It’s not very often we have an internationally known floral designer right here in our own backyard.
If you pop into West Van Florist you may run into Donald Yim, creative director of the floral department and a recent fifth-place finisher in one of the world’s largest flower art contests.
Recently Yim competed in Beijing against 33 contestants from 31 different countries for the coveted achievement at the 2019 World Flower Art Contest.
After finishing fifth in the competition, Yim went on to compete in the Society of American Florists Convention in Florida and won first place.
Yim has been with West Van Florist since 1999 after immigrating to Canada 22 years ago. He has always been deeply influenced by Eastern and Western cultures and has a very unique approach to floral design.
You can see Yim’s passion for floral in his floral designs featured at the store. Many are modern and abstract, combining bright colours with various types of greenery.
Embracing a fall design perspective, Yim loves to challenge himself with every arrangement he produces and loves to do custom arrangements for many customers. He also offers workshops to share his experiences with his clients.
It’s clear Yim has a real passion for his work and combines it with his sense of exploration and eye for beauty. With more than 30 years of floral design experience but no professional training, you could say this self-taught floral designer has really caught the attention of the floral industry and media at large. His work and personal story have been featured in many floral shows and internationally renowned magazines.
Yim certainly loves what he does. His humorous and friendly way of tutoring others has made him one of the most popular education specialists in his field. His ideas are always on trend and his techniques are very creative.
When asked what he felt were the trends for the future in floral design, Yim feels the direction is going towards a wild garden look. In the next two years the trends may be more light and muted, with romantic colours such as light pink, toffee roses, creams and peaches being prominent.
Look for Yim and his beautiful floral designs at West Van Florist at 1821 Marine Dr.
