JeFF leathaM Master of floral art
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or 20 years, American floral artist and designer Jeff Leatham has been beautifying Four Seasons hotels in Paris, Beverly Hills and Philadelphia. His team’s breathtaking arrangements won the favors of celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Kate Moss, Cher, Eva Longoria, the Kardashians and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has created floral art compositions for the Wynn and Encore Casinos in Las Vegas and collaborated with luxury fashion brands such as Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier and Louis Vuitton. Born in Ogden, Utah, Jeff is the son of Larry, a biology teacher, high school principal and gardening-lover, and Janet, a business teacher. Discovering quite early the creative potential of their son, his parents knew that he would veer off the beaten track. As a first source of inspiration, they passed him down their passion for nature and their taste for business. Leatham worked in retail and as a model before starting his career at the flower shop of the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills. In West Hollywood, he met famed French architect Philippe Starck who taught him simplicity and precision. In 1999, Leatham’s career reached a turning point: he was hired as a florist at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris — “the chance of a lifetime” — where he was given a gigantic budget and artistic freedom. He started designing avant-garde floral installations, using up to 15,000 stems every week. Drawing a growing number of visitors, his creations were the reason why the George V became “the flower hotel” of France. In 2014, Leatham was awarded the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in recognition of his contribution to French culture.
Jeff Leatham, artistic director of The Four Seasons Hotel George V
JEFF LEATHAM FLOWERS The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills 3oo S. Doheny Drive Los Angeles, CA 90048 +1 310 734 7684 www.jeffleathamflowers.com 98 | THE CIRCLE MAGAZINE - LOS ANGELES 2021
