A Santa Monica floral studio transformed its light-filled space into a sanctuary of sound and blooms last month, hosting an intimate wellness event that drew on the healing power of flowers, music and mindfulness to mark Mental Health Awareness Month.
Viola Floral's "The Art of Slowing Down: Sound x Stem," held May 20, brought together a small group of guests for an evening pairing live floral design with crystal sound bowl healing — an unusual combination that organizers say left participants calmer, more connected and more present.
"Within minutes, the room grew quieter as guests focused on the flowers in front of them or closed their eyes and focused on the sound bowls," said Jelena Trifunovic, founder and chief executive of Viola Floral. "Participants shared that if they arrived feeling stressed or distracted, their mind began to slow down and become fully present."
The evening was co-led by Kelly Merryman Turner, founder of Sol Ascend Frequency Healing and a certified sound healer, Reiki Master Teacher, somatic yoga teacher and meditation guide, whose own path to healing grew from personal experience navigating anxiety and disconnection.
The program opened with a fireside chat between Trifunovic and Merryman Turner exploring what slowing down actually looks like — not as an item on a to-do list, but as something felt in the body. The conversation covered how flowers and sound became languages for processing emotions that words could not reach, along with practical strategies for managing everyday anxiety.
The centerpiece of the evening followed: Trifunovic led a live floral demonstration, building an arrangement in real time while Merryman Turner accompanied the process with the resonant frequencies of crystal sound bowls. The layered sensory experience — scent, color, texture and sound converging simultaneously — created what many in the room described as a collective exhale.
The impact was immediate and, for some, unexpected. One participant called Trifunovic after the event to describe the moment she opened her eyes mid-experience and noticed the founder smelling eucalyptus on her fingers. "She was so wrapped up in the sensory experience of the moment," Trifunovic recalled, "and so was I."
"After the experience, many participants shared that they felt calmer, lighter, and more connected — not only to the flowers, but to themselves and the people around them," Trifunovic said. "There was a genuine sense of joy in the room and guests wanted to stay and chat, and get to know each other. There was a beautiful sense of community."
For Trifunovic, the evening carried deeply personal significance. She turned to floral design while processing grief after losing her mother, Luby, to pancreatic cancer, and has built Viola Floral around that experience.
"Flowers don't require words," she said. "There was something profoundly comforting about working with flowers, touching them, arranging them, caring for them, and creating beauty from them during a time when life felt incredibly fragile."
She described noticing a shift while designing — her mind would quiet, her breathing would slow and the anxiety in her chest would ease. "I felt present in a way that grief often makes difficult," she said. "Over time, I realized that flowers weren't just helping me create arrangements — they were helping me heal."
That personal thread has become central to the studio's identity, though Trifunovic is careful to distinguish between floral design as a wellness practice and clinical mental health treatment. "Flowers are not a replacement for therapy, nor do I present them that way," she said, noting that the practice draws on scientific research documenting the effects of nature, creativity and sensory engagement on stress reduction and mood.
"The most compelling evidence is what I witness every day — people walking into a workshop carrying stress and leaving with a sense of peace, accomplishment, and joy," she said. "They go home with something beautiful, and the opportunity to bring it home and watch it change and evolve. This reminds us of the passing of time — and the precious journey of life."
Attendees left with eye masks from Sea to Me Blankets and high-protein beauty bites from Beatyf(x), while a raffle offered prizes including a reformer Pilates class from The Haven Pilates, a premium floral arrangement and a spot in an upcoming Viola Floral yoga and flowers workshop. The finished arrangement from the live demonstration was also given away to one lucky guest.
Viola Floral's Santa Monica studio hosts private events, corporate gatherings and wellness experiences, drawing guests from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Brentwood and across the Westside.