A room within a room for nature. The Bangkok-based designer duo Atelier 2+ (Worapong Manupipatpong and Ada Chirakranont) has created a greenhouse that is small enough for indoor use but large enough to house a miniature garden. The Greenhouse is a design object with artistic ambitions, a sculpture that makes room for nature. The designers place greenery on a pedestal and protect it with glass as the delicate and beautiful item that it deserves to be.
In 2014, Atelier 2+ was invited by the Wallpaper magazine to give their take on the word ‘handmade’. Their interpretation stretches beyond the obvious craft aspect and also includes such concepts as cultivation and caring for. This resulted in the Greenhouse project which invites us to carry on being creative even when construction of the object itself has been completed. The terrarium is made from lacquered solid ash timber with panes of toughened glass, and a planting tray made of galvanized metal. The wooden support reinforces the architectonic expression and converts it into a freestanding ornament in the room. The hatches can be secured in the raised position while one is working with the plants.
‘Greenhouse is a product of our stay in Sweden,’ Manupipatpong explains. ‘When we were living in Sweden we felt the need to get closer to nature and to make room inside our dwelling for the nature that surrounds us.’
‘But,’ they add, ‘perhaps the size of Greenhouse encourages people to create miniature worlds because it is not large enough for people merely to plant just anything in it. It makes demands on the user, perhaps requiring green fingers or the sensitive touch of a sculptor.’
