Kenneth Turner London
As a child growing up in Bangor, Northern Ireland, Kenneth Turner always loved flowers and drew much of his future inspiration from his Grandfather’s garden. Leaving school at an early age, Kenneth went to work with an old and experienced gardener on a private Estate. He then gained further invaluable experience at a local nursery and this convinced him that this was the area in which he wanted to work. The owner of the nursery recognised Ken’s potential and persuaded him that he should have formal training if he wanted to advance in the world of horticulture. He was granted a scholarship to Greenmount Horticultural College in Ireland and afterwards studied Ornamental Horticulture at Reading University. Although providing an excellent grounding in landscape design and strategic planning, it was whilst at Reading that Ken realised his real interest lay in the art of floral decorating.
He obtained a job in Oxford as a flower seller in the market and then progressed to become a florist. His colleagues realised he had a real flair and persuaded him to move to London. An introduction to Lady Pulbrook and Miss Gould, the most innovative florists of their day, started his successful professional career in the Capital during the 1960s. He rose up the ladder rapidly and became their Head Decorator which enabled him to fully develop his creative flair. In 1970, he left Pulbrook and Gould to open his first retail shop in Avery Row in the heart of Mayfair. During the seventies and eighties, Kenneth and his team created visual extravaganzas for events such as the opening and dedication of the Sackler wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Masked Ball in a Venetian Palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice.
1986, Kenneth Turner created his signature fragrance ‘Original’ (Now called "Signature") – an outstanding fragrance which was formed from the wonderful floral smells that he inhaled whilst walking his dogs. Initially, the fragrance was just created as a niche product for his Mayfair customers but now Original is just one of 10 fragrances in the Kenneth Turner range. The Original fragrance is still considered a bench mark classic in terms of lifestyle fragrance and is commonly referred to as the ‘Chanel No 5’ of the home fragrance market. It is a unique blend of honeysuckle, the oil from the bark of the sweet poplar, lemon and orange oils, cloves and cinnamon.
In 1996, Kenneth Turner was awarded the Royal Warrant by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, as the exclusive supplier of fragrant candles and room fragrance. Kenneth Turner was the first home fragrance company to achieve this accolade. The Prince of Wales is a particular fan of Original. In addition, the company is proud to have included amongst its clients many of the European Royal Families, Heads of State and a glittering array of celebrities including Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace, Sting, Cher, Lauren Bacall and Maria Schneider to name but a few.
Kenneth Turner’s fame continued to grow throughout the nineties and into the 21st Century and this led to many exciting developments. For example, Kenneth was appointed as the figurehead and expert of the Horehow Garden Catalogue, a division of Neiman Marcus, Dallas, which was delivered to four million homes twice a year. In the nineties, Kenneth undertook many lecture tours across North America.
In 2004, Kenneth Turner was selected as the exclusive florist in Harrods, fully reinforcing Kenneth Turner as an authority in floral decoration. More recently, Ken has been helping to develop the Kenneth Turner Distributor in Japan and visited Tokyo twice in 2007 to give masterclasses. These masterclasses were held in conjunction with the British Embassy in Tokyo.
Kenneth Turner became one of the world’s leaders in the design and development of fresh, dried and preserved flowers and their arrangements. Kenneth Turner established a world reputation as an innovator in the use of these materials enhanced with fruit, vegetables, shells, driftwood and mosses.
We have spent the last year working on new packaging for all of our products incorporating a floral K & T on each to signify the flowers, fruits and foliage within the scent. Each of the K&T’s were made from real flowers prior to photography for the cartons/boxes. Each candle/reed diffuser is presented in a hand blown glass vase which can be re-used after the candle/reed diffuser has finished. They can be used for scented/unscented pillar candles, tealights and flowers which means they can be recycled again and again.
The scents within our products are based on actual events decorated by Kenneth himself or one of the Kenneth Turner Floral Decorating team and the story of how the scent came about is on each of the cartons/boxes. We have re-worked our hand and body product formulas to incorporate floral oils known for skin softening and moisturising. Bringing all aspects back to our floral heritage. The home fragrance and hand and body products are made in the UK. Our reed diffusers and room colognes are alcohol free which means they are better for the environment and can be shipped/transported without hazardous packaging.
We have designed many glass and crystal pieces which are striking and unique. Each piece is subtly etched with KT branding and is incorporated into our product offering, along with some key accessories. These items are made to the highest of standards.
All of our items are beautifully presented whether a gift for a friend or loved one or a gift for yourself everyone will love receiving Kenneth Turner.
Parfums Raffy is the official US distributor for Kenneth Turner products. Wholesale inquiries please contact us at 818-817-0880.
