Our History.
A San Francisco Legacy Business, IXIA is a full-service flower company creating bespoke, one-of-a-kind, flower arrangements. Experiencing an IXIA arrangement is a journey into the sublime, known for it’s branches, tree trunks and driftwood, each arrangement is designed to surround you and appeal to your senses. Mosses, stones, succulents, pods and other forms borrowed from nature create a palette of texture. And wherever you look, you see tradition blend with innovation, in designs that range from fresh takes on the familiar to the artfully exotic. For over 36 years, IXIA has created sculptural floral arrangements that reflect the wonder of the natural world. Our passion is evident in everything we create, from the smallest arrangement to the largest installation, and in art pieces that last an evening or a lifetime. Come and explore our work, here or in our studio.
Meet Cheri Mims
Founder, artist, and floral alchemist, Cheri Mims began her journey in flowers in 2009 with her first company, Lilybelle, before acquiring the beloved Bay Area floral studio IXIA in 2017. Raised in a military family, Cheri moved often but found her heart rooted in the landscapes of California. It was during a childhood visit to the Philippines, while encountering a sensitive plant that curled at her touch, that she first felt the quiet magic of nature. “It opened up a whole new world of mystical experiences and whimsy,” she recalls. “I knew it was something special.”
That sense of wonder still guides her work today.
Cheri is drawn to flowers for their impermanence — each arrangement a living, breathing moment of beauty. “After four weeks, it’s gone,” she says. “Preserved only in memory, a photograph, or in dried form — otherwise, it disappears forever.” It’s this fleeting nature that inspires her to create with boldness, weaving together unexpected textures, color stories, and sculptural forms into arrangements that feel both grounded and ethereal.
Her signature style is intuitive and layered — often blending garden romance with modern edge — and always rooted in a deep respect for the natural world.
Whether for everyday joy, a meaningful gesture, or a grand event, Cheri’s work at IXIA invites you to experience flowers as more than decor — but as living art, full of feeling.
Let’s create something unforgettable together.