The entrance is the welcome greeting of the home and most of us would like to make our front door container as personal and individual as possible, says Danish lifestyle expert, for hospitality is a vital part of modern family lifestyle
Plants and personal self-expression
Lifestyle expert Niels Erik Folmann, known from the Danish TV programme "Do you know the type?", believes that in recent years a change has occurred in the way we perceive plants and surround us with them.
- Whereas the older generation grew up believing that plants were something static which you could enjoy taking care of, younger consumers have discovered new and other ways of using plants and flowers, letting them - for example in the form of large, planted front door containers - be the actual medium by means of which they stage themselves, says Niels Erik Folmann and continues,
- People want to show hospitality and when the front door is flanked by something green and flowering, it automatically makes the guest feel welcome. The entire culture surrounding hospitality is a vital aspect of modern family lifestyle. When, for example, the playmates′ parents arrive to pick up their children, they are now invited into the home quite naturally, but the welcome signal was sent out already at the door.
The garden - the framework of the modern family
Niels Erik Folmann sees an increasing interest in plants and the outdoor space in general. According to him, the garden and the peace it creates when we are unwinding taking care of our plants while the kids are playing ball form the framework of today′s family life. And he does not see the crisis as a delimiting factor for the family's plant purchases.
- Crisis or not, durable consumer goods and exotic travel destinations have been put on standby but the modern family does not want to do without the natural features and well-being offered by plants outdoors as well as indoors. And the family is also willing to spend time on this as they do with pets, Niels Erik Folmann concludes.
Individual buildings require individual containers
Similarly, through her work as a florist, Dorthe Vembye, known for her plant programmes on Danish television, sees a greater tendency among consumers to use individual containers for decorating their surroundings.
- When walking in a typical newly built residential neighbourhood, you see many different styles which do not send an unambiguous signal. The houses are highly individual and at the same time, they are a question of personal taste,
says Dorthe Vembye and continues:
- the personal involvement and choice of individual styles thus result in an increasing demand for tailor-made container solutions. The container by the stairs is intended to greet you with open arms when you come home, but the work people put into it differs a lot.
Dorthe Vembye gives an example,
- many women want a romantic and authentic plant solution but the flowers which communicate such an impression vary from woman to woman. It is therefore difficult to create a standard solution. However, there is a wealth of lovely plants and containers which is why it is always possible to create precisely the romantic or pure atmosphere with which you wish to greet people.
Example of a romantic welcome greeting
Basket arranged with roses and Columbine (Aquilegia)
Example of a stylish welcome greeting
Concrete pot with carnivorous plants (Sarracenia)
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