Vertical gardens in hospitality interior design

A few years ago, I wrote about how on trend vertical gardens in hospitality interior design were at that time. But a few years later I have to concede that vertical gardens are a staple in hospitality interior design. They are no longer a trend.

I’ve had a couple of enquiries recently where hospitality business owners wanted my help with just adding a vertical garden to their space. So how do you add a vertical garden to your hospitality space in a meaningful way that’s in line with your vision and branding.

Interior vision for the space

With every hospitality interior design project I work on I spend the initial stage of the project understanding the client’s vision. Their what and why. What are they trying to achieve from a business perspective and how the aesthetic of the space can help them achieve this.

For hospitality interior design I view interior design as a business solution. So the end aesthetic needs to communicate the client’s vision to their target audience. Once I understand this I can consider the right plants to add to the concepts and the space.

For example for Little Brother Vietnamese Bar & Kitchen the plants were tropical and they were hung from the ceiling using bamboo rods.

Artificial plants in hospitality interior design

Knowing when to use artificial plants and when to use real plants is also an important consideration. Real plants are great but they require maintenance. The owner or the wait staff need to be responsible for looking after the plants.

In one café project I worked on the plants were real and dead. This doesn’t send a good message to the customer in terms of quality, care and service.

I think artificial plants work well when they are hung at a distance from the customer, for example the ceiling or wall.

The reason for this is because at a distance the customer can’t touch the plant. They get the visual experience without the fake feel.

Real plants in hospitality interior design

On one project I worked on the client wanted real plants. The considerations for using real plants are cost, size and weight.

In this particular project the client wanted real plants on a pot on a shelf on the wall. So the shelf had to hold the weight but also at this height the plant is more difficult to maintain.

Using real plants works best at ground level. Of course the location of the plant is important for its survival in terms of receiving sun light.

But at ground level the position is also important in terms of flow of movement. While having real pot plants in your hospitality space is nice, they shouldn’t be a trip hazard or block important pathways for staff to deliver service.

Real plants need to be watered, trimmed, and dusted to ensure they maintain their appeal.

When to engage a plant designer

In some instances, it’s a good idea to engage a plant designer. Choosing the right plants and the right mechanism in which to hang them or the right pot or position is not necessarily a job for an interior designer.

Previously, I’ve worked with suppliers of artificial plants and communicated the client’s brief and budget so that a solution can be presented that suits the space.

Especially with wall hung or ceiling hung plants, having the right hanging mechanism to ensure the plants are not going to fall and cause injury to customers is important.

Local nurseries and artificial plant suppliers are good resources such as Designer Plants to design and install your vertical garden.

Avoid ready made or off the shelf options as they look too fake.

Budget for plants

If a vertical garden is an important part of your vision then budget for it. For example with our project The Spade in Glenroy, the client advised during the brief stage of the interior design process that they wanted an ‘urban jungle’ look and feel.

We tried to achieve this without the help of a plant designer but the outcome was sparse. With the help of a plant designer we got more plants, a better range of plants and of course a better outcome that met the client’s brief.

So while vertical gardens in hospitality interior design are now are staple they shouldn’t be an after thought in the design of your space. Plants are an excellent way to add warmth, pattern and texture to the space when done right.