Celebrated architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
His buildings and the philosophical movement of organic architecture that he started are a testament to his love and respect for the environment. There’s no denying that nature inspires art. It is the source of creative revelation for many artists.
We’ve read of classical painters making their gardens as eternal muses for their works of art. In our present-day, contemporary artists and designers have found inspiration in the natural environment.
From the intricate patterns of leaves, the way bugs flutter, or the shape of water dropping, these enchanting movements of plants and animals have illumed designers to create furniture. Furniture!
No, these aren’t your grandmother’s kitschy mugs or couch covers. These aren’t the typical items of furniture simply plastered with florals. These nature-inspired pieces are innovative, useful, and aesthetic.
The Oasis
It’s a planter, it’s a side table, it’s a lamp, it’s a conversation piece. Designer Pei-Ju Wu redefines the relationship between the natural and artificial with this multi-functional and amazing furniture.
The Oasis allows nature and furniture to coexist in your home. Where your plants were once assigned to sit in a corner of your room, now it has a spot in the center. The best part, it’s not on top of the table.
Every part of this furniture serves a purpose. The base of the table is a planter, a perfect container for your philodendron, or a string of pearls. They stay green even when they’re away from the sun because of the LED lights integrated on the table.
While we’ve seen planter-table-lights combinations before, this design uses physics to make this truly innovative. You don’t have to remove the glass tabletop to hydrate the plants. A part of its beautiful design is a provision for a central funnel in the middle of the table.
This is the outlet you can pour water in. The funnel flows down the pipe to the soil, giving the necessary hydration for the plants. You don’t have to fear root rot because there is proper drainage.
The excess water passes through a hole, back to the central pipe, and flows down to the base. At the foot of the table is a collecting pan where you can throw excess water or allow it to naturally evaporate.
The LED light has an automatic time switch option, so your plant has proper light to thrive in. It’s also a perfect evening light to add ambiance to your room.
The Agave Furniture Collection
The agave plant is smooth and silky. It can grow indoors and withstand the outdoors. This was the design inspiration for Mattia Albicini when he created for Italian brand Ethimo the Agave Furniture collection.
The chairs and tables are made for the outdoors, but with its sophisticated design, you might want another set for the indoors!
The black metal bases, with solid teak wood seats, backrests, and table-tops give this furniture a mod 1950s vibe. It is distinctive but also gorgeously timeless.
The seats and the backrests were shaped in a way to remind you of the agave leaves. The curved edges, the silky-smooth surfaces with its flowing lines reflect the elegance of the plant.
What makes this collection ingenious is the center groove of the seats. Like the midrib of the leaves, this element of the furniture allows water to drain easily. With the weather-resistant teak wood, it’s functional, durable, and stylish.
The Elytra Coffee Table
“The design of the table started out with a blank piece of paper and intensive scribbles and doodles,” Dhumal tells My Modern Met. “By the end of this process, one of the scribbles resembled the opening of the wings of a beetle.”
When you seek out the beauty of nature, it reveals herself to you in all her wonders. The Elytra Coffee Table was born out of the creative and talented mind of designer Radhika Dhumal, an interior design student of India’s National Institute of Design.
One look at the table and you know that it is based on the form and movement of a beetle. The table features two glass-inlay that looks like wings! You can open it out to expand the surface of the table for more space. (But also look at how cute that is.)
When opened it really looks like the beetle bug about to fly off. The whole form of the table, with insects-like legs and rounded shape, all point to the inspiration of the design.
Dhumal adds, “As a designer, it was an intuitive decision to go ahead with this concept as I truly believe that the best designs are found in nature.”
The Bouquet Chair
For those following trends in the last 20 years, this Bouquet Chair by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka is undoubtedly iconic. When it was introduced in 2008 at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, it caught the attention of everyone.
But who could miss such a feminine and fanciful piece of furniture? This work of art, inspired by the delicate blooms of flowers, has occupied the fashionable home, living room, office, and any other space that needs a little more oomph.
While it gives any room an added flair, the design of the chair is simple and yet elegant. It has one solid stainless steel base on a round foot, with an oval-shaped seat. The Boquet Chair was designed for Italian furniture specialist Moroso.
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