A reimagination of what it means to grow your own food.

furniture | experience | craft

Designed with Ian Ferguson.

THE LOSS OF THE HEIRLOOM

In this era of fast furniture, We set out to design a piece of furniture that is built to last and designed to hold an important place in your home for generations.

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD WITHIN YOUR HOME

The china cabinet was once a cherished heirloom, but our generation no longer has this need. What can we replace that space with?

ESCAPE FROM TECHNOLOGY

Surrounded by technology daily, we face growing isolation and depression. Tech is infiltrating our homes, extending beyond phones into furniture. Once integrated into furniture, technology significantly shortens its lifespan.

This led to designing a piece that is built to last and creates an escape through reconnection to nature.

ENGAGE YOUR SENSES WITH RITUAL

Step away from the technology of our daily lives.

The connection of senses to memory attaches meaning to the piece of furniture and creates an heirloom that will be passed down for generations.

DESIGN INTENTIONS

**SENSE OF INTRIGUE**
Inspired by the tranquility of meditation spaces led to the exploration of using materiality to invite

**INTEGRATION INTO THE HOME**
In contrast to stark, high tech solutions, we were inspired by traditional furniture to seamlessly integrate this growing system into the home

**SENSORY ELEMENTS FROM NATURE**
A desire to bring nature into the home led to focusing on emulating calming sensory elements, like light filtering through leaves and earthy aromas.

HOW WE THINK

Developed concepts through iterative ideation to refine form, construction techniques, mechanisms, and the layout, ensuring seamless integration of all elements.

EXPLORATION + PROCESS

**NATURAL AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS**
**White Oak** - Grows locally and is naturally more resistant to water
**Frosted Glass** - Placed in front of growing plants creates tranquility and intrigue

**UNDERSTANDING SCALE**
Before building the final piece, we designed and built a quick, working prototype to get a sense for scale and user experience.

GROWING FROM SEED

Engaging in the ritual ourselves.

CONSTRUCTION

This piece was a valuable learning experience in both high-end furniture construction and small-scale farming. Designed to last generations, the cabinet’s construction techniques shaped its overall form.

**Protection from water.**
Terra features an integrated drainage system in its base, designed to safeguard the wood from water overflow.

**Designed to be fixed.**
The back and grow walls are removable for easy access to the electrical cavity, fans, and grow lights for maintenance or replacement.

**Made to last.**
All planters, glass panels, and doors are removable, ensuring ease of long-term maintenance.

FINISH

For the finish we used Osmo, a natural vegetable oil based finish that would help with water resistance, as well as maintain the light color of the white oak.

MATERIAL

We selected white oak and frosted glass for their durability and aesthetic. White oak, a local hardwood, offers excellent humidity and water resistance. Its light color and grain, paired with the frosted glass, evoke the tranquility we intended.

HOW IT WORKS

A thriving ecosystem needs airflow, grow lights, drainage, water, and electricity. This called for critical design thinking to integrate all these elements seamlessly.

PLANT SELECTION

Agricultural experts guided us through how to create a thriving symbiotic ecosystem within Terra.

Questions considered were: Which plants survive in this built envioronment? What do they need? Which plants can live together and which plants need to be separated?