“It ended up crispier than bacon on a sizzle grill,” is how one of my friends described his experience of getting a houseplant and subsequently procrastinating on the whole watering aspect of owning said houseplant.
I didn’t know what advice to give him back then, other than hoping that he doesn’t bestow the same amount of care on his cat.
No matter how many “easy to grow houseplants” lists you find floating on the internet at any given time, there will always be houseplant owners who forget to water their plants. Or recovering overwaterers – such as myself – who underwater out of an abundance of care. Underwater for a month in the summer and you might end up with crispy-looking plants or specimens that turn pale (I’m looking at you, spider plant).
My friend is over his houseplant-killing phase, but if I knew then what I know now, I would point him in the direction of the Mygdal plantlight by Kiel-based Nui Studio.
The “plantlight” is a completely self-sufficient lamp-terrarium combo made out of mouth-blown glass by German artisans. Because the design is hermetically sealed, there is no evaporation, so there’s no need to water the plant inside. And because the design also doubles as a lamp, you can place it in a windowless room or a neon-lit office and the encased plant will survive. Once the LED lamp is on – for at least four hours a day – there’s no need for natural light for the houseplants inside to thrive.
The limited-series design is made in Germany and it’s the fruit of the labor of local artisans sharing decades of knowledge and tradition of glassblowing and metal spinning.
Is the plant trapped in the lamp forever? Not necessarily. If you want to change the display, you can do so by removing the aluminium parts and swapping the plant with another one.
Traditional craftmanship and modern design peppered with a dash of technology make the Mygdal lamp a timeless interior design accessory and a conversation starter, for sure.
Photos via Nui Studio by Erin Block Photography.
For more green designs, check out these vintage running shoe planters and a plantable pencil that blooms into daisies.
