Words by Jennifer Jory
As local florist Aili Ice strolls through the San Francisco Flower Market, a wild artichoke with a blooming lavender center catches her eye. She spies a twisted dogwood branch and imagines how she can bring it to life with the artichoke and some violet-colored irises. “I see all the colors first and then I see what jumps out and inspires me,” she remarks.
Aili’s floral creations crafted in her Menlo Park studio are intended to bring beauty to spaces but also healing. And there’s a reason her work exudes a restorative quality. After an unexpected family loss in her early 20s, Aili answered a florist’s job posting without any previous experience. The opportunity became a pivotal moment in her life. “They gave me a vase and said make something,” Aili recalls. She got the job. “A chapter in my life came to a close and a new beginning started through finding the flower shop,” Aili shares. “They nurtured me and allowed me to grow. Then I learned the tricks of the trade.”
The healing art of flowers came full circle for Aili when she was asked to participate in a unique two-year clinical study at Stanford Hospital called The Gratitude Project, which measured how the gifting of flowers from doctors to patients would affect their recovery. The results of the study showed a very positive correlation. “Florals, nature, organic materials and anything that has a closeness to nature is all wellness,” explains Aili. “When you go out into the forest and see moss, you get heightened joy. It also sparks curiosity, dopamine and happiness.”
Fast-forward several years. Aili was practically running the floral shop when the owner asked if she would like to take over the accounts, and Aili Ice Designs was born. She worked around the clock, delivering weekly arrangements to businesses from dentist offices to venture capital firms.
“Anyone who wanted to enhance their space with natural materials,” she sums up. “If you walk into an office space for an interview and you look at a floral arrangement, it breaks the ice and puts you at ease. It might start a conversation with the receptionist and then you nail the job.”
With the support of her lifelong friend and operations manager Becky Medina, Aili offers a number of group workshops. She leads classes on the art of planter design, terrariums and succulents, to name a few. “It’s fun to watch someone say they are not creative—then uplifting them and watching them feel so empowered,” notes Aili with a smile.
A Peninsula native, Aili grew up in Redwood Shores and Foster City, graduating from San Mateo High. She went on to study art and art history at Cañada College, while working in stage production in San Francisco. It was around this time that Aili started to reevaluate her life when her mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. She decided to join her father and brother sailing down the coast of Mexico. Aili also sailed through the Panama Canal, where she found a sense of healing and inspiration. “On the Atlantic side, there were clusters of little islands and school children getting on boats to go to school,” she says, adding that she also found herself reinvigorated by the area’s art galleries. “Seeing vibrant cultures and unique lifestyles really electrified my senses.” She immersed herself in the culture, traveling through fishing villages and taking long rides on antiquated buses.
Those experiences, along with earlier travels to Hawaii, Hong Kong, Costa Rica and Taiwan, served as inspiration for Aili’s floral arrangements. She enjoys the challenge of bringing a client’s vision to life, but admits there are days when the tight timeframe and scale of a project can be intense. “The grandness of an arrangement such as a giant, 15-foot foliage arch made of fall leaves built in two hours can really stretch us,” she acknowledges. “Recently, a last-minute request at an Atherton garden party for floating umbrella arrangements for a pool turned out to be really fun. Everyone loved the whimsical look.”
Aili's design for a Bouquets to Art event at San Francisco's De Young Museum was inspired by the demure expression of Mrs. John Rogers--the faint blush of her cheek evoked by the pink tulips, while dark flowers call out the burgundy background and gold vases reflect the painting's gilded frame.
From an artistic perspective, Aili says she looks forward to the Bouquets to Art event at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum every year. “This is something I do for myself,” she discloses. “I love the beautiful challenge of choosing a painting and interpreting it through florals and organic materials. If I can bring that same feeling through in my work, it is such a joy. To be among my colleagues who get to express themselves this way and show it to the masses is special.”
Throughout her professional journey, Aili says she has been inspired by the memory of her mother. “I believe my mother led me to a life of art, and influenced and molded me with her love for flowers and gardening,” concludes Aili. “Working with organic things helps you feel close to nature and it is good for the soul.”