Floral Artist - Teacher - Mentor
About Tom De Houwer
Floral installations and education, built on design integrity
I create immersive floral work for spaces and moments that need presence.
And I teach floral creatives how to build a personal design voice that holds in real life... starting with clarity in the person behind the work.
Bio
Tom De Houwer is an internationally renowned floral artist, educator, and creative director. For more than 25 years, he has pushed the boundaries of floral art through monumental installations where nature, art, and emotion converge. His work is distinguished by a powerful visual language, strong conceptual foundations, and a continuous pursuit of wonder.
From 1998 to 2018, Tom owned and operated his own floral studio. As a content creator, he contributed to numerous international trade publications, and his work has been featured in leading floral magazines worldwide. He has presented demonstrations on prestigious international stages, including the Main Stage at the AIFD Symposium in the United States and COHIM in China.
Tom has created scenography for renowned Belgian choreographer Isabelle Beernaert and has exhibited twice at the Saatchi Gallery in London. His innovative vision has earned him several awards, including the Creativity Award at the Ghent Floraliën.
From 2012 to 2025, Tom served as Head Designer for Hoogstraten in Groenten en Bloemen. Since 2026, he has taken on the role of Creative Director, Creative Coordinator, and mentor, guiding the students of his Bloom Up Masterclass in the creation of large-scale artistic installations.
Through his Bloom Up Masterclass, Tom inspires and mentors floral creatives from around the world to develop their own artistic voice and create floral designs that are not only beautiful but also meaningful and impactful.
Two paths. One foundation.
What I stand for as a teacher
Floral design matters to me.
The person behind the work matters even more.
When the person is clear,
the design follows.
I stand for design integrity.
Work that feels clear.
Work that is honest.
Work that knows when it is enough.
Trends can be useful, but they are not a home.
A personal design voice is a home.
That voice grows with clarity in the person behind the work.
By listening to feeling as well as thought.
By trusting your own decisions.
This is where design becomes harmonious.
And where a life as a floral creative becomes sustainable.
How this path formed
I started like many designers.
Learning technique.
Chasing better results.
Wanting the work to feel stronger.
Over time I noticed something simple:
the work changes when the person changes.
Not in a dramatic way.
In a clean way.
When you learn to choose with clarity,
design becomes quieter and more powerful.
My path began intuitively.
I trained as a graphic designer, but I learned by observing, experimenting, and listening.
I saw many creatives struggle to find harmony in their work
and to trust their own direction.
So I reverse-engineered my own process.
Not to create a method,
but to be able to teach what actually works.
That foundation lives in my installations.
And it lives in my teaching.
Bloom Up by Tom De Houwer
In Bloom Up, we work on three layers:
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Design development (mechanics, composition, structure)
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Inner clarity (your signature, confidence, what holds you back)
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Business foundations (pricing, positioning, decisions that hold)
Because clarity in the person creates clarity in the work.
Your design aim is nervous-system clear
- predictable enough to feel safe
- pattern-breaking enough to feel alive
What it feels like to work with me
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Clear direction, calm energy, high standards
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Strong structure, with room for personal expression
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Respect for timing, choice, and nervous-system pace
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Feedback that aims for truth, not approval
Authentic and Original, in my definition
Authentic design feels like you. Your signature is present, even when materials change.
Original design is not “one of a kind”. It is rooted in the origin of what we experience as beauty.
Nature repeats patterns, then breaks them slightly.
That balance creates calm and attention at the same time.
This is how I design, and how I teach:
clear structure, then subtle contrast
predictable rhythm, then one honest disruption
When it works, the nervous system understands it before the mind explains it.
Your design aim is nervous-system clear:
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predictable enough to feel safe
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pattern-breaking enough to feel alive