By Michelle Madden
Photographs by Ryan Lavine
“He’s a magician; it feels like they’re floating—as though butterflies are holding them up.” Anne Sachs is one of Rex Todd Rogers’ many clients who speak with extraordinary reverence and awe. Rogers is a creator who has been crafting sculptural wonders out of flowers from as far back as he can remember. “My mother had a beautiful garden; I was probably ten when I created my first arrangement.”
As often happens with individuals who lose one of their senses, others are heightened. Rogers is deaf, and perhaps because of this he has a gift for seeing and interpreting colors and texture. It is a talent that has been nurtured from a young age. “I traveled an enormous amount as a child, and was exposed to cultures and architecture that have informed much of what I do.” Rogers grew up in the Midwest. Seven years ago he chose Connecticut—where his mother’s family has deep roots—as his home.
Though many of Rogers floral creations are reminiscent of the great Dutch still-life paintings of the 18th century, he doesn’t imitate anything—least of all his own work. He is one of a kind, and proud of it. “I must have been eight when I wore what I thought was a very unique Oxford button down shirt to school. Horrified when another boy turned up in the same, I vowed never to wear it again.” It is this strong desire for originality, this urge to always be growing and challenging himself, that has fueled his career. He works for large corporations such as J.P Morgan, as well as local establishments such as the Litchfield Inn and Spa. He was hired to create floral designs for Henry Kissinger’s 100th birthday celebration in Kent.
Many of his projects are installations. For a wedding, he fabricated a blossoming apple tree, using baby’s breath to create the illusion of buds bursting on a ten-foot tree. It took two days and a lot of wire.
When asked whether a project was complex, or challenging, the words seem foreign to Rogers. He doesn’t find anything complex. Nothing is challenging. It’s as though creations just come to him through a divine force. They may take days to execute, but he is simply channeling them through his eyes and hands. He seduces the flowers, and they simply bend to his will. “He is an artist, with a depth of knowledge and an instinct for clients’ needs,” says Nancy Novogrod, a beneficiary of his skill.
Rogers is also an interior designer, something he has been focused on for decades. His passion is getting to the root of a client’s taste, and using existing art and furniture while weaving in new items that bring a timeless beauty to their space.
With interior objects as with flowers, Rogers channels a client’s vision onto their private canvas. Though his work is flawless, it is also unselfconscious and serene. It delivers perfection to an imperfect world.—rtrdesign.com
