Richard Christiansen on Bridging Horticulture and Popular Culture

Richard Christiansen believes that the true definition of luxury is having one’s senses on full blast—seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing, and touching the world around by engaging in its beauty and bounty to the fullest. This idea is at the heart of his company, the garden-pleasure apothecary Flamingo Estate, which is both a place—a home and garden on a seven-acre property in the hills of Los Angeles—and a brand, which operates a global farming collective and sells wellness, beauty, and “home essentials” products. In just a few years, Flamingo Estate has collaborated with cultural figures such as Julianne Moore, Martha Stewart, and Ai Weiwei, and created some 200 or so products, from C.S.A.-style farm boxes and flower arrangements, to scented candles and a rosé wine, to body washes and chocolates. Capturing the spirit of all this is a new book, Flamingo Estate: The Guide to Becoming Alive, which tells the story of his company’s rapid rise and includes interviews with the likes of Jane Fonda, John Legend, and Alice Waters. On the episode, Christiansen talks about his lifelong connection with beekeeping and honey; why more brands should embrace “radical inconsistency” in their products; and how reading a book by Jane Goodall, and later befriending the anthropologist and conservationist, changed the course of his life. Special thanks to our Season 10 presenting sponsor, L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. Show notes: Richard Christiansen [4:24] Flamingo Estate [8:05] Flamingo Estate: The Guide to Becoming Alive [46:21] Jane Goodall [12:48] Alice Waters [15:06] Harvey [35:35] Chandelier Creative [45:51] Benetton [45:51] Colors [50:35] Rumiko Murata [52:35] Owl Bureau [58:28] “The Summer Day”