The goal with this project is to combine two facets of a home (lighting and house plants) into a beautiful in-home experience that makes a statement. Plantern is a hydroponic hanging planter and hanging light fixture designed to fit into contemporary human focused natural spaces.
Duration
15 weeks
Materials
Hot rolled steel, acrylic
Dimensions
Width: 30 cm
Height: 57 cm
What is
Hydroponics?
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. It is a growing area of commercial food production and is also becoming popular with hobbyists as it allows people to grow plants (especially edible ones) indoors all year round.
Hydroponics
as a Display
The Grow Lab (IDM.Grow) at NYU is a multisensory AgTech Display with the goal of being educational and contributing health benefits. For the purposes of this project, The Grow Lab acts as an inspiration and an aspiration for what hydroponics as a functional display/sculpture can be.
Inspiration
A category of products that I find interesting is planters with built in grow lights. In effect, these products act not just as planters, but also as decorative displays and ambient lamps. My aim is to scale this concept up to create a cohesive experience with hydroponic plants and lights which can provide nourishment for the plants while comfortably brightening a room.
Design Trends
As nature dwindles in the environment around us in the midst of increasing suburban sprawl and a climate crisis, people seek to bring nature inside into the safety of their homes. In addition, this design trend seems to bring back some mid-century modernist principles, namely, embracing natural materials (wood, stone, glass) and organic forms and shapes.
Plants
The plant chosen for this project is common golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum). This tropical plant is easy to maintain, don’t require a lot light, and grow well in hydroponics. They have long vines which look great hanging down from a lighting fixture.
Ideation
Design Context
Exploration
Form Development
Initially, the goal for this project was to design a sculptural center-piece for a home. At this stage, due to feasibility and available resources, I explored the scale and forms that would be viable while maintaining an impressive presence in a room.
Form Development
Initially, the goal for this project was to design a sculptural center-piece for a home. At this stage, due to feasibility and available resources, I explored the scale and forms that would be viable while maintaining an impressive presence in a room.