Beverly Hansel planted the seed for Hansel & Petal in 1996 when she started to sell her flower arrangements at a fundraising event for her daughter’s school PTA. What began as a lark more than 20 years ago has developed into a floral design business with Beverly creating and selling her designs to individuals and at local markets. Beverly has had a long, successful career as a stylist at Saks Fifth Avenue and while still working there, she attended outdoor-gardening and floral design classes at the Horticultural Society of New York and the New York Botanical Garden. Her interests range from Ikebana (Japanese floral arrangement) to contemporary blooms and almost everything in between. Upon retiring in 2008, Beverly returned to Parsons School of Design to earn a certificate in professional floral design. And, as she now confirms, “My passion has always been flowers”.  

Besides her custom floral pieces, Hansel & Petal designs silk, dried, and fresh floral arrangements for small parties, intimate weddings, bridal and baby showers, holiday tabletops, and any celebration needing floral adornment or the addition of natural beauty to an environment. Beverly’s custom pieces, and her line of floral-decorated fragrant sachets and seasonal napkin rings, are perfect for any kind of gift giving. Her inspiration always begins with sourcing local, seasonal flowers and greens, and her design approach is specific to the event and reflective of the personality of her clients. 

Since 2018 Beverly has been teaching floral design classes at the Long Beach Library in New York. Whether creating wreaths, centerpieces, or personalized arrangements, Beverly demonstrates to her students, the tools necessary to the craft, the aesthetics of proportion, and how to choose receptacles that work best for each unique floral design. Beverly is also available to teach custom classes to small gatherings in the privacy of your home.