A new store, Greenery Unlimited, located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, will be the world’s first Biophilic Design Store.
Rebecca Bullene and Adam Besheer, owners of Greenery NYC, New York’s most forward-thinking botanic design and installation company, opened Greenery Unlimited as their first retail experience this February.
The founders say their store promises to be “…an evolution of the traditional plant store, serving as a venue to not only sell plants but also systems to keep them alive and thriving, such as grow lighting, irrigation systems, specialty vessels and tools”. By using lessons learned from a decade’s worth of large scale botanic installations, Bullene and Besheer strive to elevate the common perceptions of how an indoor environment can be enhanced for maximum human comfort and wellness.
The only way to deal with the chaos of the city is to make your home into a sanctuary
“As long time residents of New York, we know that the only way to deal with the chaos of the city is to make your home into a sanctuary,” says Adam Besheer. “Plants are an unmatched aid to calm and relaxation, but there’s an inherent stress in trying to keep them alive in the suboptimal conditions of a New York City apartment. We want to provide New Yorkers with the tools and knowledge to not only keep plants alive, but to fully integrate them as part of their home environment.”
Deep connection to the natural world
The theory of biophilia suggests that humans have a deep connection to the natural world and experience greater wellbeing when in and around nature. Biologist Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia, and defined it as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life”. Biophilic design applies the principles of Biophilia to human spaces such as homes and offices, employing nature’s beneficial and restorative experience indoors.
Greenery Unlimited will showcase green installations and biophilic design concepts such as a 120-square-foot green wall and architectural elements with integrated grow systems. A central seating area will feature a self-contained irrigation and fertilization system supporting a 12 foot ficus tree. A pressurized misting hub will create a cloud forest-like atmosphere throughout the day, and several Circadian Lighting displays will mimic the color temperature of the outdoors. An interactive digital display will offer detailed plant care guides and serve as a way for visitors to learn about the various plants and systems in the shop.
Rebecca Bullene and Adam Besheer have been responsible for some of the largest biophilic office spaces in New York City, including Etsy’s New York Headquarters – the largest Petal certified Living Building in North America. Their impressive client list also includes TED Talks, Google, Shake Shack, Netflix, The Brooklyn Nets, General Electric, The New York Times, Cartier, Timberland, and many more.
“After creating hundreds of biophilic installations for Fortune 500 companies, we’ve become well acquainted with the transformative power of incorporating plants into living and working spaces,” Rebecca Bullene says. “The goal of our work has always been to sustain long-term plant health in the built environment and we want to share what we’ve learned with our fellow New Yorkers, providing them access to the tools needed to sustain an abundance of plant life indoors.”
Greenery NYC launched a robust online plant store in 2017 and was listed as NYC’s Best Plant Delivery Service in 2018 by New York Magazine. While house plants have been growing in popularity, Rebecca and Adam have been simultaneously focusing on developing systems to automate plant care and simplifying horticultural tools to make them more accessible to everyone. With the establishment of their new brick-and-mortar venture they also plan to expand their online shop to include tools and accessories to successfully care for plants, as well as some of their proprietary products and grow systems.
Nature is essential to human wellbeing and productivity
“We don’t see plants as a trend. Nature is essential to human wellbeing and productivity and we want to provide the knowledge and tools that will allow people to incorporate more nature into their daily lives,” Bullene says. “By creating a space dedicated to biophilic design principles, we hope to foster conversations and inspire others to consider how they can incorporate nature in meaningful ways into their living and working spaces.”
To see more amazing places like Greenery Unlimited, click here.
Content Team
Work in Mind is a content platform designed to give a voice to thinkers, businesses, journalists and regulatory bodies in the field of healthy buildings.
