For Charles it's always been less a business than a calling. As a young child, he spent countless hours helping his grandparents (émigrés from Palermo, Italy) tend their garden. He managed a flower shop at age 16 and opened his first store when he was all of 20.

Even today his grandparents' European influence is felt in designs that are less rigid and more naturalistic and intuitive."We're agents of people's emotions in personal situations," says Charles. "So giving flowers is about honoring an occasion or a person in an authentic way."

Hence his more organic designs, which often make use of earthier ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and branches— even found objects. Besides, nature has always been his chief mentor and primary inspiration. "While it always comes down to color, texture and shape, often you just have to let the flowers be themselves."