THE COMPANY

As a child growing up in Bangor, Northern Ireland, Kenneth Turner always loved flowers and drew much of his future inspiration from his Grandfather’s garden. Leaving school at an early age, Kenneth went to work with an old and experienced gardener on a private Estate. He then gained further invaluable experience at a local nursery and this convinced him that this was the area in which he wanted to work. The owner of the nursery recognised Ken’s potential and persuaded him that he should have formal training if he wanted to advance in the world of horticulture. He was granted a scholarship to Greenmount Horticultural College in Ireland and afterwards studied Ornamental Horticulture at Reading University. Although providing an excellent grounding in landscape design and strategic planning, it was whilst at Reading that Ken realised his real interest lay in the art of floral decorating. He obtained a job in Oxford as a flower seller in the market and then progressed to become a florist. His colleagues realised he had a real flair and persuaded him to move to London. An introduction to Lady Pulbrook and Miss Gould, the most innovative florists of their day, started his successful professional career in the Capital during the 1960s. He rose up the ladder rapidly and became their Head Decorator which enabled him to fully develop his creative flair. In 1970, he left Pulbrook and Gould to open his first retail shop in Avery Row in the heart of Mayfair. During the seventies and eighties, Kenneth and his team created visual extravaganzas for events such as the opening and dedication of the Sackler wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Masked Ball in a Venetian Palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice.

1986, Kenneth Turner created his signature fragrance ‘Original’ – an outstanding fragrance which was formed from the wonderful floral smells that he inhaled whilst walking his dogs. Initially, the fragrance was just created as a niche product for his Mayfair customers but now Original is just one of 10 fragrances in the Kenneth Turner range. The Original fragrance is still considered a bench mark classic in terms of lifestyle fragrance and is commonly referred to as the ‘Chanel No 5’ of the home fragrance market. It is a unique blend of honeysuckle, the oil from the bark of the sweet poplar, lemon and orange oils, cloves and cinnamon.

In 1996, Kenneth Turner was awarded the Royal Warrant by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, as the exclusive supplier of fragrant candles and room fragrance. Kenneth Turner was the first home fragrance company to achieve this accolade. The Prince of Wales is a particular fan of Original. In addition, the company is proud to have included amongst its clients many of the European Royal Families, Heads of State and a glittering array of celebrities including Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace, Sting, Cher, Lauren Bacall and Maria Schneider to name but a few.

Kenneth Turner’s fame continued to grow throughout the nineties and into the 21st Century and this led to many exciting developments. For example, Kenneth was appointed as the figurehead and expert of the Horehow Garden Catalogue, a division of Neiman Marcus, Dallas, which was delivered to four million homes twice a year. In the nineties, Kenneth undertook many lecture tours across North America.

In 2004, Kenneth Turner was selected as the exclusive florist in Harrods, fully reinforcing Kenneth Turner as an authority in floral decoration. More recently, Ken has been helping to develop the Kenneth Turner Distributor in Japan and visited Tokyo twice in 2007 to give masterclasses. These masterclasses were held in conjunction with the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Kenneth Turner became one of the world’s leaders in the design and development of fresh, dried and preserved flowers and their arrangements. Kenneth Turner established a world reputation as an innovator in the use of these materials enhanced with fruit, vegetables, shells, driftwood and mosses. The brand statement clearly highlighting who Kenneth Turner is and what he stands for is printed on every product carton in the current range. This reads as follows:

Kenneth Turner is without question the outstanding floral decorator of our time. Ever the innovator, he was the first floral designer to look outside the world of flowers for inspiration. Using a host of natural ingredients from pebbles to vegetables, shells, lichens, herbs and driftwood as well as flowers, each Kenneth Turner floral display truly is a work of art. And now, the unique essence and style of Kenneth Turner can be found in the range of exquisite products that carry his name.

Kenneth Turner has a passion for flowers and uses the logo of a BEE on products, packaging and accessories because bees pollinate flowers and therefore allow them to propagate and flourish. It is a natural brand logo for the Company.