Urban Spikes Blog
Insights on biophilic design, our latest projects, and creating spaces that inspire.
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Commercial Plant Design: How Professional Container Plantings Transform Exterior Business Spaces
Picture this: Your sales team gives clients a VIP experience with lunch on a stylish corporate rooftop that has succulent arrangements everyone stops to take a photo of. Your hotel guests rave on Trip Advisor about the lush outdoor seating area covered in blooming plants, which puts your famous brunch on a must-try list. Foot traffic picks up after you add some handsome potted trees to your retail park’s sidewalk space –– and a cute dog bowl in their shade. No matter what your business is, exterior plant design can make a big impact, just like interior plant design does. And container plants offer a way to reap these benefits without undertaking a landscaping project, or even needing a patch of soil. As container plant experts in Dallas, we have done many corporate projects that turn exterior spaces like patios into an advantage. Here are some ways to think about uplifting your outdoor space, and working with the right partner to do so. Stylish Patio Designs for Restaurants and Rooftops Potted plants are well-suited to restaurants and rooftops as they offer big design potential without in-ground planting. When approaching these spaces, use dictates design. Things like the flow of traffic, vehicle noise mitigation, the need to preserve a view, or the creation of intimacy and privacy, all underpin the choices that make plant designs work. For example, you may want to bring people’s focus to one or two areas in a big open seating area by adding giant ferns at a hostess station and the outdoor bar. Or, you may want to bring in different sizes and shapes of containers throughout a rooftop to provide separation between tables, lounge chairs and a dance floor. Potted plants work in these busy places only if your designer really gets the function of your space. That’s why you should always look for a personal consultation from a plant design service, not a one-size-fits-all delivery of popular plants. Urban Spikes always does a guided walk-through of a client’s space and listens to your hopes, dreams, goals and challenges during our consultation. Only then do we move on to designing. That leads to decisions and designs like these: highlight the major selling points of this restaurant with mixed plant containers outside to invite people to the outdoor balcony and greenery over the lights to make the ceiling a focal point, creating dynamism without cluttering small tables with plants. These types of enhancements can be made during your architecture and design process, or even after your space is up and running. In fact, after your restaurant or rooftop’s exterior space has been used, you may even have a better idea of how to improve it. Statement Outdoor Container Décor for Hotels and Retail Hotel and retail managers know: how a guest feels in your space is everything. And no matter how good your service, impressive your selection, or great your location, it will feel like something is missing if you have an outdoor space with no plants. Exterior container plant design for hotels Outdoor spaces can be the difference between a good and great experience. If you have a patio, pool, spa, outdoor eating area, a rooftop or even individual porches and balconies for each room, nature and plants are the finishing touch to great hotel design. They offer privacy and visual interest, and biophilic design can help increase positive emotions in hotel guests. Container plants can be a way to differentiate from competitors, as not everyone builds out a beautiful outdoor space. And they add continuity to your design, moving your aesthetic and perspective from inside to out. We spend time with every hotel client understanding what makes their business unique and bring the highest level of attention and care to your project because we know your business is on the line. With a wide variety of container options and creative designs, we craft bespoke solutions for your space. Exterior container plant design for retail If you’re an individual store owner, you work hard to create a beautiful in-store experience and want to draw people into your shop. If you’re in charge of a retail park or strip mall, you want to get people circulating and create a welcoming environment for guests and attract prospective tenants. Container plants can bring eye-catching designs, invite people towards your space, and create continuity. When we design for retail exteriors, we make sure that your guests immediately feel the impact of plants and are in a better mood when they enter and exit. We can help you communicate your brand’s sensibility and values before customers set food in your store. Elevated Exterior Plant Design for Corporate Headquarters and Office Spaces The design of your corporate space makes a big difference. It can improve employees’ performance, affect retention, help you recruit and impress clients. In a place like Dallas we’re lucky to have some beautiful weather, especially in spring and fall. That means offices with outdoor spaces can really take advantage to maximize how your work environment feels for employees. You don’t need to break ground to make a big difference: even a small seating space with container plants can help employees refresh and reset. But if you have the space, you can also make an investment in wellbeing and create something truly special. We work with all sorts of corporate clients indoors and out to elevate with plants and bring the benefits of plant design to your workplace. Beyond studies and statistics, we see the change that potted plants create by offering employees and clients the chance to actually enjoy outdoor areas. Patio Plant Maintenance: Professional Servicing, Low-Maintenance and Faux Options for Commercial Spaces One of the things we frequently hear from clients who are considering investing in an exterior plant design is the desire to make sure that plants are a genuine long-term solution. Here are four ways you can ensure that your budget is well-spent. Start with high-quality plants Unfortunately, you can’t walk into any garden center or use any plant supplier and expect premium quality. In fact, there can be major differences in how plants are grown, potted and kept prior to purchase. That means you may be starting off with plants that already need TLC if you don’t use a trusted partner and commercial-grade plant supplier. We work hard to find the absolute best of the best, whether sourcing from right here in Dallas or importing plants and containers. This means our clients don’t start behind the curve and can just focus on maintenance, not nursing a design to health. Use a professional exterior plant maintenance service Don’t expect employees to take care of pot and container plants: let horticultural experts do the work. We can prevent problems before they start, and care for your plants in a way that keeps the integrity of the original design, no matter how something grows. Professional maintenance also ensures that vacations, holidays and other disruptions have no effect on your space, and that plants stay happy and healthy year-round. We can mitigate weather events, prevent pests, and even rotate plants that aren’t thriving. Use low-maintenance plants While it’s true that some plants are more delicate than others, there is no one magic “low-maintenance” plant that will make a plant design easy to take care of. What is low- or high-maintenance is also about context: for example, you may have sun where others have shade. We can advise on what varieties will be the easiest to care for in your space and what is ill-suited to your outdoor area. As Dallas residents ourselves, we know what works in our Texas weather and can help you navigate the seasons. Use faux plants Artificial plants can be a great option for those who want to minimize maintenance. As with plants, not all faux is created equal, so we provide clients with the highest-quality faux options, including UV protected faux which lasts in our hot and sunny Texas summers. Working with Urban Spikes on Exterior Commercial and Patio Plant Design At Urban Spikes, we offer: Custom consultations: we understand your business before we begin any work Custom proposals: your designs are perfectly tailored to your goals and your space Container plants specialization: potted plants are our priority, not a side offering to landscaping Maintenance programs: qualified experts take care of your design for long-term success Highest-quality faux and real plant options: we go out of our way to find the best of the best for your designs If you are a business owner, office manager, retail park owner, corporate designer, architect, restauranteur, hotelier, or anything in between, we would love to hear about your project. Contact us today for free consultation.
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Biophilic Design Services: How Plants Can Elevate Your Commercial Interior
Our founder Courtney started making sculptural plant designs because her own home didn’t feel finished. While she had all of the standard interior décor in place, the level of connection and interest that plants bring to a space was simply missing. This phenomenon isn’t limited to residential spaces – these instincts followed from biophilic design. Biophilic design is the idea that humans have an innate connection with nature, and so bringing nature into our indoor spaces should be a cornerstone of interior design. It encompasses everything from architectural choices, materials, colors, light and windows, and plants. Whether you are a building owner, interior designer or architect, office manager, retail or restaurant owner, here is how to add impact and interest to your spaces through corporate biophilic design. Biophilic Design in Commercial Spaces For Retail Plants can elevate retail spaces and make your business stand out. Customers are enticed by plants and are more relaxed and therefore may spend more money when biophilic design is used. Biophilic design can include using container arrangements at the entrance to your space, incorporating natural materials. Using plants or moss art to highlight displays and express your store’s style and personality is a great way to elevate your space. For Office and Corporate Biophilic design in the office is a chance to make a good impression on employees, clients and guests. On desks, at reception and in offices, plants are a finishing touch that offer a multitude of benefits. They can lower stress, increase productivity of workers and even improve retention. Biophilic design can make conference rooms, events, corporate dinners and galas memorable, as plants and other elements can create seamless branding that enhances guests’ experience. For Restaurants Biophilic design can help you create ambiance and entice guests into your space. Customers’ evaluation of their dining experiences were positively improved with biophilic elements in one study, and may stay longer in cafes and restaurants. Remember that plants are not just decorative elements, they can also improve curb appeal, separate and offer privacy between tables, and guide guests through your space. For restaurants with patios, container arrangements can provide noise reduction and help create a visual interest for passers-by. For Hotels and Commercial Lobbies When it comes to welcoming guests and offering them a superior experience, biophilic design pays off. Biophilic elements like living walls can leave a positive impression on guests in hotels and create a more pleasurable experience. Overall, guests' emotions are positively affected in lobbies where biophilic design elements are present. And leaving with good memories is what makes people want to return. Common Interior Plant Services to Improve Your Biophilic Design If you are looking for ways to incorporate biophilic design elements to your commercial space, here are some services to look for. Remember that the details of every service will depend on the provider, and that not every company may offer every service. Interior Plant Design Interior plant design is the process of adding biophilic design to your existing interior space with plants. These service can can include: Plant consultations and design, to establish your new or refreshed décor. These can include container designs, as well as more extensive plant features. Plant purchases, where you buy plants from your interior plant designer to put in your space, but own them permanently Plant rentals, where you rent plants from your interior plant designer to fill your space without owning The main focus of interior plant design is to improve your space with plants. While these can be decorative touches, remember that commercial spaces can often have plants as practical functions as well, like dividers in between restaurant booths or cubicles. Rotating Plant Services: Custom Plant Arrangements, Centerpieces or Blooms In a rotating plant service, you will get new plants on a rotating basis. This could be standalone blooming plants in a beautiful container, showstopping centerpieces for hotel lobbies or conference rooms, or custom designs perfectly tailored to your space. Remember that plant design is more than just the plant itself. These plant arrangements can include non-plant design elements like containers, wood, crystals, stones, ornaments, and other materials. They are really a chance to show off your style and add interest to your space. Moss Art and Living Walls Moss art and living walls are two types of installations that add a biophilic touch to any space. Moss art is a creative way to incorporate plants, sometimes in a smaller piece but also as a feature wall. The moss is preserved and does not require watering, making it a lower-maintenance option. Living walls are live plants arranged vertically to create a dynamic, textured piece. Whether it’s floor-to-ceiling or a framed piece, they bring energy and life into your space. Faux options While artificial plants used to look subpar, now the options for faux are absolutely stunning. If you don’t have the right light for plants, want a lower-maintenance option, or are working to beat the Texas heat, a service that designs, styles and installs quality artificial plants may be right for you. Plant Maintenance Biophilic design does require ongoing investment when you use live plants, and using a maintenance service is a great way to keep your investment at its best. Look for horticultural experts who know how to handle routine watering, pest control, pruning, dusting, and plant or centerpiece rotation. Keep in mind that as plants are living, they do change shape and size, and maintenance can help you keep everything tidy. If you rent plants, you can also swap things out at the end of your lease to ensure plants stay the right size and shape. For Architects and Designers: What an Interior Plant Design Partner Can Do for You Working with a partner like Urban Spikes means that you as an architect or interior designer can incorporate biophilic design into your commercial projects without having to become a horticultural expert yourself. As plant experts who have worked on commercial projects, we know that plants can often become an afterthought especially when nobody is focused on them. And we know that plants require more than just a trip to the garden center: commercial design means commercial suppliers, and professional arranging and styling. Plant designs also have their own trends and innovations, and working with a professional partner means we can stay up to date with the best that plantscaping has to offer for you and your clients. You can set your design or architectural services apart by working with a partner who can bring the best of plant design to your projects. You will be able to offer your clients a full-service package, and they won’t be left finding their own commercial plant designer after your project is finished. How Urban Spikes Approaches Biophilic Design: Our Philosophy and Services We believe that plants are an opportunity for expression and impactful design. We see the influence that biophilic design has in our clients’ spaces, from restaurants to corporate headquarters, and love creative unique and creative interiors. To do that, we are committed to quality plants and service. We will go far and wide to get the best plants and materials available, and have created relationships with international suppliers to find exactly what our clients are looking for. We love bold designs and big colors, and are excited to create elevated visions. And we have experience doing more reserved designs for professional spaces that need a touch of interest within their corporate personality. We’re located in Texas and understand what works here: we know the climate, we know the challenges and we understand the people. For example, we offer UV protected faux plants, which give restaurants and retail spaces beautiful options to use outdoors without worrying about our summer weather. If you are interested in beautifully finishing your commercial space, discover our commercial services or contact us today.
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