OUR Story
PETAL + THORN: a play on Yin and Yang.
Behind every vision is a story, and this is a love story: a love of creating, of color, texture, art, design and nature. Where passions combine and their elements inspire in a multitude of ways. A coalescence, wrapped together with a bow of experience, creating something truly beautiful.
In the Summer of 2022, after a culmination of years of industry experience, our Designer set his mind to expand this vision of his aesthetic into something more. He believes that floral design is an ephemeral art: created from natural elements, that have a finite lifespan. Like an Artist wields their brush, this Florist paints with blossoms and buds.
THE DESIGNER
Award-winning and acclaimed Designer, Thomas Hoyle, entered the floral world by happenstance in 2007, but the match was kismet. It allowed him a creative channel where inspirations and interests met, opening up a world of art that he had never imagined for himself.
Thomas was born and raised in Los Angeles’ coastal outskirts of San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes. From the beginning, his talent for art and creating shown bright. This was easy to indulge in a family with many artistic inclinations, who also instilled a reverence for the natural world, a curiosity for culture and a respect for history. Thus, Thomas’ foundations were forged.
thomas hoyle
Before discovering floral design, Thomas dreamed of being a Contemporary Artist, a Graphic Designer, an Interior Designer, a Fashion Model and/or a Botanist. He even spent three months living in Ecuador, studying the plethora of native orchids in their natural habitats. After returning to The States, and moving to Phoenix, Arizona, floral design finally found him. He was lucky enough to learn under the tutelage of Jilaine Snyder, before landing a position at the prestigious White House Design Studio. Here he blossomed to designing full-scale gala events, private estate weddings, intimate celebrations and fetes, oft working with celebrities and luxury fashion labels. This first decade was truly fundamental in building the foundation from which Thomas continues to reference.
In 2017, Thomas moved back to Southern California and began designing in San Diego’s coastal enclave of La Jolla. Here he brought his knowledge of design and melded it with the vibe of this seaside community. In the summer of 2022, after fifteen years in the industry and garnering a following of fans (for which he is forever thankful and humbled by), Thomas set forth to create PETAL + THORN.
When he isn’t creating, Thomas enjoys traveling, time at the beach, art museums and galleries, growing orchids, and practicing mindfulness in nature. Thomas frequently travels between San Diego and Phoenix, designing for clients in both cities.
