Online Rose Shop Brings Luxury to Flower Delivery

“These are not your ordinary flowers,” says Sarah Berends, creative director and co-founder of online rose purveyor Roseur. “They’re for when somone really wants to make a statement.”

Berends and her husband Allan Ghiassi launched their Seattle-based company, appropriately, this past Valentine’s Day with a goal of modernizing roses and creating a more luxury, thoughtful approach to sending them. The couple’s concept stemmed from their Paris honeymoon in 2010 when they stumbled across the gorgeous blooms at the Roses Costes Dani Roses shop inside the Hotel Costes.

“We both were captivated by how they made roses look modern and fresh,” Ghiassi says. “It allowed us to see them in a new light and we wanted to share that experience.”

The pair began working with growers certified by entities such as the nonprofit, U.S.-based Rainforest Alliance and the Flor Ecuador program to test more than 100 rose varieties. They settled upon four in very distinct colors, including a deep magenta, honey-peach, ivory and soft pink.

As for that iconic red hue, you won’t find it available here. “We couldn’t find any red ones that we liked,” Berends says. “In order to make roses modern, they need to be big and have amazing color. We had to shatter the mold.”

Roseur’s fine roses are indeed big: Their buds measure anywhere from 3 to 5 inches in height and they’re meant to last longer than a traditional bouquet of roses due to closely monitored growing conditions in greenhouses that provide consistent temperature and humidity. Roses are priced at $250 for two dozen and $189 for one dozen, which includes overnight shipping.

The luxe mint- and ivory-colored packaging in which the roses are transported adds to the elevated experience. Made locally from recycled corrugate and printed with soy-based inks, each box is customized to neatly present the booms, glass vial of flower food and handwritten card from the sender upon lifting the structured lid.

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, Ghiassi notes that Roseur is able to deliver locally (Seattle and its surrounding areas) on Sundays, so if you’re still in need of a treat for mom, key in roseur.com to peruse its offerings.

The Gemme bunch in a rich magenta hue

Upon opening the signature gift box, the recipient is presented with the blooms, glass vial of food, care instructions and the card from the sender, which is handwritten on premium paper