Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Fitzpatrick.
Hi Kristina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career very early, long before I knew I would one day run a design studio in New York. I grew up in a small town in Russia, near Kazakhstan, and at 19 I co-founded my first advertising agency. I was always drawn to building things from nothing – ideas, projects, teams, opportunities. Over the years, I worked in media, advertising, fashion retail, and even launched an agricultural magazine during the economic crisis of 2008. Each step taught me how to think creatively under pressure and how to turn limitations into possibilities.
After moving to New York, I tried several ventures that didn’t work. I had a handbag business that failed, and for a moment I truly questioned everything. But that experience was pivotal. It pushed me to think differently about what I wanted to create and how I wanted to create it.
Paper & Flowers was born from that turning point. What started as an experiment with paper as a material quickly became something much bigger. Our first ever client was New York Fashion Week, and from there the company grew organically through word of mouth, trust, and an obsession with detail and quality.
Today, Paper & Flowers creates large-scale couture paper and mixed-media installations for global brands like Dior, Valentino, Netflix, Amazon, and many others. But what matters most to me is not just the projects — it’s the people behind them. We employ incredibly talented artisans, many of them women and mothers, and we focus on sustainability, craftsmanship, and creating work that feels magical yet responsible.
My journey has been far from linear. It’s been full of pivots, failures, reinventions, and constant learning. But every step brought me closer to understanding that I wasn’t just building décor — I was building experiences, opportunities, and a company that empowers people while transforming spaces.
And we’re only just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all – and honestly, I think that’s what shaped both me and the company the most.
Building this business has been a series of very real challenges: starting over in a new country, learning an entirely new market, navigating cash flow while taking on larger and larger projects, and figuring out how to scale a handmade, custom production operation without losing quality. There were moments when I had to take on projects that felt bigger than our capacity at the time and then build the capacity while delivering them.
Another big struggle was learning how to hire the right people and create structure. In the beginning, everything depended on me – production, sales, client communication, logistics. Letting go of control and building a team that could operate independently was a long learning curve.
Financially, operationally, and emotionally, it was never a “smooth road.” There were mistakes, stressful deadlines, difficult clients, and projects where we had to problem-solve in real time. But each of those situations forced me to become more strategic, more organized, and more resilient.
Looking back, those struggles are exactly what allowed the company to grow into what it is today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Paper & Flowers is a luxury design and fabrication studio based in Jersey City, creating large-scale, couture-style floral installations, sculptural décor, and immersive environments for brands, retail spaces, fashion houses, and experiential events.
We specialize in handcrafted paper, fabric, and foam florals and custom statement pieces that transform spaces into something emotional, memorable, and highly photogenic. Our work ranges from giant 10-foot flowers and kinetic butterflies to sculptural objects like horses, trees, and abstract forms – all designed to feel more like art than décor.
What sets us apart is that we are not a rental décor company and not a traditional florist. We are a design and production studio. Everything is custom-made in-house by our team of artisans using sustainable materials, couture techniques, and a level of detail typically seen in fashion ateliers rather than event production. Because of this, brands come to us when they want something that has never been done before and cannot be sourced from a catalog.
We’re known for taking ambitious creative ideas and making them physically possible -often under tight timelines and complex logistical conditions – while maintaining a very refined, luxury aesthetic.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that Paper & Flowers has grown from a small handmade operation into a studio trusted by global brands like Dior, Valentino, Met Gala, Google, Netflix, Hudson Yards, and many others. Not because we are the biggest, but because we are the most detail-driven, reliable, and creatively fearless.
I want readers to know that behind every installation is a team of skilled makers, mostly women and mothers, who are creating art by hand. Sustainability, craftsmanship, and storytelling are at the heart of everything we do. We don’t just decorate spaces – we create environments people remember, photograph, and talk about long after the event is over.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I don’t actually have a lot of time for reading, so I’m very intentional about it. I aim for about 12 books per year — roughly one per month — and about 90% of what I read is business-related.
One of my all-time favorites is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It’s not a traditional business book, but in many ways it’s deeply connected to entrepreneurship, independence, and personal responsibility, which resonate with me a lot as a founder.
I also like learning from people who have built real empires. I read a lot of interviews, founder stories, and leadership insights to understand how others think, build teams, structure companies, and manage growth.
Right now, I’m reading 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy, which is very aligned with how I think about scaling — not by doing more, but by thinking bigger and structuring smarter.
Some other business books that influenced me a lot:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things — very honest about the difficult parts of leadership
Shoe Dog — the raw story behind building Nike
Good to Great — about discipline, people, and structure
Atomic Habits — for personal systems and consistency
Who Not How — very helpful in how I think about hiring and delegation
I also listen to podcasts on finance, marketing, leadership, and team building, but I don’t follow just one. I usually search for very specific topics I’m dealing with at the moment and learn exactly what I need.
Live events are also a huge source of inspiration for me. Last October, I attended the American Business Forum in Miami, where speakers included Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump, leaders from Google, FIFA, and other global organizations. Being in rooms with people who think big and build big is incredibly energizing.
I’m also very active in networking communities, especially through Forbes Business Council, where connecting with other founders and business owners has been extremely valuable.
For me, the best “resource” is always learning directly from people who are building at a high level and applying those lessons immediately to my own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paperandflowersnyc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PAPER_AND_FLOWERS
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-fitzpatrick/
