By Giuseppa Nadrowski
Photography by Erin Schmidt

indsay McWhorter, owner and creative director of metro Detroit-based Niche Hitch — a boundary-pushing, experimental, and eclectically cool floral art and styling studio — does it all.

Serving clients in both metro Detroit and California’s Joshua Tree and Palm Springs communities, McWhorter designs unique floral art for weddings and events, editorial shoots, and installations in businesses and residences. Her use of both fresh and preserved florals mixed with unexpected fibrous elements have given her designs a look distinctly her own.

It all began at the age of 17 when she took a job in the floral department of Livonia’s Westborn Market. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in apparel, textiles, and merchandising with a minor in fibers, McWhorter continued to work with florals at Westborn. Soon the desire to find an outlet for her love of design prompted her to move to Joshua Tree, a small town in California with a passion for the arts, and in 2015, Niche Hitch was born.

“I purchased a trailer and I was selling florals out of it,” says McWhorter, whose vintage trailer still resides in California for events. “I lived really close to Joshua Tree National Park, which is a huge destination for elopement. That was also a play on the word ‘Hitch’ because people go there to get hitched and that’s how I got my start — designing smaller, intimate elopement weddings.”

Today, McWhorter — who moved back to Michigan in 2018 — is known for her signature floral styling that embraces the non-traditional while mimicking the “organic movements of what’s found in nature.” McWhorter combines long-lasting tropical flowers like anthurium, protea, and heliconia with her “love of fresh flowers that look like they’re from another planet,” such as gloriosa lilies, cobra lilies, fritillaria, bat flowers, bleeding hearts, and rare species of orchids.

A reflection of her days styling florals in the dry desert, her use of preserved flowers has garnered much attention in the industry. From dried clematis and amaranthus to palm leaves, branches, grasses, smoke bush, and so much more, McWhorter says working with these dried beauties “allows you to make something that is more permanent and sculptural. It becomes an art piece instead of just a floral arrangement.”

For weddings, McWhorter’s dried bouquets and tabletop arrangements offer a bounty of benefits, including a ready-made preserved bouquet. “A lot of brides want to keep their bouquets,” she says. “I make bouquets oftentimes that are already preserved, so it’s dry and they can just keep it as is.”

Future plans for McWhorter include collaborating with her partner, ceramic artist Bobby Leo Veresan, to create vases and candelabras for those looking to add personalized and curated tablescapes to their events. She’s also considering relocating her vintage trailer to Detroit for interactive floral pop-ups. Wherever you find them, McWhorter’s otherworldly designs are not to be missed.

For more information, visit nichehitchfloral.com.