Cabinets. Countertops. Appliances. Sinks and faucets. These are elements you expect to see at a trade show called LivingKitchen. And you wouldn’t have been disappointed if you walked through the biennial January expo in Cologne, Germany. There were four exhibit halls filled with those staples for residential kitchens. What might have surprised you, however, was the abundance of plants on display, and not as potted ornaments in lifestyle vignettes.
Numerous manufacturers, including the popular SieMatic, Leicht, Nobilia and Poggenpohl brands from Germany, are now incorporating live plant features into their cabinetry offerings.  They’re showing up as sections on the back or tops of islands or peninsula cabinets.
Several manufacturers are incorporating plants into their cabinetry.Poggenpohl
They’re also showing up as wall shelving, including with grow lights. One remarkable island from Italy’s Aran Cucine has a dwarf citrus tree growing in the middle with its own irrigation system.
This unique island concept includes a living fruit tree.Aran Cucine
If you prefer your greens more contained, there’s an undercounter appliance from Canadian-based Urban Cultivator that will grow, light and water them for you. It wasn’t on display at LivingKitchen, but was introduced to the United States at the 2015 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, and has been exhibited at smaller design shows here since then.  It’s a premium product selling fastest in coastal markets and high end new home communities.
Plants in the kitchen can provide seasonings for food and fresh ingredients for salads, soups, entrees and sides. That was the inspiration for Scavolini’s chef-design partner Carlo Cracco, (the Italian Emeril) in creating a wall system with plant holders for his Mia line for the Italian cabinet maker.
Chef-designed kitchen includes plant holders for cooking.Scavolini
Plants can also create a welcoming atmosphere for residents and guests alike. They’re not being confined to kitchens, however. Plants are making their way into master bathrooms for an indoor-outdoor spa feel, as well as into living spaces.
Horticulturalists and health professionals point to the many benefits of houseplants:
- They purify the air, which can be especially beneficial indoors where we spend 90 percent of our time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency;
- They boost your mood;
- They enhance concentration and memory;
- They lower your risk for illness;
- They promote healing.
Not everyone has a green thumb, but they’re less essential than they used to be. Self-watering plant holders help those who forget this chore, or travel more than they’re home. Some plants require very little water, of course, and others can survive in lower light environments. If you don’t know a pothos from a plumeria, and can’t even keep ivy alive, it makes sense to consult with a horticulturalist, a book or blog written by one, or a plant pro at your neighborhood home center. Even browsing the garden section can show you which plants are shown in shade vs. open sunlight; which ones are misted (for potential use in the bathroom where you shower), and which ones aren’t.
You may not be ready for a complex living green wall, (or an island-centric fruit tree), but if you have a patio or a balcony, you can grow a container garden of herbs or greens to enjoy your own home-grown organic produce. Flower or succulent pots nourish your soul with eye candy.