Interior Notebook: Jan. 1998

DESIGN CHALLENGES. The design motifs utilized are widely diverse by area. The styles include Classical French, Transitional, Mediterranean, and Stark Modern. The appropriate choice of foliage and flowering plants was critical to tie these variations together.

We worked with the interior designer on the selection of the custom containers, which he supplied to the client. Because many of these pieces were one-of-a-kind, we were not able to verify their interior dimensions until they arrived on the day of installation. In this case we had not only a demanding interior designer to please, but a very discriminating client who was heavily involved in the design and architecture of his home.

DESIGN SOLUTION. In the more formal areas, we used Kentia palm, Algerian ivies, Dendrobium and Phalenopsis orchids. In darker areas, preserved topiary trees were used for a good effect. Together, they softened and gave a humanizing scale to the large rooms with their imposing furnishings. The quiet white, gold and green coloring gently contributed to the quiet and harmonious atmosphere.

The average first-floor ceiling was 12 feet high, so large specimens were used throughout this level. In the transitional rooms, we placed double Veitchia merillii, planted directly with a Mona subirrigation system to mitigate its propensity to tip burning and Spathiphyllum ‘Starlite’ and Algerian ivies to tie in with the earth tones and simple lines of the furniture and fabrics.

The home features rollback doors between various living areas. To bridge these areas, 10-gallon, 10-foot-tall Rhapis were positioned at the connecting corners. The design flowed from formal to relaxed as the public rooms transitioned into private areas.

Accordingly, plant selections changed from the graceful lines of the Kentia and Chamaedorea palms, monochromatic phalenopsis, dendrobiums and small foliage plants to the more textured fronds of the Veitchii, Rhapis and more vibrant colors of vresias, tillandsias and other varieties of bromeliads. In hallways and entries, arrangements face mirrors to create an illusion of a much larger arrangement and add dimension to the generally bare walls. In this way, the arrangement becomes a living, changing art piece.

In good design, every part contributes to the whole effect. Some containers were too small to accommodate multiple growing pots. This became a problem as most of the flowering plants required the direct planting of color. This was no small task as more than 100 orchids and 36 bromeliads were used to augment the foliage.

Each time any of the orchids needs changing, it is an ongoing challenge requiring that the entire arrangement be reworked. To keep within the client’s $2,500 monthly color rotation budget, we massed Spathiphyllum ‘Petites’ for tabletop plantings in several areas. There are 30 arrangements from a single orchid/bromeliad to multiple color plantings in decorative containers.

Having a good understanding of the client’s hopes for the project and offering maximum flexibility with his input established us, in his eyes, as competent and professional. The project was a “Grand Award” winner from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America and a “Merit Award” recipient from the California Interior Plantscape Association.

The author is president of Landscape Images, Lake Forest, Calif.