So Hot Right Now // Trees In Interiors.

Well I’ll be damned. Back in my uni days, I never would’ve thought I’d be telling anyone that trees in interiors are hot. To be honest, I never EVER would’ve imagined I’d be talking to so many of you like this, not in a bigillion years, as back in those days I was plagued with an unhealthy dose of low self esteem (that’s what happens when you’re fresh off the boat post civil war, but I believe that might be a story for another day.)

You see, I vividly remember my student days and almost everything my tutors and lecturers said, mostly because I used to write down their words (I found this to be the easiest way to improve my English). Anyway, there is a reason I’m telling you all this – in almost every single design studio I did, there were a couple of students who thought having trees in their homes/ libraries/ shops was totally awesome. But you see, this cunning move always used to piss my tutors off, without fail. They used to say – Trees don’t belong inside… Trees in interiors are gimmicky… etc. Well, as it turns out, these students were visionary early-adopters. Just look at what’s happening in the world around us – people are craving a direct connection with nature more than ever, hence trees in interiors are popping up all over the place.

Still don’t believe me? Allow me to share a few worthy examples. By the way, some of these trees are real, others more “conceptual and stuff” (my new favourite way describe ideas when I just can’t be bothered to think).

Related Post: Trees In Interiors, Revisited.

Photo © Gilbert Fastenaekens.

New wing of the Charleroi Museum of Photography by L’Escaut Architectures. Hidden within a traditional block of houses, the new extension to the Museum of Photography takes roots in the orchard of a former Carmelite convent. The building is inside the enclosure of the convent, which hides a big garden with several trees registered with the Heritage Inventory.

Photos © Trine Thorsen.

Quality Hotel Expo in Norway by Haptic Architects. This large 300-room hotel and conference venue was inspired by the stunning Norwegian landscape, more specifically the forest. Timber is used through out to create semi-permeable screens, cladding to cores, a bespoke square-log reception and bar, right down to details such as signage and loose furniture. The main lobby space is framed by a stylised forest wall that divides the lobby from the restaurant but allows glimpses between the spaces and filters natural light from the main skylight above. Subtle lighting was installed to work with the planted trees, where shadows from their canopies dance upon the articulated lobby ceiling.

Photos © Filippo Vinardi.

KOOK Osteria & Pizzeria in Lazio, Italy by Noses Architects. The interior is dominated by an olive tree incorporated within an atrium – the symbol of wisdom, longevity and Mediterranean essence, housed in the ‘green aquarium’.

Tavern Restaurant in Los Angeles, designed by Jeffrey Alan Marks. The main light-filled dining room featured a series of potted olive trees.

Photo © Torimura Koichi.

Kre House by No.555 Architectural Design Office. This house for a hardcore sport car enthusiast contains a nine car garage, fitted with a lift that transports the owner’s favourite car of the moment straignt into the living room! Oh yeah, and the house also has a beautiful tree in the central void.

Photo © Felipe Ribon.

Electric in Paris by Mathieu Lehanneur, in collaboration with Ana Moussinet. The new cultural platform is an event in itself: a 1,000 m2 penthouse in which the designer has devised a canopy of sound suspended between heaven and earth, monumental electrical braids emerging like pitch black trees made from fibreglass.

Photos © Daici Ano.

Garden Tree House by Hironaka Ogawa & Associates. The sentiment behind this project is so beautiful, that I was nearly reduced to tears. The project is an extension by an architect for his daughter and her husband. Please read the (edited) description by the architect – I promise it’s just too good.

“Azelkova tree and a Camphor tree stood on the site since when the main house was build 35 years ago. Removing the trees was one of the design requirements because the new building could not be built if the trees remained.  When I received the offer for the project, I thought of various designs before I visited the site.  However, all my thoughts were blown away as soon as I saw the site in person.

The two trees stood there quite strongly. I listen to the stories in detail; the daughter has memories of climbing these trees when she was little. These trees looked over the family for thirty-five years. Utilising them in the new space became the main theme for the design.

I cut the two trees with their branches intact.  Then I reduced the water content by smoking and drying them for two weeks.  Thereafter, I placed the trees where they used to stand and used them as main structural columns in the center of the living , dining and kitchen.

In order to mimic the way the trees used to stand, I sunk the building by 70cm into the ground. The client asked a Shinto priest at the nearby shrine to remove evil when the trees were cut. Nobody would go that far without a love and attachment to these trees. When this house is demolished and another new building constructed by a descendant of the client hundreds of years from now, surely these two trees will be reused in some way.”

Photos © Masaya Yoshimura.

Mokumoku Kindergarten in Tokyo, Japan by 16A Inc Architects. Real tree trunks were used in children’s playrooms. Fun.

Onico Hair and Nail Salon in Osaka, Japan by Ryo Isobe is a forrest-like, dreamy interior with birch trees running between the floor and ceiling. “Our client likes DIY and he makes many objects and furniture himself, so we made the space as if it is a treasure hunt in the woods” says Isobe.

Paris Loft on Rue Voltaire by Grégoire de Lafforest . Pine tree in the living room had it’s tree branches cut and dried, and plastic needles later attached. See the full post here.

Photos © Santos Diez

A Cantina by Estudio Nômada. Timber tree structure references Spanish holiday picnics and communal gathering under trees. See the full post here.

And last, but not least – an image from my trusty archives which has graced many a mood boards produced by yours truly, back in the day when I used to bust out 5 concepts before lunchtime. Crazy but true. Anyway, I’m afraid I don’t know the correct credit for this image since it’s a scan – I believe it was a Moroso brochure for the Fjor Chair by Patrizia Urquiola, but I’m not a 100%. please let me know if you do and I’ll include it.

Ta ta for now x