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Designing Elegancia at Union Market | The Floral Guru, Washington DC
- Feb 17
- 4 min read
Project at a Glance
Client: Elegancia at La Cosecha, Union Market, Washington DC
Services: Commercial floral installation, ceiling canopy, interior botanical design
Scale: Full ceiling suspended greenery installation, bar frontage botanicals, and branded wall design
Collaborators: Concept founded by Wilmer Valderrama and hospitality entrepreneur Daniella Senior
Studio: The Floral Guru | Washington DC–area large-scale floral and botanical installation studio
A cocktail bar rooted in Latin American heritage deserves a space that carries that story on every surface, every beam of light, and every leaf overhead.
When The Floral Guru was brought in to design botanical elements for Elegancia at La Cosecha inside Union Market in Washington DC, the brief was clear: create something layered, intentional, and deeply connected to the cultural identity at the heart of the concept. The result is one of the most distinctive hospitality interiors we've had the opportunity to shape in the DC metro area.
Commercial Floral Design That Serves the Space and the Story
Elegancia is more than a bar. Founded by Wilmer Valderrama and hospitality entrepreneur Daniella Senior, the concept draws directly from Latin American heritage, ritual, and storytelling. Every design decision needed to support that narrative without overwhelming it. Our focus centered on two major visual anchors: the ceiling installation and the bar frontage. Together, they define the first impression guests receive the moment they step inside and carry the emotional tone of the space throughout the entire visit. In commercial floral design, those first moments matter as much as the drink in someone's hand.
Our focus centered on two major visual anchors. The ceiling installation and the bar frontage. Together, they define the first impression and carry the emotional tone of the space.
Ceiling Botanical Installation: Immersion from the First Step
One of the most powerful tools in large-scale floral installation work is the overhead plane. Suspended greenery across the ceiling of Elegancia softens the architecture and lowers the visual plane, creating an immediate sense of intimacy without darkening the room.
Warm pendant lighting weaves through the canopy, reflecting off the bar surface and subtly highlighting the custom illustrated wrap below. The result is an overhead environment that feels both lush and designed — botanical without being untamed, intentional without being stiff.
This kind of ceiling installation does multiple things at once. It frames the bar, draws the eye inward, and creates acoustic softness that enhances the mood of the room. These are the qualities The Floral Guru brings to every botanical installation project across Washington DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland: beauty that also works hard.
Bar Frontage Design: Storytelling at Eye Level
The bar itself tells a story. A large-scale illustrated wrap featuring wildlife, botanicals, and symbolic imagery curves across the bar face with expressive energy and a refined hand. The artwork anchors the room with color while maintaining balance against the more neutral finishes elsewhere in the interior. This kind of branded surface design — where florals, illustration, and hospitality identity converge — is becoming an increasingly important part of what clients across the DC area ask us to help create. It's not decoration. Its atmosphere was visible.
Brand Activation Florals: The Back Wall as Cultural Canvas
On the back wall of Elegancia, we leaned into pattern, color, and repetition. A tiled grid filled with vibrant illustrated animal motifs creates rhythm along the length of the corridor. The typography of Elegancia sits confidently across the installation, grounding the entire composition.
This wall was designed to function as both branding and atmosphere simultaneously. It photographs beautifully — which matters enormously for a hospitality venue in a high-visibility location like Union Market. It carries energy down the passage and gives guests a moment of pause before they even sit down, exactly the kind of brand activation that turns a space into a destination.
The contrast between the organic ceiling canopy and the structured tile grid creates the best kind of visual tension: soft and botanical above, graphic and bold at eye level.
About the Studio
The Floral Guru designs large-scale public art installations, retail displays and environmental installations for commercial spaces, brands and hospitality environments.
Our work focuses on creating spatial experiences that balance visual impact with thoughtful execution—whether a project is designed to live on for years or exist for a single moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can The Floral Guru help create a hospitality space that feels more immersive and memorable? Yes. We design environments that go beyond décor, using elements like lighting, greenery, artwork, and spatial design to create experiences guests remember and want to return to.
How do you balance aesthetics with the operational needs of a restaurant or bar? Every design decision is made with both guest experience and functionality in mind, ensuring the space looks beautiful while supporting daily operations.
Can you incorporate our brand story and cultural influences into the design? Absolutely. We create custom concepts that reflect your brand identity, values, and cultural influences, helping your space feel authentic and distinctive.
Do you design features that encourage guests to take photos and share their experience? Yes. We intentionally create visually engaging moments that enhance the guest experience while naturally encouraging social sharing and organic marketing.
What types of hospitality venues do you work with? We partner with restaurants, bars, hotels, cafés, and hospitality brands looking to create impactful environments that strengthen their guest experience and brand presence.
