Interview with Amelia Kovacs of Element Design Co.

When your side hustle reaches a point where you need to bring on outside help to keep up with orders, take it as a sign that it’s time to quit your day job. That’s just what Amelia Kovacs did. What started as a creative outlet blending her love for design, color, and flowers has grown into a dynamic floral preservation business.

Established in 2020, Element Design Co. is a full-scale operation located in downtown Easton, PA (just a 1.5-hour drive from NYC). The studio is spread out over 10,000 square feet with a showroom, design and workspaces, full kitchen, and resin pouring clean room – a far cry from Element’s humble beginnings in Amelia’s attic-turned-art project room. While her office may have been upgraded, talking with Amelia, you’ll quickly sense that her passion for making sentimental works of art which began all those years ago remains strong as ever. She’s had to become more business-minded of course, and as Owner/Founder + CEO, she wears many hats with a focus on guiding her company on a path towards growth, success, and innovation. Today, Element is made up of a team of 10 talented women, each with specialized roles that let their talents shine, fostering collaborative and dynamic work culture.

Since we’re deep in the spring/summer wedding season when flowers are at peak bloom, we thought now would be a great time to interview Amelia for our Women Paving the Aisle series. Here, we talk about Amelia’s unique approach to pressing wedding florals, her artistic inspirations, what every bride should know about bouquet preservation, and which iconic princess she would have loved to work with.

We always like to start from the beginning. Were you artistic growing up?
For the most part, I was always drawn to creativity. I was not into painting or drawing as much, rather, I found joy in rearranging furniture or organizing clothing by color in my closet. I loved anything that allowed me to express myself visually! I didn’t always know I’d end up in a creative career. I went to school for business marketing for both undergrad and graduate school, but looking back, it all makes perfect sense.

When did you start pressing flowers? What do you love most about the craft?
I started pressing flowers casually as a hobby right before the pandemic— at first, it was a way to preserve special moments or pretty blooms I grew in my backyard. I loved the symbolism of holding onto something fleeting. What I love most now is how each bloom tells a story. Capturing that story permanently, in a way that’s both artistic and deeply sentimental, never loses its magic.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue pressing flowers more seriously? Can you take us through your journey from hobby to full-time job?
It started as a side hustle in my attic. I was preserving a few bouquets at a time, mostly for friends and friends-of-friends. But quickly, demand grew. I realized there weren’t many preservation companies doing this at scale, with the level of care and design I envisioned. Once I hit a point where I couldn’t keep up with orders on my own, I knew it was time to make the leap. I hired help, built a team, and moved into a real studio space. Today, we have a storefront, a full preservation team, and serve clients across the country.

Element has grown significantly from a side job you were doing at home to a dynamic business with a storefront, studio, and office and preservation team. Can you talk about what your day-to-day is like now? Looking back, is there anything that you wish you did differently?
My day-to-day is a mix of creative direction, team leadership, and making sure the overall client experience stays seamless as we grow. I still get hands-on with design when I can, but a big part of my role now is empowering my team and setting the vision for what’s next. If I could go back, I might have invested in systems and boundaries sooner — it’s so easy to burn out when you love what you do, but growth requires structure.

Your designs are beautiful – you manage to capture the lushness, depth, and texture of the original floral arrangements. What inspires you artistically?
Thank you! I draw a lot of inspiration from nature itself — the way flowers curve, wilt, or open — but I’m also inspired by interior design and simple fashion. We love combining organic texture with intentional composition, especially in ways that match the client’s personal style. We get a lot of inspiration from each and every client in that way as well, we always try to represent the fresh bouquet as much as possible in every design.

Can you walk us through your process? How saturated does a flower’s color stay after being pressed?
We receive the bouquet shortly after the event and immediately begin the preservation process. Flowers are all pressed with various preservation methods, all specific to the unique blooms themselves. After the pressing process, they will move on in their journey to either be preserved in a frame or in resin, depending on the client’s preference. Pressed blooms are flattened, dried, and carefully arranged into a design, then framed or encapsulated in a functional resin piece. Some flowers retain their color beautifully, while others shift to more muted or antique tones. We always educate our clients on what to expect based on their flower types.

In addition to framing flowers, you also do resin. Can you tell us more about resin preservation?
Yes! Resin allows us to preserve flowers in a more functional and practical/useful way, which is unique to our business. We hand-pour resin in layers, embedding the blooms in trays, coasters, ring dishes, and more. It’s a great option for clients who want to keep their bouquet but prefer to have the final work of art as something that’s functional and used on the regular, it adds a modern touch to sentimental preservation.

Can you tell us about the design style options you offer?
We offer a range of layouts — from organic and garden-inspired to more modern, minimalist compositions. We’ve coined these design styles as “burst”, “field”, and “handheld”, and for our primary products, clients have their choice in how their bouquet is represented. For clients who selected a frame preservation, they can choose their frame size, wood color, background color or glass, or design style, and any extras like invitations, photographs, ribbons. If they selected a resin piece, they will have the option to choose their product type, shape, design style, handle/accessory metal color, and again any extras like invitations, photographs, ribbons, or charms. While we allow for clients to be self-serviced and place their order directly on our website, we can also guide them through the options based on what fits their bouquet and their style best through complimentary virtual or in-person consultations!

If a bride-to-be is planning to send Element her bouquet, what does she need to know beforehand?
The most important thing is to have a plan for getting the flowers to our studio. If you’re local and dropping off (or having a trusted family member/friend deliver your flowers), we operate by appointment only, and they can fill up quickly, so be sure to have that appointment scheduled after placing an order! Most of our clients are sending their flowers in from other states, so we offer detailed shipping instructions (and discounted shipping labels!). Both are available on our website to preview before ordering, but we also send detailed shipping instructions and care instructions to keep your flowers fresh until they reach us after the order is placed. Timing and proper packaging are key, and our team is always here to help every step of the way.

Which flowers press really well? Are there any that you find difficult to work with?
Roses, peonies, and delphiniums press beautifully and are my top three favorites in designs! The more vibrant the bloom from the start, the more pigmentation will be carried through to the final design. While we adore tropical blooms and succulents, they can be more challenging to press, but we’ve developed creative ways to work with most varieties. We also love mixing in greenery for texture.

A bride’s bouquet is very personal. How does it feel knowing that Element’s designs carry so much sentimental meaning?
It’s incredibly humbling. We’re not just preserving flowers — we’re preserving memories. Wedding days are full of emotion, and knowing our art becomes a cherished heirloom for generations is the most rewarding part of what we do.

If you could preserve the bouquet for one bride throughout all of history, who would it be? What would the design look like?
Great question! I think I’d choose someone iconic like Princess Diana. Her bouquet was so timeless and grand. I’d preserve it in a way that matched her elegance — perhaps a large-scale pressed piece with soft, romantic framing (our gold or walnut wood), and a clean, classic design style like our burst or handheld.

Do you have a favorite work of art that uses flowers as the subject?
Yes — Monet’s Water Lilies series has always resonated with me. The way he captures light, movement, and serenity through layers of color is mesmerizing. It reminds me a lot of floral preservation — finding beauty in softness, texture, and natural imperfection. His work feels both peaceful and powerful, which is something I strive to reflect in our designs.

How do you stay creatively inspired?
Stepping away is key. I find inspiration in travel, interiors, even fashion — and I encourage my team to explore creative outlets outside of floral work. We also love trying new layouts and materials, and staying connected with other creatives in the wedding industry.

You finally have the day off. How do you spend it?
Ideally, I’m with my husband and son, probably outside. I love slow mornings, good coffee, and long walks. We’re in a season of life where things are busy, so downtime is sacred — even if it’s just a cozy snack night on the couch.

A big thank you to Amelia for taking part in our Women Paving the Aisle Series. For more information about Element Design Co. and to see more beautifully preserved flowers visit Element Design and following along at @elementpreservation.