enough space to explore a new challenge.…I wanted an industrial space to feel inviting, cozy and like home,” Hayes said.

“This project really unleashed my creativity in ways I never thought it would, and it taught me a lot with such little time to prepare and design it.”