Plant Trellis System as Modular Living Sculpture

March 6, 2013 by

h2o-architectes_Tumbleweed1

Gardening meets architecture and art in Tumbleweed, a modular plant trellis system composed of folded epoxy painted steel and aluminum strips which interact in space as a living work of art, a sculpture that supports the cultivation of indoor plants.

h2o-architectes_Tumbleweed3

Architect Jean-Jaques Hubert of Paris-based h2o architectes created Tumbleweed for French brand Compagnie’s Cultivated Furniture collection. In describing the interaction between the form and the plants,  Hubert explained, “The plants grip the surfaces, crawl along the wall or invade the ceiling horizontally.”

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed10

I originally spotted Tumbleweed in 2011 at Maison et Object, where the designers shared that it was inspired and informed by the eponymous rolling bushes of the North-American desert.

The Tumbleweed, aka the Russian Thistle, isn’t native to North America but was unintentionally introduced to this country by Ukranian farmers. In tumbling about, the Tumbleweed produces about 250,000 seeds which spread in the wind adding to and replenishing the Tumbleweed population. Perhaps that is what the designers had in mind in creating a structure, a volume in space, that takes on a life of its own.

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed9

It may not blow in the wind, but air circulates through Tumbleweed’s openings where foliage winds in and out. Designed for unlimited expansion on the ground or to be suspended from above, the designers created the pieces as modular forms, intending that several Tumbleweeds be grouped together, the reason they are sold in packs of five.

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed7

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed5

The design offers infinite creative possibilites and, as they are available in various colors– white/gray, white/green, white/chocolate–would be adaptable to the design of any space.

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed8

h2oarchitectes_Tumbleweed4

For a similar concept that flattens the components to hang on a wall, see the Elements of Nature.

Photos: Stéphane Chalmeau

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

The freshest innovative and eco-friendly designs, trends, and ideas for urban gardens and stylish small places.

Visit Robin Horton @UrbanGardens's profile on Pinterest.

Discover more from Urban Gardens

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading