Replica Greenwalls are catching on quickly, boasting all the visual appeal of living walls with a fraction of the maintenance. A gorgeous, inexpensive alternative to vertical plant walls, these systems look every bit as good as their living counterparts, while requiring no irrigation and almost no upkeep. A cross between botanically inspired art and horticultural collage, these replica walls layer color and texture to great effect, eliciting oohs and aahs and sparking interest and curiosity.
The replication of plants and flowers, once referred to as “silks”, has experienced a revolution. Materials and technology have come together to create images of nature and beauty that are being presented in new ways. Replica green walls are an elegant and outstanding alternative for projects with budgetary constraints or areas with limited accessibility. They outperform live plants in areas with lowlight or in healthcare settings which may have stringent rules concerning living plants (check out our post on plants within the healthcare system). Project managers can be confident with an upfront ‘all in’ price, and the easy install replica plantings offer. Operations and Facility Managers love that the replica walls brighten and beautify their space without costly, time consuming maintenance.
We’ve also applied these walls to specific areas within the architecture that one would like to draw attention to, or highlight, such as a column or crevice. Eva Vessio, Creative Director of Blondie’s Treehouse Inc., has created a number of national and international installations with our Replica Studio. “Difficult areas for live plants to grow well are a wonderful fit for a replica planting. However, I never seek to replace live plantings with replicas by any means. Depending on the location, the wall art can be designed with nature in mind and be very stylized and chic. These installations also give me a level of artistic freedom that is sometimes out of reach with live material. It’s ART, replicated in the spirit of horticulture.”
Also important is the substructure that these panels are built on top of. Blondie’s woodshop custom builds lightweight wooden frames to support each design and provide the needed structure for easy and secure installation. While we’ve heard it been said that a Replica Greenwall is hardly a “Greenwall” at all, in truth introducing botanically inspired elements into a space is inspirational and conjures that sense of wonder that only nature can provide. Take them as an artistic gesture that invokes the natural world, beautifying our constructed space with a sense of the wild.
Thanks to Botanical Designs for sharing their awesome image with us!
