‘IO’ - modular wall plant holder was a third year student project at the Product design department/Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. 

I believe that growing plants at home gives us insight into the complexity of the inner workings and needs of plants, which in turn allows us to see the nature around us through different eyes and makes us respect and appreciate them more.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift towards spending more and more time in our homes. The “new normal” way of life resulted in people buying houseplants, trying to bring nature into their homes. 

With the living spaces getting smaller, the goal of this project was to create a modular product that saves space by placing plants on the wall instead of taking up precious floor space. The holder is designed in a way that allows the placement of multiple plants on the wall without having to drill holes for each plant. The horizontal tube is the only part fixed to the wall, with the user having the ability to add a number of vertical pipes for attaching plants and plant trellises. The individual plant holders are designed as metal loops with diameters in different sizes, but in accordance with standard plant pot sizes. This allows the user to use their existing plant pots, which will affect the design of the final composition. The modular aspect of the product invites the user to interact with the plants and allows them to customise the look of their green wall whenever they like it. It also allows for further alterations of the product through the addition of other elements (shelves, trellises and automatic watering systems).

The concept came from my love of plants and nature and the joy of arranging plants in my space. The main goal was to create a visually light, modular system which allows the user the flexibility to create their own plant composition on the wall. 

The prototype was constructed by hand, using standardised industrial steel pipes, and painted in a muted lilac colour.