I moved to Paris for a year to learn the language after finishing ninth grade. In March, street vendors in yellow stalls would sell small bunches of daffodils tied so tightly they looked like microphones. They probably just saw an opportunity to make money, but for me it was a fantastic scene that unfolded as they stood and shouted for customers. The flowers were so beautiful. On a trip to the South of France, I discovered mimosas for the first time. They grow as birch trees do in Denmark. To experience a mimosa tree in bloom, a big yellow cloud of flowers bursting to life in the warmth of the spring sun, is incredible.

It was in France that my fascination with flowers really began to grow. It was also here that I started to collect antiques. I found so many beautiful bowls, cups, plates and vases at the local markets. When I first began working with flowers, it was often based around a vase or bowl I had found. I was looking for a way to add something more to the objects I had collected. When I combined flowers with antiques, I realised that this was what I could bring to the table.

When I’m looking for flowers to decorate a table setting, I typically choose ones that are meaningful to me. Those which evoke memories, like the daffodils and mimosas in France. Another favourite is lily of the valley, a delicate and fragrant flower that I planted with my grandmother when I was a child. Or dahlias, which I was allowed to pick in vast quantities when I worked for Camilla Plum [Danish gastronome, –ed] and used to fill a 19th-century terrine. When I see a flower that moves me, it gives me a high. I want to take it home and put my own stamp on it. It's always an intuitive process; I never plan which flower to choose in advance.