Artist Spotlight - Amy Gofton & Studio Nectar

Amy Gofton is a gifted designer and stylist, and mother of two young boys. As humble as she is talented, this former VP of Design for a fashion retail giant has taken the last year to teach herself how to be a photographer and a #nofloralfoam floral designer. After connecting with Serve Kindness and styling several of their bowls, we couldn’t help but find out more about what inspires and motivates Gofton, the founder of Studio Nectar, to make the simple look sublime and the everyday look amazing.

What is Studio Nectar?

Ha! I think it is an evolution. Right now it is a catch-all for how far I can stretch my brand as it develops. I don’t want to over-define its boundaries, but loosely I would say it is centered around flowers, styling, tabletop, and event and celebration design. Maybe some food styling and fashion in there. The groundwork is design and hands-on creation what we build from there should be a collaboration between a client's needs and how I can fulfill them. 

How do you find inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere. I am as addicted to social media as anyone and am inspired and affected by the beautiful imagery it provides, but the most defining ‘aha’ moments come when you disengage from your device and get out to experience things first hand. Environments, natural settings, gardens, restaurants, and stores, and how your senses react in that particular space really is the imprint that I draw upon when ideating.

How did you meet Serve Kindness?

I had the opportunity to connect with Serve Kindness through another local women-owned business. I am lucky to be in a community of creative women who are also moms, which brings a greater understanding of what we are all trying to manage in our lives, and the spaces we are trying to carve out for both professional fulfillment and family.

Our first project together has been styling imagery for Serve Kindness. It was an interesting exploration for me, pushing my skills to be used in a way I had not originally conceptualized as part of the studio’s services, and I really enjoyed seeing the results.

What is your advice on styling these handblown glass bowls?

Color has always been the cornerstone of my creative process. Although these bowls are beautiful little gems on their own, the potential endless combinations of color makes me want to use them in multiples. I like a selection of mood-setting combos either gathered together in a tray, dotted in a loose line down the center of a table, or piled on a buffet table. Really anything goes when filling them up, the little size is great for condiments, candies, bath salts and soap petals, office and crafting supplies, and lovely in a table setting as the top of the stack, ready for fruit salad or a scoop of ice cream.

Do you have a personal favorite way to use them?

My favorite uses so far for the medium size bowl have been as dinnerware for a single bowl meal like poke, for floating candles or flower heads, and with a flower frog arrangement Ikebana style. That way you can see how the pop of color lining the bowl highlights the flowers in it. The large bowls are the perfect size for family style entertaining, and nothing makes a salad more beautiful than a great complementary color.

Tell us a little bit about the work you are doing now.

I just finished a week long photo shoot that highlights my vision for curated table top and floral design using locally sourced rentals and flowers. In other words, the looks are not just styled using props, but immediately translatable to a clients event needs. The photos also show the level of design work we can achieve while still adhering to our “no floral foam” ever policy. Additionally, we are preparing for a destination wedding we have designed, happening in early October, and working on an eco-friendly product idea.

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Find out more about Amy and Studio Nectar on her website and follow her @studionectar

Shop handblown glass bowls featured in this blog post here.

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