Ladies and gentlemen, we are absolutely thrilled to present our new website to you! Have a look around and tell us what you think.
We’re especially excited to offer a regular “Designer’s Pick” product through our online store, and this month’s pick is something the entire Flow Team is absolutely in love with: the Wallflower Living Frame from ByNature Design ! You may remember the Team had the opportunity to visit the ByNature workshop back in April, and we all fell in love with the designs.
ByNature’s co-founder Nicolas Rousseau was kind enough to answer a few questions for us, to celebrate the launch of our store! Read his interview below, take a look at our new site, and connect with us on social media to let us now what you think!
Please tell us a little bit about how ByNature Design started.
My life in France had always revolved around plants and the garden plant industry. Growing up in Poitiers, I was fascinated by the positive, essential impact plants have on our wellbeing. In 2006, with a Masters in Plant Physiology from the University of Poitiers, I planted myself in the world of horticultural research, and continued to study horticultural engineering and Green Buildings at the National Institute of Horticulture in Angers .
Arriving in Canada some years later, driven by my passion, I jumped into extensive plant research at the Centre for Architectural Ecology at BCIT in Vancouver.
Living wall technology was young in Canada and I was eager to be involved. I saw that Canada, and Vancouver in particular, while rich in outdoor nature, lacked the integration of plants and nature in indoor spaces, and specifically in interior design.
I believed in the potential green, living wall technology had to revolutionize the indoor lives of Canadians. And, together with my partner, Fred Collay, ByNature emerged. It was a very organic, natural process of ideas combining to create something greater.
What is it about indoor plants and living art that fascinates you the most?
The Canadian plant industry is changing. And with that, our products are constantly and creatively evolving – in a very organic way (no pun intended!) ByNature works with local artists in the unique design of living frames and indoor green ideas, and we try to locate ourselves in local communities as much as possible.
Today, ByNature customers are consistently impressed with their design options and the impact plant life has on their personal and professional lives. This is what brings me joy and keeps me inspired.
For homeowners looking to customize their ByNature products, can you tell us what kinds of plants are best suited to grow in the Wallflower Living Frame, Boskke Sky Planter, or Woolly Pockets?
Over the years, we have defined a plant palette that is rich and varied to suit all kinds of taste and environment.
Typically, we recommend sturdy plants for the Living Frames and Woolly Pockets : Pothos, spider plants, ivies do very well in them.
The Sky Planters are a great home for Boston ferns, sugar vines, and pothos as well, but this is not an exhaustive list!
You install your Mossart and Modulogreen Living walls in residential and commercial spaces: what has been your favourite ByNature installation to date?
It is like asking a mother of 6 which is her favourite child – it’s an impossible question to answer! However, I would say that I’m very proud of the work we’ve done at the Jukebox Print corporate office in Vancouver and at FS financial services. With Jukebox, we were able to show the full scope of what we can do: living walls, mossart logo and very soon, custom living frames.
As for FS, we have been able to associate our vision of bring nature indoors with a partner’s brand : each new location FS financian opens (Vancouver, Calgary and now Edmonton) includes one of our living walls, and a few of our self-watering planters.
And finally, Nicolas, if you could be any kind of plant, what kind of plant would you be?!
No hesitation: a fern! This is was what initially drew me to the West Coast Rain forest, and I admire their resilience and ability to grow anywhere.