Filoli House and Gardens in Woodside, California, is currently hosting "Fleurs de Villes: THE GILDED AGE," a floral exhibition inspired by the HBO series. The display features fifteen botanical mannequins created by local Bay Area artists.
How 15 Bay Area designers shaped the Woodside installation
The "Fleurs de Villes: THE GILDED AGE" exhibition at Filoli House and Gardens utilizes a decentralized production model. According to the source, the touring show partners with regional designers, florists, and nurseries in every city it visits rather than transporting a fixed set of displays. For the Woodside installation, fifteen designers from the greater Bay Area were recruited to ensure the exhibit reflects the local environment and seasonal blooms.
This strategy mirrors a growing trend in immersive art where "hyper-local" sourcing adds value to global intellectual properties.. by integrating the Bay Area's creative scene into the HBO-inspired project, the exhibition transforms a commercial tie-in into a community showcase, ensuring that the Woodside iteration possesses a distinct regional flair.
From Bertha Russell to Marian Brook:Translating HBO characters into petals
The artistic execution focuses on the social stratification of the late nineteenth century. As the report says, the floral mannequins represent specific characters from the HBO series The Gilded Age, using organic materials to mirror historical fashion and power dynamics. For instance, BloomLin Design crafted the representation of Bertha Russell, while Crazy Flower handled the design for George Russell, effectively using petals and stems to illustrate the couple's influence.
Other character studies include the work of FlyBunker Floral Event Design on Marian Brook and Fleurisse Design on Aurora Fane. The exhibition also features contributions from Flowers Valley Events for the character Ada Brook, Taneva Events for Peggy Scott, and Sassy Diva Designs for Monsieur Baudin. Olha Savchenko, owner of Dragonfly Floristic, specifically focused on the historical persona of Maud Beaton through meticulous floral refinement.
The September 18 deadline and the logistics of ephemeral art
The choice of Filoli House and Gardens as the venue provides a physical parallel to the opulence depicted in the HBO series. The estate's lush California landscape serves as a backdrop that blends curated botanical art with natural splendor, reinforcing the theme of extravagance. However, visitors must act quickly, as the exhibition runs only through Friday, September 18.
Because the floral materials are inherently transient, the show is described as an "ephemeral" experience, which has led to high demand for tickets. This creates a tension between the lasting nature of the historical narratives being honored and the rapid decay of the medium used to tell them.
Despite the detailed list of artists,several logistical gaps remain in the reporting. It is unclear how the Filoli House and Gardens manages the daily maintenance of these "living scluptures" to prevent wilting before the September 18 closing date.. additionally,while the source mentions that tickets are "coveted," it provides no speecific pricing or official booking platform, leaving potential visitors to navigate the acquisition process independently.
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