PLANT POWER

AVENTURIST

Paloma Teppa (right) operates Plant the Future, a natureinspired biophilic design studio in Little River that is part plant shop, part botanical art gallery.

PLANT POWER Greenhouse Effect

LITTLE RIVER’S PLANT THE FUTURE TAKES PLANT PARENTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

BY LIZA GRANT SMITH

Even before biophilic design was a buzzy term, Paloma Teppa and Yair Marcoschamer were already deeply entrenched in the concept.

“Plants don’t kiss you or hug you, but they offer a profound and very soft way to heal the soul, the sadness in life, and the problems we have as humans,” says Teppa. “For me, it started with a table centerpiece. Now, after 15 years, it’s more like a lifestyle and an opportunity to connect the soul with plants.” In 2008, the husband-and-wife duo became creative director and chief executive gardener, respectively, of Plant the Future, a botanical art gallery and boutique in Wynwood where

AVENTURIST

Above: At Plant the Future, Paloma Teppa creates bespoke moss murals for residential and commercial installation. Right: Cacti terrariums are just one of Teppa’s most popular small-scale pieces of living art.

Teppa uses cacti, perennials, palms, and a whole lot of moss to create terrarium arrangements. The gallery/ boutique quickly became the go-to source for stunning botanical installations for posh hotels, high-end retailers, restaurants, and offices. Commissions around the country soon became the norm, followed by a second location at the 1 Hotel South Beach (which Teppa and Marcoschamer no longer operate). Then, three years ago, the couple purchased a building in the Little River neighborhood that’s now their flagship store. The space is the ideal backdrop for Teppa’s various creations, as well as new collaborations with porcelain brand Lladró and conceptual artist Isabel Englebert, with whom Teppa designed a moss-inspired jewelry collection. And then there’s the community connection piece, including workshops and plant care classes. This aspect of the business has become all the more important in recent years, explains Marcoschamer.

“[Many people] were aware of this need to connect with nature, but I think the last couple of years and the pandemic accelerated this awareness,” he says. “When people got stuck in their homes and disconnected from the world, this desire for connection with the natural world became more important than ever before.” (plantthe future.com) «