Event design firm settles into quirky workspace

A quirky, colourful business based at one of our most characterful business centres has just completed an expansion into its third workshop space with us.

Hattie & Flora, based at our Hertfordshire Business Centre, is an event design company that has experienced impressive business growth over its three years, now working with big-name clients including Jamie Oliver, Comic Relief, Google and Kew Gardens.

School-friends to business partners

The company is run by Harriet Creedy and Jodie Gardner, who have been friends since they were eight years old. Former florist Harriet says that working with Jodie, whose background is in theatre set design, makes every day full of fun and laughter. Harriet says,

We first worked together on a wedding, when we had our two separate businesses, and we realised how much fun it was to work together

“We decided to go full steam ahead and start our own collaborative business. We became friends at school and now going to work still feels like we are working together on a fun school project!”

Hattie & Flora provides styling for a whole range of events, from concepts and moodboards, to design and creation of decoration and props, then the installation of the finished items. The company launched as a start-up business in 2012 and recommendations and new clients came rolling in.

“The first wedding we styled was for someone who worked for Channel 4 and that’s how we got involved with Jamie Oliver. We are doing his Big Feastival again this year and we have decorated the set for his Food Revolution at City Hall in London. He’s a really nice guy and really great to work with,” says Harriet.

Currently Hattie & Flora is working on a project for internal décor at Google’s London headquarters conference areas, as well as decorating the stage and auditorium for Mark Watson’s 27-hour comedy marathon for Comic Relief.

Quirky workspace

The company moved into our Hertfordshire Business Centre in London Colney in October 2012 and are now in their third unit with us, having moved from a small 130 sq ft office, to a 425 sq ft workspace and now to a 865 sq ft workshop with internal craft room, design room and kitchen.

“We were first attracted to the Hertfordshire Business Centre because we wanted a space that was flexible to suit the needs of our business, and we loved the history of the building, which is a converted school,” says Harriet.

“All the units are all different shapes and sizes and have quirky features, which suits us as we didn’t want a standard corporate work environment.”

It’s been great for us to be able to grow in the centre to fit our business needs. It has been a very easy process and the Bizspace team has been very helpful so it has been a smooth transition each time.

The company works with a range of freelancers who help with creating props and decorating sites and will now have their own work areas in the new business premises.  Harriet and Jodie remain fully hands-on with all the projects to keep a personal touch with clients.  From weddings to music festivals, the pair are at the centre of creating a vision for clients with a fully bespoke service.

Creative workspace

Our Hertfordshire Business Centre retains some of its original features from when it was built as a school, such as parquet flooring in corridors, and has fantastic amenities nearby such as a gym and tennis court, as well as free, secure car parking facilities on site.

For enquiries about any workshops, offices or studio space to rent at the site, contact Business Centre Manager, Jalpa Braganza on 01462 484 000.