Tole Sculptural Flower - Strawberry Bush

Tommy Mitchell is a North Carolina sculptor who shapes, paints, and gilds copper, brass, and steel into luminous botanical works that feel like permanent bouquets. Trained as a restorer and finisher, he spent more than twenty years working with important antiques before turning to his own metal florals, applying jewelry-scale techniques at interior scale. In his studio, each petal, leaf, and stem is hand-formed, chased, and finished in layered paint and gold leaf, resulting in tactile, organic forms that echo real flowers and foliage while carrying the depth and glow of aged metal. Flower Magazine calls his pieces “odes to beauty found in the garden,” and retailers describe them as scaled-up floral sculptures—part tole, part fine art—that never wilt.

Mitchell’s work has become a quiet obsession for collectors and top interior designers, frequently appearing in highly styled rooms and prestigious projects. Designers such as Bunny Williams and Phoebe Howard were early admirers of his metal florals, and his pieces now show up everywhere from Palm Beach boutiques to collaborations with tastemakers like Charlotte Moss. Editorial features in titles like Flower Magazine, along with repeated appearances in designer showhouses and gift guides, have cemented his reputation for botanicals that feel both romantic and refined—sculptures that live comfortably alongside antiques, contemporary art, and layered, collected interiors.