This week we want to talk about interior plants and how they inhabit our homes.
When including plants as decorative items in our houses we should consider the fact that we’re actually sharing with other living beings, and therefore there’s an inevitable interaction between us and them. They need us to feed them, to care for them, and in return they give us many things that we might take for granted, or sometimes not even notice.
As a way of praising the importance of plants, we contacted Chrissie from Selvatica to hear some of her thoughts on plants and interior spaces.
Chris is one of the co-founders of Selvatica, a sustainable coffee roaster and plant nursery in Coburg. This place was born with the intention of ‘transforming a concrete wasteland into an oasis of sustainable caffeine production amongst an ever expanding garden of green’, as they write on their website.
When talking to Chris we could clearly see her profound respect towards nature, and she made us comprehend that decorating interior spaces with plants involves an intrinsic poetic gesture, and an act of gratitude.
Here’s what she said when reflecting on this subject:
Indoor plants are doing a great deal more for you than just making your home more attractive.
Aside from some of the more obvious benefits such as aesthetics, improved air filtration, reduction of dust particles, increased humidity – gardening is a connection to the material world.
Humans have always sought solace in working with their hands; gardening, pottery, woodworking, cooking – they are all ways that we seek to find peace and tranquillity through something we can touch, hear, taste or smell. The practice of working with our hands has become even more important in our lives now as we need to disconnect from the hyperconnectivity of modern life; to walk away from the screen, to find ways to bring calmness and peace back into our daily lives.
Gardening also brings an awareness of the bigger picture; the passing of time, how that equates with the patience required to grow a healthy indoor plant or raise a young tree to maturity. Plants help bring us back to nature, to the cycle of life and allow us to take a breath and create a connection that may have been lost.
And honestly, if gardens and gardening can improve patient recovery times in hospital, reduce prison inmate recidivism by up to 40%, increase productivity and make us feel calmer and more connected, then the question really becomes ‘what can’t plants do?’ and following from that, ‘how do we get more plants everywhere’?
We strongly encourage you to visit Selvatica and see their wide range of interior plants displayed at their shop. Visit their Instagram page for news and inspiration.
At DCC we also hand make ceramic planters for you to add some special features to your home.