About Us - Rune Veil Strong Florals | Nordic-Inspired Floral Design

Astrid Veil-Strong

Founder & Lead Designer

It Started With a Grandmother's Garden

Look, I'm not gonna lie and say I've been arranging flowers since I was three years old. Truth is, I stumbled into this world kinda sideways. My farmor (that's grandma in Swedish) had this wild garden back in Dalarna - total chaos to most people, but she knew every plant by name, every bloom's purpose.

After years working in corporate event planning here in Vancouver, I was burnt out on the cookie-cutter centerpieces and those generic rose arrangements that show up everywhere. You know the ones. I kept thinking about farmor's garden and how she'd mix herbs with flowers, how nothing matched but somehow it all worked together.

So in 2019, I quit my job and started playing around with Nordic design principles - clean lines, natural textures, that whole vibe. But instead of the minimalist Scandinavian look everyone expects, I wanted to capture that wild, slightly untamed feeling from farmor's garden. The runes part? That's a nod to the old ways, when plants weren't just pretty but carried meaning and intention.

We opened our Granville Street shop in 2020 (yeah, interesting timing right?) and honestly, the community support kept us going through those weird early pandemic months. Now we've got a team of five incredible designers who all bring their own twist to what we do.

This isn't your typical flower shop. We're here for the people who want something different, something with a bit of soul.

Our Journey So Far

2019

The Beginning

Started from a tiny studio apartment, just me and way too many buckets of flowers. Sold arrangements at the farmers market on weekends while still figuring out what this whole thing would become.

2020

Granville Shop Opens

Signed the lease in February, opened in March. Yeah, that March. But turns out people really needed flowers during lockdown. We pivoted hard to contactless delivery and it actually worked.

2022

Recognition & Growth

Got featured in Vancouver Magazine's "Best Of" issue. Hired our first full-time designers. Started the workshop series that's now booked months ahead. Things got real.

2024

Sustainability Focus

Partnered with local BC growers to source 70% of our blooms within province. Launched our zero-waste subscription service. Started composting program with community gardens.

What We Actually Stand For

No corporate jargon here - just the principles we live by every single day

Sustainability That's Real

We're not perfect, but we're trying. Most of our flowers come from BC farms within a few hours drive. We compost everything we can. Our packaging is either compostable or reusable - none of that plastic wrap nonsense.

We work directly with three family-run farms in the Fraser Valley. When local stuff isn't available, we source from fair-trade certified growers who treat their workers right.

Every arrangement comes with care tips so your blooms last longer. Seems basic, but you'd be surprised how many shops skip this step.

Nordic Design Philosophy

The Scandinavian approach isn't about stark minimalism (though we love clean lines). It's about functionality meeting beauty. Every element should earn its place in the arrangement.

We incorporate a lot of texture - mosses, branches, seed pods, herbs. The kind of stuff you'd find on a forest floor walk. It grounds the arrangements and makes them feel alive rather than just decorative.

Colors tend toward the moody and natural - lots of whites, deep greens, dusty pinks, burgundies. We'll do bright when it makes sense, but we're not really a tropical rainbow kinda place.

Community Over Everything

Our team gets paid well above minimum wage plus tips. We close on Sundays so everyone gets actual time off. Mental health days are a real thing here, not just something in the employee handbook.

We donate leftover flowers to care homes every Friday. Run free workshops for high school students interested in floral design. Partner with local businesses for events instead of big chains.

When you buy from us, you're supporting a whole network of local growers, small business owners, and artists who give a damn about what they create. That matters more than anything else.

Wanna See How We Work?

Our workshops are hands-on, kinda messy, and honestly pretty fun. You'll leave with an arrangement you made yourself and probably some dirt under your fingernails.

We cover everything from basic bouquet construction to seasonal wreath-making to advanced design techniques. Small groups only - usually 8-10 people max so everyone gets actual attention.

Check Out Workshops

The Name Explained

People ask about "Rune Veil Strong" all the time. It's a mashup of my heritage and values. Runes represent the old Norse tradition of plants having meaning beyond the visual. Veil is part of my Swedish surname. Strong is my partner's last name (and yeah, we thought it sounded pretty badass).

Together it captures what we're about - honoring tradition while doing our own thing. Respecting where flowers come from while pushing what they can be.

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