Butterfly’s Rest Floral Design Studio: Participant Spotlight on Evangel Jung
Today, we’re sitting down with Evangel Jung, owner of Butterfly’s Rest Floral Design Studio. Through the Seattle Restored pop-up program, Evangel hopes that her flowers and shop encourages people to care for one another, support local businesses, and find moments of beauty in ordinary days.
Q: Tell us about your business. What inspired your pop-up concept?
Butterfly’s Rest Floral Design Studio creates seasonal, designer’s-choice florals that encourage people to slow down and notice beauty in everyday life. My work is rooted in the belief that every flower is beautiful in its own way — including its imperfections — and that thoughtful design reveals that beauty by bringing individual stems together. I believe the same is true of people and communities.
After leaving a career in finance, I discovered floristry as a creative practice that became a form of restoration. What began as a personal transformation became Butterfly’s Rest, a studio focused on creating floral experiences that feel warm, artful, and intentional.
Our Seattle Restored pop-up extends that philosophy into a physical space. I wanted to create more than a flower shop — I wanted to create a place where someone could step away from the pace of downtown, even for a few minutes, and leave with something that brings beauty into their home or workplace, or into the hands of someone they love.
Q: Why did you apply for Seattle Restored? how will this opportunity help you reach your goals?
Opening a permanent storefront has been a long-term goal for Butterfly’s Rest, and Seattle Restored provides an incredible opportunity to thoughtfully test that vision while contributing to the revitalization of downtown Seattle.
This pop-up allows me to better understand how people interact with a floral retail experience, refine daily operations, and build relationships with the community. It also gives me the opportunity to introduce Butterfly’s Rest to people who may never have discovered us online.
Beyond growing my business, I’m excited to be part of a community of artists, makers, and small businesses who are helping make downtown Seattle feel vibrant, welcoming, and full of creativity.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your business? how do you hope to impact the community?
Flowers often become part of life’s biggest moments, such as a wedding, but some of the most meaningful experiences happen during ordinary days.
One of my favorite parts of this work is seeing someone’s expression change when they receive flowers — whether they’re celebrating, grieving, saying thank you, or simply treating themselves. Flowers have a unique ability to create connection without requiring many words.
I hope Butterfly’s Rest encourages people to care for one another, support local businesses, and find moments of beauty in ordinary days. If someone leaves our shop feeling just a little lighter than when they walked in, then we’ve accomplished something special.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your business?
Butterfly’s Rest is deeply committed to sustainability and thoughtful craftsmanship. We never use toxic floral foam, choosing more environmentally friendly mechanics instead, and we make every effort to use locally-grown flowers and to minimize waste.
Community has always been central to our work. We regularly collaborate with local small businesses, artists, photographers, and creatives because we believe beautiful things happen when people create together.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?
Take a moment to notice the beauty that’s already around you.
Pause to admire the wildflowers growing from a crack in the sidewalk, breathe in the scent of the earth after the rain, or listen to birds singing above the city. Seattle is full of quiet moments that are easy to miss when we’re rushing from one place to the next.
Visit the neighborhood shop you’ve always walked past, chat with a local artist, or bring home flowers simply because today is worth celebrating. Small acts of curiosity and support have a bigger impact than we often realize.
Q: What’s your favorite Seattle Restored activation, and why?
It’s hard to choose just one because each space brings something different. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about Seattle Restored is seeing the diversity of artists, makers, and small businesses represented throughout the city. Every pop-up reflects the personality and creativity of the people behind it, and together they’ve transformed vacant storefronts into places that invite curiosity, conversation, and connection.
One that especially resonates with me is Pan de La Selva. I admire how Mayra uses food as a way to tell stories, honor culture, and create connection. As a floral designer, I connect with the idea that something as simple as flowers or a pastry can become an invitation to connect and share meaningful moments with others.
Q: Where would you take visitors or a group of friends for a fun, relaxed experience in Seattle?
I’d take them to the Olympic Sculpture Park and the surrounding waterfront parks. The city’s recent waterfront improvements have created a beautiful place to wander and slow down. I especially appreciate the thoughtful landscape design — native plants, seasonal blooms, and ornamental grasses create an ever-changing landscape that’s full of texture, movement, and life. It’s a wonderful example of how great public spaces can invite people to reconnect with nature in the middle of a busy city.
It’s somewhere you can wander without an agenda, have meaningful conversations, or simply enjoy the changing seasons. As a floral designer, I love seeing how thoughtful planting design shapes the experience of a place, and I think it’s one of Seattle’s greatest examples of nature and city life existing beautifully together.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
Through the Seattle Restored pop-up, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with new people and see how a thoughtfully designed space can foster moments of beauty, conversation, and community.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for the next chapter as we prepare to open Butterfly’s Rest’s flagship studio in the Fremont/Upper Queen Anne neighborhood. More than a flower shop, I hope it becomes a neighborhood destination where people can experience the changing seasons through flowers, gather for workshops, discover local artists and makers, and celebrate life’s meaningful moments.
I hope it becomes a place that grows alongside the community — where creativity, connection, and nature come together, and where people leave feeling just a little more inspired than when they arrived.
Visit Butterfly’s Rest Floral Design Studio
Address:
800 5th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104
Open hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 10:00am-6:00pm
Dates: May 19 – October 15, 2026