Cecilia Fox

Cecilia Fox is an award-winning creative floral studio based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, founded on a philosophy that honours nature in its most poetic, imperfect and powerful forms. Established in 2007 by Melanie Stapleton on Wurundjeri country in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, the studio has grown through a spirit of community, collaboration and artistic curiosity. Today, now rooted once again in Aotearoa, Cecilia Fox continues to shape the floral landscape with work that feels instinctive, soulful and deeply connected to place.
The studio’s practice is guided by cycles and seasons, celebrating nature as both muse and medium. Botanical arrangements and large-scale installations take on the form of dreamscapes, embracing the wild, the unlikely and the untamed. Each creation is approached with reverence for the natural world, informed by its past, shaped by the present, and mindful of what must be preserved for the future. From grand wedding moments to intimate gatherings, thoughtful weekly installations for hospitality or retail spaces, and editorial styling for digital and print, Cecilia Fox brings floral poetry to life in every context. The studio thrives on collaboration, welcoming projects across film, fashion, design and art, where flowers become sculpture, gesture and story.

Sustainability is not a trend here, but a fundamental value. With more than two decades working across weddings and large events, founder Melanie Stapleton has seen firsthand the waste the industry can generate. In response, Cecilia Fox is committed to conscious craft: working with local growers, gardeners and foragers wherever possible, guiding clients towards seasonal beauty rather than fleeting trends, avoiding floral foam and plastics, and composting all materials at the end of their life. The result is floristry that leaves an emotional imprint, not an environmental one.

Melanie’s journey began in Aotearoa at just sixteen, followed by formative years in London working alongside leading florists before establishing Cecilia Fox in Australia. For over fifteen years she became one of the most influential figures in the Australian floral scene. In 2018, she launched Flowering Now, a celebrated annual community showcase for Naarm’s floral studios to experiment and create without constraint. Today, back home in Tāmaki Makaurau, Melanie continues to expand the boundaries of botanical art, offering a vision of floristry defined by authenticity, imagination and care.