Floret Home blooms with Pam Gonzales Lopez
After several months of renovation, Floret Home has reopened its doors at Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza, unveiling a refreshed space designed to give customers a more welcoming and enjoyable shopping experience. The store, which offers home decor, artificial flowers, home scents, and gift items, has a new layout that allows the pieces to interact more naturally.
“What began with flowers has grown into a broader brand comprising Floret Fresh, where our fresh flowers can be found; Floret Home, which carries our signature artificial flowers, home décor, candles, and decorative pieces; and Floret Events, which focuses on events and special projects. As the brand evolved, we felt the physical space of Floret Home at Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza needed to reflect where we are today. It was the right time to create a store that felt more complete, immersive and aligned with the way we think about the home. The design was inspired by the feeling of a home rather than a conventional store. We focused on warmth, texture and layering, with areas that feel like small rooms or vignettes. The finishes were intentionally understated so the flowers, vessels, objects, and decorative pieces could remain the focus. Ladrilyo helped shape these ideas into the architecture and detailing while working within the realities of an existing department store location,” says Floret president Pam Gonzales-Lopez.
“Instead of presenting products in isolation, we can create complete moments: a signature artificial arrangement beside a vessel, candle, object, or decorative piece, much as they might appear together in a home. That is central to Floret Home. We are not simply presenting individual pieces; we are showing how they can create atmosphere and character together,” Lopez adds.
On reopening day, friends and regular customers returned to browse the newly arranged space and admire Floret Home’s latest collection of home decor. Bright floral displays and carefully arranged home décor now fill the space, giving the store a fresh and modern atmosphere.
“And of course, none of this would have been possible without the Floret team. From the renovation to putting the collection together and bringing every detail into the space, it was very much a collective effort. I am incredibly proud of what the team was able to create,” says Lopez.
Lopez, or Pam, as she is known to many, got her start in retail after studying fashion merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles in the US. She was part of the first-ever store team that opened Zara in Manila, and also launched the now-defunct store Theodore’s in BGC. She started working with her mother-in-law, Menchu Tantoco-Lopez, a decade ago and was in charge of conceptualizing Hotel 8 in Tagaytay, 1120 House, and the rebrand of Rustan’s Flower Shop into Floret. “Working at Zara was such an important experience for me because it really exposed me to how a global brand operates, from product and merchandising to the customer experience and everything that happens behind the scenes,” she shares.
“Fashion retail trained me to understand product, presentation, customer behavior, and the importance of having a very clear point of view. I think all of that still informs the way I work now. The difference is that today the canvas is much broader. I am not only thinking about what someone is buying, but how they experience a space, a brand, a hotel, or even an entire concept. It involves interiors, hospitality, flowers, events, objects, food, and atmosphere. So many different elements have to come together and still feel cohesive. I think fashion gave me the eye and the discipline, but what I do now allows me to use those instincts in a much wider way. It feels less like I left fashion and more like everything I learned there eventually evolved into this,” she adds.
Touches to make your home more personal
At the new store, you will find unique accent pieces such as fun, African ethnic-inspired pieces, chinoiserie vessels, ornaments, and decorative objects sourced from different parts of the design world. The collection combines modern designs with practical and affordable finds, giving customers more choices for refreshing their homes without making any major changes.
“For a time, there was a strong emphasis on homes looking polished and perfect. Today, people seem to want spaces that feel personal and lived in, filled with art, books, flowers, travel finds, inherited pieces, and objects that hold meaning. People are becoming more comfortable with homes that reflect their personalities rather than feeling perfectly coordinated, and that customer was very much in mind as we developed the collection,” adds Lopez. For those who love to entertain, are looking to brighten their homes or find special gifts for the upcoming season, Floret Home’s new space will have everything you need.
Floret Home is at 3F Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza.
