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Originally Posted On: https://thesuffolknest.com/pages/about-us

Launched in January 2020, The Suffolk Nest started as a passion project that has now bloomed into an inspirational ecommerce business dedicated to all things floral.

Created and owned by husband-and-wife team Chris and Ashlee (that’s me!), we specialise in faux and fresh flowers and home décor, available for delivery nationwide.

But it doesn’t stop there; we’re dedicated to making floristry accessible and attainable for everyone, offering live tutorials, design ideas, and do-it-yourself wreath kits that contain everything you need to make your own door display at home.

AN EYE FOR DETAIL

The Suffolk Nest grew organically from my favourite hobby. I’ve always loved flowers and when I started posting my arrangements and interior styling on Instagram, my aesthetic quickly gained an online following. I could never have predicted the response my posts would generate and the personal connections I forged on social media showed that there was a gap in the market for a floristry company that places just as much importance on building a community as selling products.

I’m still in daily contact with our customers. I make sure to save time each week to host live tutorials, post free arrangement videos on YouTube, and to reply to every direct message.

The flowers and plants we offer at The Suffolk Nest are available as individual stems or in carefully curated arrangements. I strongly believe that faux and fresh florals should both be treated with the same reverence, and I travel the world to find the highest quality, most realistic stems for our customers.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Today, The Suffolk Nest has a team of three: Chris, me, and our warehouse executive Steve. We handle every aspect of the business, from running our social media accounts and sourcing product to strategic planning and accounting.

It’s been quite a journey; every day is different, the pace is fast (and sometimes stressful), and you need to be driven to get the job done.

It’s not always easy, but the one thing that gets us out of bed every morning is knowing that we’re moving one step closer to realising our dream: to help millions of people to discover new ways to enjoy flowers, no matter their skill or experience.

We’ve experienced first-hand how much flowers can benefit mental health and we’re proud to support The Sophie Clarke Foundation in raising money for mental health awareness.

LIFE OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

Chris and I have been together for 14 years now (even if it did take him almost 8 years to put a ring on it!) and we’re besotted with our two beautiful girls, three-year-old Orla, and Florence, who’s two.

Our family life revolves around making the most of our time with the girls; after all, the days are long, but the years are short! I’m lucky that my hobby became my career but I’m still working on finding new creative outlets while Chris loves squeezing in a HIT class or a good crime documentary when he can.

WHY THE SUFFOLK NEST?

When we first started brainstorming names, it wasn’t for a business but for an Instagram page. We planned to launch an account to record our home renovation project and cycled through hundreds of name options – we were even called Beans on Toast for a day!

Thankfully, we decided against breakfast food and instead found inspiration in our home and our family. We’re based in Suffolk and, as expectant parents at the time, we were building our own nest.

And so, The Suffolk Nest was born. We’re very happy you’re here