Point of View: The Planter
Where last week’s “Point of View: The Coffee Mug” was geared around what else a coffee mug could be, this week’s topic of the planter highlights what else could be a planter versus what else could a planter be.
It was the 2015 Annual International Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy (aka Salone del Mobile) and I was stationed as usual every April at my company’s trade booth. We’re not talking a small, lifeless box the size of a telephone booth; we’re talking several thousand square feet of luxury furniture, kitchens, closets, a posh mezzanine area to bring your VIP clients with a private chef and servers neatly dressed. As I was the National Retail Manager of all the North American retailers, it was my job to connect with my clients, tour them through the booth and educate them on all the new products being launched that year, and then sell them new showroom displays. That year, the design team who conceptualized my exhibition had installed various artwork and other staged items by Italian art divas to enhance the overall ambience and storytelling capabilities of the new furniture products. One such art installation was a stack of my company’s own luxury furniture catalogs that had been staggered and fused together like a sculpture with some fancy, made-in-Italy version of Mod Podge glue. The interior was cut out to create an opening that served as a planter and the fakest looking real plant, made-in-Italy of course, sprung up from the center.
My next retailer approached my booth. I adjusted my blouse and pencil skirt, got my iPad presentation ready, and silently rehearsed my sales pitch. We began our walk through and got stuck at one point of their design obsession: The Planter! Client after client kept me there to explain the concept, that I would have been better off trying to convince each of them to buy stock of 500 of those to sell as part of their quick ship program. It wasn’t an item for resale, though. Nevertheless, compliments to the mastermind behind that design invention. It turned heads that year and other competitors and retail stores tried mimicking it in their displays soon thereafter.
That planted an idea in my head: what else from my Hazel Coasts products or everyday household items could be used as a planter? What about using a pretty ceramic teapot or teacups, a handwoven rush basket, a wide or deep dish handcrafted in Tunisia for a stunning succulent arrangement? Click any of the above photos individually to shop those ideas. What about repurposing a tin coffee can (“as is” silver or painted to any color), covering it artistically with an even band of Polaroid snapshots from my Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera, and sealing it with made-in-America Mod Podge glue? Insert a tropical Bromeliad plant and voila - diy planter completed.
Need more design inspiration? Visit our online store here to browse our handmade products and ideas. Perhaps you have something sitting around your house that could be repurposed or reimagined to both make use of what you already have and to also stylize your space. It’s all about your point of view.