With Valentine’s Day just around the corner it means an increase in flowers. When it comes to flowers, Sofia and Victoria Avila are the floral masterminds behind Mandarin Design Lab. They’ve created all the stunning arrangements you may have noticed at the W Hotel in Austin and the flowers for the annual Ballet Austin’s Fete.
Originally from El Paso, Texas, Sofia and Avila spent most of their time growing up in Mexico around their family and culture. It was when Victoria was a Senior in high school and Sofia a student at the University of Texas, that she and her sister decided they wanted to start their own business. Sofia explains, “We had already been in Austin for three years and I was doing a study abroad program in France. Victoria caught up with me towards the end of the program and we did some traveling together. It was the first year that we were going to spend our mom’s birthday away from her. We wanted to send her flowers online and everything was just so ugly and expensive.” Growing up, the sisters already knew how to do flower arrangements from their mother and uncle’s love and flare for doing décor and floral design. Victoria adds, “We told our mom we were going to start a business and she was like, ‘What! Until I see true commitment to really dedicate enough time, I will help you and become your mentor.’ She said, ‘Y’all have to figure out what certificates, permits, and everything you will need.’ So she saw the commitment that we had and immediately came on board.”
The sisters started their business in their kitchen by doing boutonniere’s and corsages for Victoria’s prom. Sofia includes, “We never opened a flower shop and were never open to the public. At first we did do deliveries, but then we transitioned to larger and larger events and higher profile galas. Then we stopped doing deliveries and took on hotel clients like the W Hotel.” Mandarin Design Lab does all of the W Hotel’s public space flowers. They also did the restaurant LaV’s flowers before they closed. One of the sisters most notable clients is doing flowers for Ballet Austin’s Fete gala. “That’s definitely the one that’s close to our heart,” adds Sofia. “It’s known as Austin’s best black tie event and we’ve been lucky to have been doing it for 10 years.” Another event the sisters are ecstatic about is the Catrina Ball which recognizes the Mexic-Arte Muesuem. Sofia and Victoria were both co-chairs and did all of the floral arrangements for the 2016 ball held at the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom.
Sofia and Victoria’s Uncle Franco joined the women’s business 6 years ago and has made his mark in Austin for his famous “Flower Dress”, among other hanging floral sculpture creations. With two degrees in architecture and one in fashion design, the girls also call him MacGyver and a “Modern Renaissance Man.” Sofia adds, “We have so much respect and admiration for her. She came to us saying she wanted to wear something completely unexpected — a dress made of flowers!” Uncle Franco designed and made the dress. Sofia includes, “It had to be done the day of the event so he started at 6AM and didn’t finish until 6PM.”
Another factor that makes Mandarin Design Labs stand out is the fact that they make their own vases. Sofia states, “We can custom design almost any decorative object. Some of our hotel or restaurant clients have specific needs for utilitarian objects that need to be aesthetically pleasing and fit into the property’s overall decor and brand. For example, they will request a container that has specific dimension, made of wood, has compartments, or needs a metal finish. That is why we’ve expanded our services and started venturing out into other decor projects for the hospitality industry.”
Being in the event and design business means you have to be prepared to put together almost anything. One of their regular clients wanted to shower his wife with roses, literally, on her birthday. Sofia recalls, “They were having the dinner at a private property and we did the flowers for the two long tables. But the ceilings were two or three story high ceilings. We had to bring scaffolding inside this space and built a structure where it rained roses and rose petals all the way down the table continued by roses on the table and more petals. It was very romantic, dramatic, and different. All the petals were sewn and took almost a week to sew everything. We had our crew on site that helped.”
Ballet Austin is one organization that is close to the Avila sisters’ hearts. Sofia adds, “The work they do for our city by bringing the arts to the community is just extraordinary. They’re so wonderful to work with; the team at Ballet Austin has really made us feel a part of their family over the years. We have this great collaborative creative process. It’s just so much fun working for them!”
The sisters truly have a unique talent that is hard to find. When asked what advice they have for those wanting to learn how to arrange flowers, Victoria replies, “I know this is going to sound really weird, but flowers talk to you. All flowers have a certain shape or curve; don’t fight it, work with it. Don’t try to force the flower into a certain position – observe, and ‘listen’ to how they want to be displayed.”
To see more of Mandarin Design Lab’s work, visit MandarinDesignLab.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with their latest projects and events.
Photography by John Pesina
Additional images provided by Sofia & Victoria Avila
