Not all plants are meant to be grown and taken care of. There are certain stubborn ones that are considered “invasive” and can in fact cause harm to the ecosystems and even run over infrastructure. There are those looking for ways to use the adaptive properties of these plants and use their life cycle for something more useful and even decorative.
Designer: Franklin St. Studio
Once such Vancouver-based furniture and material design studio came up with the Good Morning Glory project which seeks to “tame” the plant for which is named after. For this design experiment, they harvested the morning glory roots which are easily found in the area. They were able to train the vines through winding and tying techniques and made it part of the metal chair with its grid-like woven pattern, specifically the main seat and back support.
The morning glory flowers actually just last for one day after they open up with the sun so you get some decorations in the morning. But their leaves actually become a source of food for some insects like the convolvulus hawk moths. The project actually prevented the seed pods from forming and the roots were removed and thrown away once the cycle is complete.
I don’t really know if I’d want to sit in the chair that is overrun with morning glory but it’s an interesting experiment to harness these invasive plants and still preserve their species. We’ll probably see more design projects like this until such time when they can actually be used for furniture commercially or at least have something a bit more decorative even if not highly functional.
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