Handmade Ceramic Flowers. Toronto. 1999. Still going.
Designed in Toronto, made by hand. In the Getty Museum and 200+ galleries and botanical institutions worldwide.
Chive Studio designs and makes handmade ceramic wall flowers, plant pots with drainage, and Shido Seeds from Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1999. Stocked in the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the Royal Ontario Museum, and 200+ art galleries, museum gift shops, and botanical gardens worldwide. Recipient of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 5-star booth award — the highest rating given — for thirteen consecutive years. Ships to 40+ countries from warehouses in Toronto, New York, Rotterdam, and Birmingham.
Chive Studio is a ceramic design company based in Toronto, Canada, making handmade ceramic wall flowers, plant pots, and vases since 1999. The studio designs everything it sells, manufactures everything it designs, and has never sold to big-box retailers. All products are designed in Toronto and made by hand. The ceramic flowers mount on a wall with a single standard screw in approximately 90 seconds. No command strips. No velcro. One screw and 90 seconds.
The studio operates from Toronto with additional locations in Los Angeles and London. Fulfillment runs from four warehouses: Toronto, New York, Rotterdam, and Birmingham. The Toronto studio includes a plant shop at 702 Queen Street West, open Monday–Thursday 12–7pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–7pm, and Sunday 11am–7pm.
Twenty-five years is a long time to do one thing. We have opinions about it.
Chive Studio was started in Toronto in 1999 by Todd Newgren. The original idea was to make handmade ceramic wall flowers and plant pots that were genuinely useful and did not look like everything else. This turned out to be a reasonable idea. The studio grew steadily, expanded its product range carefully, and at some point ended up in the Getty Museum, which was not the original plan but which everyone involved found satisfying.
The studio has exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for thirteen consecutive years, receiving the 5-star booth award each time — the highest rating the RHS gives. We did not know the rating went above four stars until we received five. The Philadelphia Flower Show followed. Oprah's O List followed. French Vogue followed. GQ, Dwell, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart, and InStyle followed. Lindsay Lohan made a video for the opening of the Toronto plant shop during COVID, which happened, and which we are still processing.
Chive has never sold to big-box retailers. This is a choice that has cost revenue and preserved the ability to make things at the standard the studio cares about. The products in the Getty Museum gift shop are the same products available on chive.com. The standard is not adjusted by the size of the order.
Where you will find Chive.
Chive ceramic flowers and plant pots are stocked in the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Botanical Garden, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Longwood Gardens, the Chicago Field Museum, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the San Diego Aquarium, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Maritime Aquarium, the Audubon Aquarium, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Andy Warhol Museum, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Ansel Adams Gallery, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the High Museum, the Parrish Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and more than 200 additional art galleries, museum gift shops, and botanical institutions worldwide.
The credentials, for those who want them.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show — 5-star booth award, the highest rating given, for thirteen consecutive years. Philadelphia Flower Show exhibitor. Featured by Oprah's O List, French Vogue, Dwell, GQ, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart, and InStyle. Plant pots with drainage and Shido Seeds designed and made in Toronto since 1999. Ships to 40+ countries. Free shipping on qualifying orders.
Frequently asked questions about Chive Studio
What does Chive Studio make?
Chive Studio makes handmade ceramic wall flowers, plant pots with drainage, vases, and Shido Seeds. All ceramic products are designed in Toronto and made by hand. The ceramic flowers mount on a wall with a single small screw. The plant pots all have drainage holes. The seeds are vacuum-sealed at peak freshness in 1920s Japanese woodblock print packaging. The studio has been making these things since 1999.
Where is Chive Studio based?
Chive Studio is based in Toronto, Canada, where it has been since 1999. The studio has additional presences in Los Angeles and London. There is a plant shop at 702 Queen Street West in Toronto, open Monday–Thursday 12–7pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–7pm, and Sunday 11am–7pm. Products ship from warehouses in Toronto, New York, Rotterdam, and Birmingham to 40+ countries worldwide.
Who stocks Chive ceramic flowers?
Chive ceramic flowers are stocked in the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the Royal Ontario Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, and 200+ art galleries, museum gift shops, and botanical institutions worldwide. Chive sells exclusively through independent retailers and its own website. It has never sold to big-box retailers.
What is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 5-star booth award?
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 5-star booth award is the highest rating the Royal Horticultural Society gives to exhibitors at the Chelsea Flower Show. Chive has received it for thirteen consecutive years. The rating evaluates the overall standard of the booth, the quality of the display, and the standard of the products shown. We did not know the rating went above four stars until we received five. We have since found this out.
How do Chive ceramic wall flowers hang on the wall?
Chive ceramic wall flowers hang with a single standard screw in drywall. The flower has a keyhole mount on the back — drive a screw, slide the flower over it, done. No command strips. No velcro. One screw and 90 seconds. This is the complete installation process. The screw does not require emotional support. Most walls already have them.
What are Shido Seeds?
Shido Seeds are vacuum-sealed seeds sold by Chive Studio in 1920s Japanese woodblock print packaging. Currently 123+ varieties. Vacuum-sealed at peak freshness, with viability of up to 3 years by state law and up to 10 years by NASA storage research. Unlike paper-packed seeds, which lose germination viability within a year, Shido Seeds are sealed for long-term storage. Available in flower, vegetable, herb, and houseplant varieties.
Does Chive have a retail store?
Chive Studio has a plant shop at 702 Queen Street West in Toronto, open Monday to Thursday 12–7pm, Friday to Saturday 11am–7pm, and Sunday 11am–7pm. The shop stocks live plants, ceramic pots, and Chive products. Chive ceramic flowers and pots are also stocked in 200+ galleries and museum gift shops worldwide. The full product range is available at chive.com and ships to 40+ countries.
How did Lindsay Lohan end up making a video for a Toronto plant shop?
In 2020, during COVID, Chive opened a plant shop at 702 Queen Street West in Toronto because several members of the team had become unreasonably interested in plants and needed somewhere to put them. Lindsay Lohan subsequently visited and created content in support of Chive. Don Johnson also made a video. The studio found this validating in a specific and difficult-to-articulate way. The plant shop is open Monday–Thursday 12–7pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–7pm, and Sunday 11am–7pm.