Since first starting in 1992, Cityscapes has had the overarching goal of transforming people’s lives through the healing power of plants in commercial environments. The work combines horticultural expertise with intense creativity and an ever-present desire to constantly innovate, instead viewing plants as living, breathing, functional elements of a building.
So, it would only make sense that they would turn their own office and showroom into a lush grove perched above the foyer of the oldest office building in downtown Boston (Massachusetts).
A Celebration of a Plant’s Many Dressings
The entryway to the office immediately sets the stage for what’s about to unfold in the showrooms.
Upon walking into the central office, the energy shifts. The white, plaster wall is swallowed up by a massive living one of dark greens and vibrant, emerald tones before terminating at the warm wood framing the reception desk. Meanwhile, at the center of it all, sits a terrarium on what could be viewed as its next evolution in design: a table housing a living ecosystem that Jan Goodman, CEO and founder of Cityscapes, calls ‘Living Fernature.’
But that is just the reception area. The showroom is seemingly split between two seasons down two branching corridors, which themselves are framed by creeper vines underneath grow lamps (the science of plant-based design at work). On one end visitors catch glimpses of a greenhouse-like environment, and on the other, a wintry time capsule.
Being in New England, the shift in the season brings tremendous change in the fauna. The once emerald hues explode in fiery reds and yellows before burning off completely and resting themselves spent on the forest floor. Then, all that’s left behind are stark, grasping frames, like veins running through the sky. It’s a shift Cityscapes revels in with their winter designs, especially the part where the weather creeps over the land and blankets everything in snow.
Native conifers are a staple of the region’s greenery during the winter, being one of the only things that will stay green year round.
There’s a vibrancy and eclecticism in their mediums, ranging from sturdy evergreens, ghostly birch, vibrant berries left on branches and even the skeletal forms of deciduous trees. Rich coniferous overgrowth gradually gives way to alpine and Nordic décor before finally ending in stark, white boughs caked with ice and snow, lights and baubles adorned throughout. It’s more than a simple holiday season escape, though. Here, visitors get to witness the full range of character this season has to offer, not just in New England, but from all over the world.
Office Space or Botanical Garden?
A traditional meeting table gets elevated with the addition of living partitions and a river of live moss running through the center.
Stepping down the alternate path, visitors then enter the biophilic showroom. While the main centerpiece is a massive, custom-made pergola rippling with a pattern resembling the underside of leaf or a cluster of vines, the floor is set so that exploration in encouraged. Aside from being a showroom, it is a fully functional event and gathering space with spaces tucked off to the side for personal meetings, games and even photo or recording opportunities. Each carefully cordoned space represents a microcosm of function, yet each holds the same purpose of creating a space where plant life shines as the star.
In the back center, a large video wall sits over a living one, cycling through natural photography like a digital art display with the ability to swap into presentations or video functions at any moment. All the while, bird calls and the distant lure of running water plays over speakers that encompass the entire space, completely blocking out the bustle and commotion of the lobby directly below.
Even though all Living Fernature is designed to be highly self-sustainable, each piece comes with an easily separated top to tend to the plants within.
Scattered throughout here are several more of the Living Fernature pieces, which quickly become the focal point of whatever arrangement they are featured in, each one representing a different region. From the lush forest floors of New England to the sparse cacti and aloe plants that may be present in southern chaparrals, the scenery embodied in each table is enough to lose oneself in.
The pseudo-atrium is further enriched by other functional, sculptural elements, such as live edge benches and tables, planters clad in natural wood and bark textures and the arrangement of rounded stone to fill in voids. All the while, rich natural lighting filters down from the glass enclosure, completing the illusion that you are standing in the middle of a backyard garden.
It’s a beautiful showcase highlighting how living plants can provide function and utility to a space on top of their gorgeous aesthetics.
