Meet Sarah Chung | Owner & Principal Designer of Studio Chung

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Chung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
“Chung” is my last name, but in Korean, it’s spelled 정 (pronounced – Jeong). It has a deeper meaning that I hate to oversimplify, but it translates to “affection”. You can feel “jeong” towards someone or something, and it’s also something you can share. When I think about what I love most about my work in floral design, it’s not only my love for flowers, but also what they can help communicate. I like to think that I can help relay messages or help bring other people’s visions to life with flowers as a medium. Even when you think about flowers in a culturally nuanced way, flowers communicate so much on their own, whether it’s grief or condolences from a white chrysanthemum or love and passion from a red rose.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I came to starting Studio Chung in March 2022 after having spent 6 years of doing my floral design on the side while working in advertising for 7 years. Like most people did during the pandemic, I had a moment where I confronted myself on what I truly wanted to pursue in life and I knew that now was the time to go all-in and follow my passion instead of allowing myself to let it take a backseat. It wasn’t an easy decision because I was being so heavily logical about it – the financial and technical pressure of owning and operating my own business weighed heavy, but it was easy when I thought about how much more happy I would be doing what I love and how much more excited I would be working through new challenges. There isn’t necessarily a roadmap for florists, so there was a lot of lessons to be learned, but while it sounds super cliche, I think the biggest lesson I learned was to trust myself. It’s something I have to constantly work on, but trusting myself is what gets me the confidence to make the decisions I make in my work as both a creative and entrepreneur.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I was born & raised in LA, but specifically in Koreatown, so without fail, I’ll be sure to take my friends out to eat Korean food – most likely KBBQ. If they’re a best friend, I’d probably be nice enough to venture out to the westside to show them the beach (but back in time to avoid the traffic). Lots of eating would be in order, so that would include Mariela’s Tacos, Ave 26 Tacos, BCD Tofu House, Pijja Palace, Yangban Society, and Guelaguetza. Karaoke and soju will also likely be on the itinerary!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to my fiancé, Chris, who has been my number one supporter even before Studio Chung! From tagging along with me to 5:30am flower market trips, to running deliveries for me and helping set up pop-ups with me all over LA county, I don’t think I would have found the courage to do what I do without his help and emotional support.

Website: studiochung.com

Instagram: @studiochungfloral

Image Credits
Alice Pang Rebecca Peloquin Sharon Sevgi Ko