Laura Dowling, who is the former chief floral designer for the White House, signs copies of her book “Floral Diplomacy at the White House” Monday evening at Centralia College.
Laura Dowling, who is the former chief floral designer for the White House, discusses the origins of the position Monday evening at Centralia College.
Laura Dowling has decorated thousands of both official and private events for the White House. For six years, she used flowers to communicate diplomatic messages and make some of the world’s most powerful dignitaries feel welcome.
On Monday evening, she spoke at Centralia College, and told two stories of a time she used an aspect of a president or chancellor’s hometown to welcome him or her.
“Even dignitaries I think can feel like it’s intimidating,” Dowling said. “This breaks the ice, it establishes a rapport. It’s something that really goes beyond words in a way. That feeling that you have gone to that level of thought and detail to create something that honors them, I think is very special.”
Her presentation was titled “Floral Diplomacy at the White House.”
“When I was commissioned to create this giant floral dome, capitol dome, the Belgians really saw it as this concept of floral diplomacy,” said Dowling of both her presentation title and book. “They crafted that term — we used it for that design. I think I had used flowers in a strategic way before, but the term ‘floral diplomacy’ I would say really developed around that project.”
The crux of Dowling’s presentation was her tenure at the White House. She discussed the events that led her to the position, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and advice for audience members on creating their own floral designs.
After longtime chief floral designer Nancy Clarke announced her retirement, the coveted position opened. Dowling completed an eight-month interview process. The final portion of the interview was between her and two other floral designers, and included an interview with former First Lady Michelle Obama.
The final challenge of her interview was a floral competition between the three remaining designers. The three finalists were in separate rooms, where they had four hours to create a Blue Room arrangement, an Oval Office display and a complete State Dinner set up.
“She immediately came in — you’re in the White House, you’re being interviewed — she understood that it was an intimidating process,” Dowling said. “She was so engaging. At the end, she pointed to the sandwiches that the butlers had brought in and said ‘Go ahead and eat. Take a break. You deserve it.’”
Dowling stressed how the floral arrangements and decorations changed with each administration. Jackie Kennedy created the position of chief floral designer. Nancy Reagan loved the color red. Laura Bush brought a classical style. Dowling worked primarily with former First Lady Michelle Obama and her team.
“Each First Lady has an overall vision of the style and that is what makes the job so interesting,” Dowling said. “I would say when Mrs. Obama came into office and we talked about what kind of style would be most appropriate or that she would enjoy, I feel like she really resonated to this idea of the garden style.”
Dowling described the garden style as “naturally elegant” flowers from the season, or from the garden that were arranged in a “freeform” way.
“It went from being probably more constructed, more formal, to a little less formal, but still casually elegant,” Dowling said.
Dowling worked in a small space in the White House, with only three staff members and pulled 18-hour days. She said that she essentially didn’t see her friends or family for six years. Although her tenure at the White House ended in 2015, she hasn’t stopped creating and she still works at an exaggerated pace.
These days, Dowling writes books and lectures about her time in the White House. In the last two and a half years, she has written three books — “Floral Diplomacy at the White House,” “A White House Christmas: Including Floral Design Tutorials” and “Wreaths: With How-to Tutorials.”
Her most recent book, “Wreaths,” comes out in October. It’s her first book in a series of how-tos.
“I use my neighbors’ doors a lot,” said Dowling during her presentation. “I’ve surprised them a few times with wires and clippers standing outside their door.”
