A functional space divider that uses plants and light to brighten
Swedish studio Kauppi & Kauppi has designed a minimal screen that uses light and greenery to divide and enhance rooms.
Nikaya is a designer and artist based in Berlin. With strong interests in materiality and the social dimensions of design, she is drawn to innovative projects which challenge existing processes and perceptions.
The prized positions in an office are most often next to a window. Light and a view to some foliage outside can be a definite mood enhancer. GreenFrame creates a way to bring that experience further into the middle of a building. It works well in offices or public spaces.
It’s a functional space divider that uses plants and light to brighten, and improve the atmosphere of interior workspaces. Limbus GreenFrame has been designed for Glimakra of Sweden.
The minds behind GreenFrame – Kauppi & Kauppi
Kauppi & Kauppi is the studio of design duo Johan Kauppi and Nina Kauppi. They established the studio in Malmö Sweden in 2016 after living for a number of years in New York and Frankfurt.
Both attended HDK, Gothenburg University and graduated in 2006 with an MFA, Johan in Design and Nina in Jewelry Art & Design. The studio works across numerous scales, from interior architecture concepts and product design to small tactile objects.
Kauppi & Kauppi’s design approach is pragmatic and straightforward. According to the website: ‘their design philosophy is identified by a search for pure and modest design, celebrating added values that make a project unique and genuine.’
They regularly partner with companies to bring their designs to market and have received numerous industry awards. Their stunning Ohm Porcelain Luminaire Collection recently took out Gold in the Excellent Product Design – Lighting category, at the German Design Award 2020. The collection was also recognized with a Hemljus Design Award 2020, and several other accolades.
Materials & techniques – Solid wood and hidden electrics
GreenFrame is constructed from solid ash and all materials are 100% recyclable. Manufacturing company Glimakra of Sweden is expert in wood production, the timber for the frame has been expertly milled by CNC.
Glimakra also very neatly incorporated a strip light into the underside of the top bar of the frame. All the cables and electrics are hidden away. Only a single long cable emerges from the bottom corner of the frame. A convenient foot switch allows it to be easily turned on and off.
GreenFrame comes as a flatpack and must be assembled for use. The legs and plant saucers are attached by screws from the underside.
Style & Aesthetics – Minimal and natural
GreenFrame is somewhere between a plant stand, a room divider and a lighting fixture. It is also a window where there isn’t one. It is the minimum form that both a window and a screen divider can be reduced to. The natural wood color, simple rectangular design, and the placement of three evenly spaced plant saucers contribute to an overall minimal feel.
Johan explains: “We wanted to investigate how much a floor screen could be simplified. When everything except the naked elegant wood frame was reduced, we became interested in seeing what it could be filled with.”
It is the filling of illuminated plants, which ultimately become the focus within the design.
GreenFrame has a Subtle counterpart
Kauppi & Kauppi previously won a German Design Award for Limbus Floor Subtle in 2018. This screen is a counterpart to the GreenFrame, also awarded in 2019.
It has the same dimensions and the same trestle style legs. Yet it is quite the opposite of the open and transparent GreenFrame. Limbus Subtle is a dense screen that is upholstered and designed for sound absorption.
Design memento – Flexible and personal
In use, the look of GreenFrame can be customized by the user. It is versatile and can be restyled regularly. Different types of plants will yield a variety of looks. It could be wild and thick with ferns and some creeping plants draped around the frame. Or, understated and simple with a few cacti or pines.
This allows a personal touch to be introduced and the design is interacted with as plants are cared for and rearranged.
The writer’s comment – Practical and positive
GreenFrame is the perfect simple way to add a peaceful and positive atmosphere to a space. It is far more practical and low maintenance than a green wall could ever hope to be. The plants will also help to diffuse sounds.
And, might not just be the plants that benefit from the light provided by GreenFrame. The long dark winters of Scandinavian countries mean that people also need a boost to the light they receive to help fend off the blues.
