Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Vigilante.
Hi Katie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In late 2021, I retired as a full-time faculty member at Oxford College of Emory University. I was just 51 and thriving, but the pandemic and returning to a grueling commute had taken a toll on me. I’ve always loved arranging fresh flowers and decided I would create a small home business I named Fiore Vigilante LLC until I decided what I would do next. My clients loved my arrangements, but I was not making any real income and arranging fresh florals is a physically demanding job even on a small scale.
I grew a subscription client base and really got to know the spaces and client my florals would end up. I also was able to provide arrangements in beautiful vessels that would remain mine. I often adorned arrangements with whimsical touches, especially certain dried florals. One client preferred only green and white and I would myself spray painting dried flowers white or green to have an arrangement last. I joined The Studio at Candler Park in late 2023. I began experimenting with hand-painting small branches and dried flowers, adding more and more to fresh florals until one day I decided the fresh flowers were no longer needed.
My clients loved the new look and I began refining my curation process, expanding to larger works with branches. I began adorning the branches with leaves and blooms I created from remnant fabric, painters canvas, vintage floral appliqués, and the like. In April of 2024, Michael Habachy, principal of Habachy Designs + Atelier in Atlanta Decorative Arts asked I begin to create arrangements for his stunning gallery and design clients. I’ve never looked back.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating a small business is never a smooth road and Fiore Vigilante is no exception. Sure, by late 2024, I was having success as a floral sculptor and being commissioned for homes in business in Spain and New York City, but 2023 was a really hard year. As I was beginning to find my way as an artist and painter, my mother was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. Just 10 days after her passing, the roof to the studio collapsed during a violent summer storm. Shannon Coppage (owner and operator of The Studio at Candler Park) and I were displaced from our creative space for nearly 6 months. I lost virtually all the painted dried florals and most of my supplies. Shannon lost 37 paintings. More than this, we lost our sanctuary.
Yet, bright moments also came in 2023 as I welcomed Mimms Cross to assist me, and friends gave be branches from hemlock trees and I began to work with corkscrew and curly willow, hazelnut, and kiwi branches. Good quality paint and primer elevated my work. By the time we returned to the studio, I was already looking at fabric and other options for adding my own leaves and blooms.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
“Katie Vigilante’s sculptural arrangements blur the line between nature and artistry…she transforms organic forms into whimsical and ethereal compositions that captivate your imagination.”
– Michael Habachy | Best in Show- Commercial” 2021 ASID Design Excellence Awards | Principal, Habachy Designs + Atelier | Atlanta
I am an artist and problem solver. I make extremely unique and permanent floral sculptures.
I created the LUSH line (LOCAL UNIQUE SUSTAINABLE AND HASSLE-FREE) hand-painted floral sculptures for subscription, purchase, and commission.
My LUSH work has been commissioned in San Sebastian Spain, New York, and in several businesses and private homes in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
You’ll find Katie’s LUSH subscriptions in Van Michael, Faced Facial Studios, Presmanes Interiors, Urban Cottage, and more.
She is represented by Michael Habachy in his Atelier in Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) where her work can be purchased from his stunning Atelier and showroom. His showroom is open to the trades and general public.
Her floral sculptures begin with the client, vessel, and space. These core principles drive color, composition, and overall design of the floral sculpture.
Our principal photographer, Heidi Harris, of Everything Heidi LLC in Atlanta, has witnessed the reactions to Katie’s work on several instances.
“Art is usually definitive. What you see is what it is. This isn’t true of Katie’s sculptures. People often have their jaws drop, saying they are stunned at the beauty and stare in curious admiration. Her work conjures and expands your imagination. It’s very powerful.”
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love we are a city in the forest. I love the creativity and the number of women owned businesses. I love the connection to forgotten spaces through a belt line that unites people of all stripes (though the bikes and scooters I could do without there).
I really dislike the traffic.
Pricing:
- Monthly Subscriptions 225
- Commissions start at 1500 (exclusive of vessel)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fiorevigilante.com
- Instagram: @fiorevigilante
Image Credits
All images by Heidi Harris of Everything Heidi LLC
