Indoor Garden Room Design with Antique Furniture

The term indoor garden room might evoke visions of a dark space filled with plastic plants, but a recent video showcases an entirely different indoor paradise. Direct sunlight pours through large arched windows, an intricate metal-work coiffure, and dapples a mosaic floor. Generous plants — potted and hanging — sprawl first across planted beds, then across the scene

How to Build a Living Room in a Greenhouse

This deromanticized living space embodied nothing so much as a room in a greenhouse which served to house both people and plants. What's the point of inviting nature indoors, if not to get as close as possible to the outside? The space reflects a battle that worked: an architect that found itself winning against both the elements and man-made forces. Pots of varying sizes are clustered together as if somewhere between a breach and a bouquet. The plantings are not mere decoration; they are the point. This is an indoor greenhouse. In a “regular” home, the living room is where people are the primary subjects. Here, people are the visitors, guests, and caretakers of a primal ecosystem.

The Lights of Day and Night

The arch windows alone are a lesson in design. But what is the role of windows in an indoor garden room? An indoor garden room is meant to be self-sustaining — not just trees, but the entire ecosystem. This means that the outside cannot be kept out. A non-extreme climate should be encouraged to come in — a barrier to much of it, but a window to some. The windows let the sun in, air circulation is encouraged, and flora share life with fauna. The space doesn't have to serve as a barrier. It can serve as an interphase

Surfaces Sink

The mosaic floor is aesthetically functional. Cut from tiles, its purpose is to manage the excess water. Mosaic tiles are not the only surface that benefits. Tile and wood may be used to form walls, while foil pans or shallow boxes may contain water. Plants should be seen for the contribution they make. They don't just stand in place and look pretty. You could compare them to the “plants” of an aquascape, but anything in an aquascape is just a plant or a fish — it is an aquascape, and the only difference between one and the next is the form of the environment and the creature. The soil plants are the protagonists, the fish and the shells merely inanimate creatures. The aquarium itself could be a room. You would be living in a large tank.

Furniture

The space is itself furniture — a miniature park, a garden, a sanctuary, a greenhouse in the heart of a house. Potted plants and resting spots are the decorative elements. The other items, like the chairs and the table, are merely the biotic apparatuses. The room's foliage has a look of a greenhouse, but instead of rubber plants and ivies, it is filled with plants of different sizes, shapes, and textures. This is not only for decoration, but it is a room where the plants will thrive. The air must be moist, the light diffused, and the soil rich. Plants need to be watered regularly, and the space needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it clean and free of pests. Flowers and vegetables provide a veritable "forest" that is also a greenhouse.

Choosing Plants and Aesthetics

Plants are the raison d'etre. Choose native species that thrive on neglect. This is not a space to house Phaedranthus and succulents. The windows should be designed to provide the requisite light. An eastern exposure is the best for the majority of plants, which will receive more or less equal amounts of light throughout the year. A southern exposure will provide more sunlight, but it will be more intense. A northern exposure will not receive sunlight for the majority of the year and thus will be darker and more humid. If you have a northern exposure, plants that prefer cooler temperatures and less light will be more successful. Plants can tolerate less light as they mature, making them more forgiving of conditions not ideal for them in the wild. Indoor garden rooms should be organized in a way that maximizes natural light, without allowing light to overwhelm the rooms. Consider lighting from the front, back, and sides of the plants. Avoid light coming from just one angle, and control ambient lighting to maintain a consistent level of light exposure. Artificial lighting can be used alongside natural lighting to ensure that the plants receive the light they need to thrive.

Pulling It All Together

Perhaps the most important lesson from this indoor garden room is understanding how to combine the art of gardening and the science of horticulture. An indoor garden room is not just a showcase for plants. It is a place to experience nature.