Indoor houseplant display designed by Plants By There for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - Plants on a bar

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Planet Studio

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

Best Houseplant Studio

Gold Medal

In May 2022 I joined forces again with Malvern Garden Buildings to present Planet Studio at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A Studio 54 inspired houseplant studio; Planet Studio was an immersive space where retro classics and the wonderful oddities of the houseplant world collided to create a nostalgic feast for the eyes.

Planet Studio flipped the perception of the traditional Kew Victoria Garden Room – transforming it into a contemporary garden bar and entertainment space for those wanting a piece of city nightlife in their own gardens. Providing refreshment and entertainment to ‘clubbing’ plants and people alike, Planet Studio featured a planted coat check for guests, a bar stocked with and for houseplants and propagation and grow house drinks fridges. Once hydrated, the houseplants met visitors on the dance floor for a botanical boogie.

I gathered together a group of creatives from other disciplines whom I met along my journey working in London to contribute to the design in a variety of ways including bespoke ceramics, sustainable fashion, specialist fungi, mural art and lighting. You can discover more about my fantastic and talented collaborators here!

Planet Studio had fantastic coverage by the press including features by Homes & Gardens, WWD, Evening Standard, Real Homes and on several episodes of the BBC show coverage including my interview with Nicki Chapman and exhibit tours with Arit Anderson and Nick Bailey.

Planet Studio planted bespoke bar terrarium.

Inside the bar terrarium which featured a ceramic rocket by Adam Johnson.

Bar shelves stocked with unusual plants in bespoke ceramics.

Dance floor area with 'dancing' plants, a balcony of oyster mushrooms and light projections.

Oyster Mushrooms grown by Caley Bros emitting spores.

Bespoke rotating bowl of orange Anthuriums suspended above the bar.

Bespoke ceramic pots on pedestals by Adam Johnson planted with mixed planting.

Refreshments for the plants on the bar with Mathmos Lava Lamps and Mushrooms grown by Caley Bros. in ceramics by Adam Johnson.

Bar 'fridges' being used to grow plants with grow lights.

Bespoke lounge area with repurposed denim by sustainable fashion designer Patrick McDowell.

Begonia maculata cutting growing in water on the bar.

'Balcony' of Oyster Mushrooms by Caley Bros. in ceramics by Adam Johnson overlooking the dance floor and bar.

Gold disco balls 'crashed' through the roof with Tillandsia moss.

Sustainable fashion hanging on neon hangers in the Planet Studio 'coat check'.

Planet Studio 'coat check' area with fashion by Patrick McDowell.

'Coat check' area of Planet Studio with fashion by Patrick McDowell.

Planet Studio 'Fire Escape' access to the terrace area.

Bespoke ceramic planet table by Adam Johnson planted with carnivorous plants.

Oyster Mushrooms by Caley Bros. on ceramic bottles by Adam Johnson.

Outdoor bar trolley with Caley Bros. Oyster Mushrooms, Ceramics by Adam Johnson and carnivorous plants.

Trash can planted with ferns and carnivorous plant species.

Outdoor planters featuring Canna and Strelitzia were styled as giant cocktails with ceramic decor by Adam Johnson.

Outside Planet Studio trash cans and bottle crates decorated the space and provided homes for plants of all types.

'Trash Alley' detail of pink, yellow and grey Oyster Mushrooms and planting.

Pink Oyster Mushroom bursting through 'trash bags'.

'Garbage bags' in Planet Studio's 'Trash Alley' planted with ferns and Oyster Mushrooms.

'Trash Alley' featured garbage bags planted with fern species and Oyster Mushrooms and featured bespoke club night posters pasted onto the wall.

My club night poster concept was layered over a bespoke mural by Leroy Fardon-Taylor.

Gold disco ball meteors 'crashed' through the roof of Planet Studio.

Outdoor disco balls mixed with tropical planting.

Bespoke wall mural by Leroy Farndon-Taylor.

Bespoke Planet Studio mural by Leroy Farndon-Taylor.

Back of Planet Studio by Leroy Farndon-Taylor.

RHS Gold Medal and Best Houseplant Studio Award.

Planet Studio VIPs

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Planet Studio VIPs 〰️

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Press Day Houseplant Studio Planet Studio by Plants By There

Models Lukö, Jordan and Astrid performing on Press Day in the Planet Studio ‘Queue’ all wearing Patrick McDowell.

James Whiting - Plants by There and Fashion Designer Patrick McDowell at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London

Myself and Patrick McDowell wearing exclusive, limited edition designs created for Planet Studio by Patrick.

Houseplant Studio designer James Whiting with collaborators Caley Bros. Adam Ceramic and Fashion Designer Patrick McDowell at the London Flower Show

My collaborators: Mushroom growers Jodie & Lorraine from Caley Bros, Fashion Designer Patrick McDowell and Ceramicist Adam Johnson.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Press Day Houseplant Studio Planet Studio by James Whiting, Plants By There Fashion Models, Designer Patrick McDowell and Drag artist

Models Jordan, Astrid, Me, Patrick and Lukö outside the show gates.

Drag artist at RHS Chelsea Flower Show Houseplant Studio

Astrid wearing their own fashion design on Press day.

Bespoke Mural

Leroy Farndon-Taylor designed and painted a bespoke mural for Planet Studio based on my brief of a 70’s / 90’s botanical cosmic mash-up. The mural wrapped around the building creating a stunning backdrop for my planting and exterior display.

Bespoke wall mural design for Houseplant Studio for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Lava Lamps

Being able to include such an iconic British design brand as Mathmos in the Planet Studio space was such a privilege for me as a designer. Thank you to the team at Mathmos that made this possible.

Plants

The plants for my houseplant studio were kindly provided by my trusted supplier Green & Bloom who worked very closely with me to source some very specific species that I required. My planting scheme story was to mix revered retro classics with more unusual and odd looking varieties both inside and outside the space. The plant list here details the more well known varieties used and was included in the printed material given to show visitors.

Bespoke Ceramics

I was so very lucky to work with Adam Johnson, a talented ceramic artist who created all of the bespoke ceramic pieces for Planet Studio. From cocktail shakers and plant pots to a rocket sculpture and a giant planet inspired coffee table; Adam’s skills and dedication to the project were second to none. He also worked in tandem with Mushroom growers Caley Brothers to achieve perfectly timed, vessel grown oyster mushrooms for my display. He also hand drew the concept artwork for Planet Studio!

Oyster Mushrooms

I met the wonderful Lorraine and Jodie from Caley Brothers at RHS Chelsea in 2021 and knew instantly that we had to work together at some point. Planet Studio was the perfect opportunity to showcase such fascinating fungi with their other worldly appearance and importance to our environment. It’s safe to say that these Oyster mushrooms really complimented my design and made a huge impression on both visitors and judges alike.

The Planet Studio Brand

I worked closely with my client Malvern Garden Buildings and their creative team at Ellodave to build out the Planet Studio concept and supporting assets. This included both digital and printed material such as a brochure, giveaway poster and information leaflet, logo and even a Planet Studio coaster for the bar!

Planet Studio Logo

Planet Studio Brochure and Digital Content

Meet The Designer

Watch BBC coverage of my RHS Chelsea 2022 exhibit and an interview with me at the show and find out how Planet Studio came to be.

Also, discover what makes me tick as a designer and plant stylist and what I love about RHS Chelsea in an interview with my client Malvern Garden Buildings.

Enjoy!

Interview with Nicki Chapman for BBC coverage of RHS Chelsea Flower Show. (Episode 8, 26.05.22)

Meet The Designer James Whiting with Malvern Garden Buildings.