How We Got Started
So here's the thing - I never planned on being a florist. Back in 2018, I was working this corporate gig that had me spending way too much time in grey cubicles and not nearly enough time around living, breathing things. My grandmother had this wild garden back in Ontario, and whenever I'd visit, I'd lose hours just wandering through her flower beds.
One day she handed me a pair of shears and said "stop just looking and start creating something." That afternoon we made this crazy arrangement with dahlias, some wild grasses, and these purple things I still can't name properly. It was messy and imperfect and I was completely hooked.
Fast forward a year - I'd quit my job, enrolled in every floral design course I could find, and was apprenticing with a master florist in Toronto who specialized in rare botanicals. She taught me that flowers aren't just pretty decorations, they're living art that you gotta respect and understand.
The Timeline
Left corporate life behind. Started learning the craft from scratch in my grandmother's garden.
Completed professional training in Toronto. Spent six months traveling to flower markets across Europe and Asia, learning about rare species.
Moved to Vancouver. Started small, doing arrangements from my apartment and selling at local markets.
Opened our first tiny studio space. Built relationships with growers who could source the unusual blooms I was obsessed with.
Moved to our current Granville Street location. Added our workshop program.
Now we've got a small team of passionate designers, a network of specialty growers, and clients who trust us with their most important moments.
The name "Kryndarion Forge" came from this old fantasy novel I loved as a kid - about craftspeople who'd forge beautiful things with intention and care. That's what we do here, except instead of metal, we're working with petals and stems and seasonal rhythms.
We're not trying to be the biggest shop in Vancouver. We'd rather be the one that sources that impossible-to-find hellebore for your winter wedding, or knows exactly which dahlias will hold up in August heat, or can teach you how to arrange flowers in a way that feels authentic to you.
Our studio on a typical Wednesday morning - organized chaos at its finest
The team prepping for a wedding - we've got each other's backs
Meet the Team
Elena - That's me, founder and lead designer. Still can't resist buying way too many stems at the market.
Marcus - Our events specialist. He's got this uncanny ability to stay calm when a bride changes her mind three hours before the ceremony.
Yuki - Handles rare flower sourcing and has contacts I still don't fully understand. If it grows somewhere on earth, she can probably get it.
Dev - Newest addition to the crew. Came from a background in landscape design and brings this architectural sensibility to arrangements.
"We believe flowers shouldn't look like they came from a catalog. Each arrangement we create is meant to feel personal, a bit unexpected, and true to the season. We're drawn to the imperfect stems, the unusual color combinations, the blooms that make you stop and look twice. That's where the real beauty lives - in the authentic, the rare, the thoughtfully composed."
- Our approach to floral design
What We're About
Look, the floral industry can be pretty wasteful and there's a lot of questionable practices when it comes to sourcing. We're trying to do things differently, even if it means we can't always offer roses in January.
We work with local growers whenever possible and we've built relationships with international suppliers who actually care about sustainable practices. Sometimes that means our inventory looks different week to week. We think that's a feature, not a bug.
We're also big on education - hence the workshops. The more people understand about flowers, seasonality, and design principles, the more they appreciate what goes into creating something genuinely beautiful.
What Sets Us Apart
- ✦ We actually source rare and unusual flowers - not just the same dozen varieties every shop carries
- ✦ Custom consultations where we figure out what you really want, not what you think you're supposed to want
- ✦ Transparent about what's in season and why that matters
- ✦ Small batch approach - we'd rather do fewer arrangements with more attention
- ✦ No two arrangements are identical, even if you order the same "style"
- ✦ We'll tell you honestly if your Pinterest inspiration isn't gonna work in real life
Come Visit Us
We're in the heart of Vancouver on Granville Street
Studio visits are by appointment - we're usually up to our elbows in flowers and want to give you proper attention. But if you're walking by and see us through the window, knock on the door. If we've got a minute, we love showing people what we're working on.
Get in Touch