Thinking outside the flower box is the norm for Los Angeles’ Little World Design. Known for creating one-of-a-kind, sustainable décor, cofounders Heather Pando and Manuel Acosta finally opened a storefront on Melrose Avenue last August, after two years of working from their homes. Acosta, who has 12 years of floral experience, and Pando began utilizing both natural and manmade sources to create modern design elements, from centerpieces and chandeliers to sculptures and wall art. Think of minerals, gems, preserved grass and moss, sponges, urchin sticks, corals, branches or, as Acosta describes it, anything interesting with texture, shape and movement.”
And no project is too small. Last February Little World Design headed to Abu Dhabi for a royal wedding to install permanent, hand-dipped linen flowers on 23-foot-high columns and seven pieces of wall art composed of branches and handmade paper flowers.
“Manuel is a true artist and hand-makes all of our pieces,” says Pando. “His creativity begins with an obsession and a love for something—this need to understand it.” The results are unexpected combinations, such as rugged stones filled with soft blooms of moss and paper butterflies or bold pieces mixing granite and sea fans. Best of all, Little World Design constructs décor that is more than a centerpiece or bouquet; these works of art move seamlessly from the head table to your dining room.