If you’ve spent time in the Inspired Health Clinic, you know that every aspect of the calm, bright, and uplifting space was designed with intention and heart. We’re thrilled to introduce you to Summer Robbins, a local Bend artist and designer whose gorgeous floral designs are on display in every room throughout the clinic. Summer and her talented team at Summer Robbins Flowers design for weddings, events, and spaces in Central Oregon and beyond. Read on to learn more about Summer’s evolution as an artist, her design process for the Inspired Health clinic (including those famous painted tumbleweeds), as well as lots of fun music and art recommendations, plus her professional opinion on the most underrated flower. Take note!
Q: Hi Summer! You began as a fashion designer in NYC, and are now a floral designer in Central Oregon. Tell us a bit about your evolution as an artist and human.
SR: I come from a very creative mother who is an artist, writer, home-steader, and all around DIYer of everything, so art, fashion, and design are hardwired into my DNA. I grew up sewing, drawing, and painting with my mom, who used to make a whole lot of our clothes herself. By the time I was 10, I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer and I followed that dream all the way to fruition. It was a great first career for me, where I gathered experience in business, building and managing a team, public speaking and presenting my ideas, but as the years flew by, I started to realize that I was hitting a creative ceiling and that there weren’t very many designers over the age of 40 working in the industry. Many people seemingly moved on to do other things at some point because of the pace of it all, and turns out I was one of those people.
The births of my two boys grounded me and gave me a fresh perspective on my life. I knew I wanted to raise them in a beautiful place where I could be present for them and that fashion design realistically wasn’t going to be the profession that I was going to do that with. I had been in love with floral design and all things flowers for years, but it was my first floral class that I took after work one day, that solidified that this was my next career path. My whole heart was warm with excitement during that class and I was giddy with curiosity about learning everything there was to know about this new industry and all of the techniques and best practices. Floral classes became my obsession and within a month, I had strategized how I was going to quit my job, go back to school full time to learn all things flowers, and start my own business somewhere else other than the NYC area. A little over a year after that first class, that somewhere else became Bend, where we have thrived now for 9+ years surrounded by and supported by this amazing community.
Q: It seems natural to affiliate style with fashion, but do you feel that you have a certain style when it comes to flowers? How would you describe it and where do you draw inspiration from?
SR: Great question. I forgot to mention that my side hustle for 9 years while I was a fashion designer was that I was a personal stylist serving people who yearned to embody their authentic personal style. Through that work, I found my true joy and super power, which is interpreting a person’s style through my well-trained and experienced lens. My good friends often say that I am a design channel, meaning once I meet someone I know exactly what they want and what they’ll love and how to authentically express their true essence through design.
So, my floral style is my client’s style and they are my ultimate inspiration.
Personally, though, I love color and texture and all things seasonal and unexpected. I love to surprise people and exceed their expectations. And I really love to do that for myself too. It makes this work very fulfilling.
Q: We LOVE following your Instagram account to see the stunning, bespoke florals you design for weddings. Your work truly is ART. What is your favorite aspect of designing for wedding events?
SR: That is so kind and really means so much to me to have you say that. My favorite aspect of designing weddings, in particular, is that I get to be a part of one of the best days of our clients’ lives. The honor of that never leaves me. The memories they’ll have for the rest of their lives will be painted with the ephemeral art that we have made for them and their guests. How cool, right?
Q: We’d love to get a small glimpse into your beautiful brain (and heart!) when it comes to your design process. Could you tell us how you went about deciding what flowers, colors, and materials to use for your installation here in the Inspired Health Clinic?
SR: As you know, Inspired Health is not a normal doctor’s office. Every design detail in the space feels very personal to Dr. Wendy and Dr. Meaghan. The first time I walked into the space over 5 years ago, as a patient, I felt calm and delighted by all of the art, texture, crystals, and music. The first thing that we did was create a high desert-inspired installation above the apothecary shelves of white painted tumbleweeds. I loved the clean white shelving and the white of the walls and I wanted to create something that added a modern texture but in an unexpected way, so we foraged tumbleweeds, cleaned them up, painted them white, and clustered them along the top of the shelving. The drift wood wall hangings that we made for all of the treatment rooms and common areas were meant to feel like unexpected little magical art installations made of natural materials inspired by Oregon’s woodlands and coastal cliffs. Originally, they all had living moss and succulents on them, but they proved difficult to keep alive and happy and so after a few go-arounds we ended up updating them to their current iterations with natural dried and preserved ingredients. I think they add a lot of color and sweetness to each space.
“Creating with flowers for fun is healing and stress reducing. Living with live flowers in your home or place of business up-levels your quality of life and encourages more positive energy flow.” –Summer Robbins
Q: In addition to weddings and all your other design projects last year, you offered your first floral design class in your studio space. Dr. Dishman and Michelle attended and absolutely loved the experience. Is teaching/mentoring something you enjoy and do you plan to offer more classes in the future?
SR: That was so fun to have Meaghan and Michelle in class. I love teaching and mentoring. I think I love it so much because I love being a student myself. Teaching is honestly one of the best parts of my job and something that I do literally every week in the studio with my team. I also have been mentoring other professional florists and creative entrepreneurs for years, which is super fun and rewarding.
I hope to offer more classes to the public in the studio over the colder months, when I’m not focused fully on weddings. When the inspiration strikes, I’ll get something on the calendar and put the word out on Instagram.
Q: Since we’re currently welcoming the fall season, what are some of your favorite flowers to create with this time of year? And what is the most underrated flower in your opinion?
SR: I definitely LOVE chrysanthemums and dahlias during this time of year. Both varieties delight in some of the most gorgeous colors and shapes during this time of year.
The most underrated flower is the carnation, in my opinion. Just open up the blooms and they become stunning and like miniature peonies. Plus the price is right and their vase life is as much as 3 weeks- a month, which is unheard of in a cut flower.
Q: We’d love to hear a little bit about your health journey at Inspired Health.
SR: Dr. Dishman has been my primary doctor for almost 6 years. She is the most intuitive and thorough doctors I have ever had. From our first appointment when I was suffering from frozen shoulder and digestive issues, I feel that my life and health have evolved and up-leveled in so many ways. At this point I see her monthly for wellness acupuncture visits and we keep tabs on anything that may pop up that needs attending to. I also have been seeing Michelle Hirschy-Baker for my Well-Woman visits ever since she joined the practice and I find her to be honest, straight-forward, and very knowledgeable. They are my health and wellness dream team.
Q: Which of the 8 Pillars of Inspired Health are you personally giving extra attention to right now?
SR: That’s a hard question for me, because they are all equally important, but let’s go with Sunshine & Nature. I just got back from a 4-day retreat where I spent the entire time outside in the desert hiking, journaling, and enjoying this magical region we live in.
Q: Are there any books, podcasts, or shows that have inspired you lately?
SR: I love reading non-fiction and two books that I devoured recently were Who Not How and 10X Is Easier Than 2X both by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy. If you’re an entrepreneur, I would highly recommend them both.
Shows that are inspiring to me right now are all things Magnolia Network. Some of my favorites are “The Cabin Chronicles,” “Diary of an Old Home,” “Beach Cottage Chronicles,” “The Lost Kitchen,” and “Getting Lost With Erin French” are some of my favorites. On Hulu, I’m loving “In Vogue, The 90’s.”
Q: Let’s talk music! What are you grooving to these days?
SR: These are my top 4 current albums on rotation:
People Who Aren’t There Anymore- Future Islands
Q: And as usual, let’s share some Central Oregon love! Can you share a couple of your favorite local businesses?
SR: Favorite Local Makers- Justicia Jewelry, Divinia Jewelry, Amulette Studios, Loving Kindness Lavender, Range Revolution
Favorite Local Self Care Practitioners- Head Over Wheels Hair Co, Moon Bukas Bodywork, Amulette Studios, Melted Brow Bar, Justicia Healing, Natalie Cutsforth, Annie Cattabriga- Alosa
Thank you Summer!
Learn more about Summer at her website, follow her on Instagram @summerrobbinsflowers and Pinterest.
