Designer Spotlight: Bespoke Designs of Dutch Duo are Envied Across the Globe

Dennis Kneepkens and Mick Stubbe are ethereal floral designers and instructors who have worked together for nearly 20 years and shared their talents around the world.

Share a brief history of your partnership. How did you begin working together, and what drew you both to begin this journey?

Our story starts 18 years ago when Dennis founded his eponymous design studio, DK. At only 19 years old, he began traveling the world, sharing his passion for flowers with countries abroad. Five years later, Mick came into the picture during one of these projects. Developing a luxury flower and interior shop in Iraq quickly scaled up, and support from his skills as an editor for interior design magazines proved very welcome. From that point on, the partnership blossomed.

How would you describe your approach to design?

The strength of our duo is our corresponding love for aesthetics on the one hand and our opposite type of character and skills on the other. As a base, we generally consider the same things beautiful and are both dedicated to investing an incredible amount of time and effort into our work. However, it is our differences that make working together more valuable. Dennis is enthusiastic and spontaneous, and he has all the knowledge about flowers and techniques. Unsurprisingly, he takes all the meetings. Mick is analytical and organized, and he has graphic skills to visualize concepts. The most challenging step is to match Mick’s mood boards with Dennis’s advice on flowers and technique. A three-meter-high lobby arrangement requires some going back and forth. When it comes to the implementation, Dennis leads the build, and Mick edits. Of course, we check in with each other constantly, always remembering to utilize and accept each other’s – and our own – strengths.

You've traveled the world designing for many events and clients, so how does this affect your creation process? Does the location inform your design as much as the clients’ requests?

We strongly believe in the idea of coherence, harmony and balance. We tend to take great inspiration from the venue. We have even developed our own color theory, which we teach at flower schools across the world. In short, it means we mostly enjoy a design when it is connected to its surroundings’ colors, shapes, materials, history, or even culture. We do seriously take into account requests from clients, but generally, we are successful in stretching their imagination to a whole new level. Of course, our presentations with concept explanations, mood boards and artist impressions support this way of working. It is why we call ourselves designers instead of florists.

How do you typically use Alexandra Farms garden roses in your designs? What are some of your favorite varieties?

Garden roses are showstoppers by nature. Hence, by combining them with other flowers, their value increases. They are like the top notes in a perfume: combined with middle and base notes, you enjoy them even more. In a sense, it is poetic. It is precisely that melodious character that makes garden roses so attractive to use. We appreciate the abundant presence of Loli Spr, which allows us to recreate the lush quality of wild rose bushes. And we are infatuated with Constance and Keira. Their watercolor palette reminds us of the impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.

What is one of your proudest design moments?

Recently, we found ourselves decorating an incredible ballroom for a bridal couture shoot. Inspired by the dramatic golden drapery, working with Beatrice was a given. Her incredible warm tones were a direct match, of course, and her large shape is ideal for grand spaces. Years before, we had also worked with the variety at Mitsukoshi Isetan department store in Tokyo, Japan. That experience proved to us that it is a misconception that garden roses are not the strongest. We are still gobsmacked by how the garden roses survived 25 degrees and a berserk bustling air curtain for eight days without a problem.

⁠Are there any design trends or varieties you'd like to test that you have not had the chance to apply to your designs?

Following our obsession with garden roses that open up to show their stamen, we can’t wait to work with the new Pink Butterfly Spr. We love spray roses for their effortless ability to bring depth and definition to an arrangement. Additionally, we are curious about Vicky Gardens!. We may be slightly biased because of its Dutch origin, but we are captivated by its subtle, gradient peach tones. And we do enjoy a citrusy scent.

What’s next for the two of you?

After traveling the world to visit one incredible place after another, it has been our dream to open our very own venue for years. We are incredibly grateful to announce that we have become the owners of our eighteenth-century chateau in Pays de la Loire, France. Having been guests in many incredible countries and cultures, we look forward to welcoming people to our own home. Although still renovating, we are incredibly excited to open our doors soon and share our vision on aesthetics and perspective on life. Our dream? A sensory experience inspired by our lifelong love affair with flowers.