Living Walls: A Great Idea for Transforming Spaces

from Wide-Format & Signage October 2021

WALLS

Great ideas for transforming spaces

By FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

Over the past three to four years, there’s been a surge in the use of living walls, also known as plant walls or green walls. These modern applications cultivate a feeling of well-being in any space. While popular, most versions of these walls need care and maintenance, requiring real soils, air, light and water. Here are some of the types of these walls seen today.

Succulent Walls

While succulents require less water than most plants, they still require some maintenance. Overall, the succulent walls are a popular choice today, especially with decorative styles such as desert-boho. With the use of a variety of succulents, colorful wallscapes can be aesthetically pleasing installations.

Moss Wall

Moss walls are the next easiest to maintain as they don’t need air, soil and light. They can be misted regularly to keep them fresh, and they are both customizable and can be used in any shape or wall size. Moss creations can also be combined with sign fabrications for a contrasted look.

One of FASTSIGNS’ Living Walls vendor, TrueVert, who recently sponsored the FASTSIGNS®/SIGNWAVE annual Outside Sales Summit, creates large or small living walls and moss art panels. The TrueVert team uses a wide variety of plant

material for their work including natural moss, stylized moss, preserved moss (the easiest type of moss to maintain) and fine art moss design that incorporates colors. In addition, their living walls can also include preserved plant material such as grasses, ferns, eucalyptus, branches, bark and air plants.

Artificial Wall

This type of “living wall” fully eliminates all care and maintenance while achieving a similar look. With the artificial plants, this type of wall is meant to be viewed from 5-10 feet away. Dusting is required for preserving the look, and they are more affordable than succulent or moss walls.

What Are Some Reasons to Install a Living Wall?

They enhance a space.

As more and more people began working from home, they started to notice and pay attention to their backgrounds while on video calls with family, friends and co-workers. In most cases, their backgrounds were boring, plain white walls, framed prints or the typical bookcase. Changing up the background to a living wall freshened up the scene and transformed the otherwise dull background to something unique.

“I think there has always been some sort of draw for humans to be closer to nature,” said Brian Boehm, senior director of supply chain and technical services. “Everyone loves having plants and landscaping around their home, so offering a unique

take on indoor living plants by hanging them from the wall, not only presents a fresh, new look for interior décor, it creates a calming sense of being one with nature while inside a space.”

Noise Control

Living walls can even be used to control noise. For instance, large spaces that have issues with echoes and reverberations can be toned down with squares of living wall sections mounted sporadically on opposing surfaces.

Creative Branding

Now that this trend has really taken off, many interior decorators and architects are using living walls in new build outs and renovations but on a much larger scale. New hotels now have living walls that are 10-20 feet wide by 2-3 stories tall in their lobby. Airports incorporate them into their main thoroughfares and lounges. New car dealerships, malls, salons, restaurants and bars are all incorporating living walls in one way or another, especially to emphasize their logo, which is usually formed out of faux neon. Moss is sometimes used to create dimensional letters or incorporate into a branded piece behind a front desk space in an office.

Bring People Together

These innovative walls are probably best known for being incredible backdrops for selfies. Whether living walls include living plants, moss or succulents, all of them do one thing very well: they bring the outside in.

“I don’t see this trend going away anytime soon. Not only does it look great, but it can really transform a space. Large blank areas can easily be converted into visually pleasing areas,” Boehm said.

“Living walls truly bring any space to life, and I’ve

enjoyed watching this trend unfold over the last few years,” said Catherine Monson, CEO at FASTSIGNS and chair of the International Franchise Association. “At FASTSIGNS, our franchisees provide their customers with signage, visual graphics and interior décor. Living walls are an excellent example of the interior décor options our franchisees provide their customers.” ●

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MOVING

PICTURES

Automotive wrap applications can involve more than cars.

By Richard Romano

(Above) Dallas, Tex.’s SkinzWraps produced this on an Epson SureColor S80600. (Images courtesy Epson)

(Right) Shuttle bus wrap for the Dallas Museum of Art. (Image courtesy SkinzWraps.com)

One of the most popular—and conspicuous—automotive print applications is vehicle wraps. In fact, vehicle wrap contests became popular events at major industry shows (back in the day…). Doing unusual wrap jobs has become many wrap businesses’ stocks in trade. Imagine seeing the car on the previous page come up behind you on the highway…But vehicle wrapping can involve more than cars. SkinzWraps also does SUVs, boats and buses. Additionally, fleet graphics for trucks and vans have become essential parts of a company’s brand.

Brazilian business Fix Print used an EFI Pro 32r+ UV LED roll-to-roll printer to decorate 130 trucks for Ambev Brewery.

Brazilian business Fix Print used an EFI Pro 32r+ UV LED roll-to-roll printer to decorate 130 trucks for Ambev Brewery. (Image courtesy EFI)

2 CT Media in Mesa, Ariz., printed fleet graphics for Yellowstone Landscape using a Canon Colorado 1650 printer and Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Easy Apply RS digital cast film with DOL 1060Z (pickup truck) and Avery Dennison MPI 2105 Easy Apply RS film paired with DOL 1060Z overlaminate (trailer).

Art City Wraps in Oshkosh, Wis., used a Mimaki UCJV 300-130 and Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Easy Apply RS digital cast film with DOL 1060Z overlaminate to increase brand visibility for Soper Companies. Brand Graphic Solutions (BGS) in Plymouth, Pa., wrapped Mericle’s vans using an Epson Sure Color S80600 and Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Easy Apply RS digital cast film with DOL 1060Z overlaminate. Beyond land-based vehicles, boat wraps are a common application, but of course can

Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21155583

Images courtesy Avery Dennison

Image courtesy Avery Dennison

Image courtesy Drytac

present challenges that car and truck wrapping can easily avoid.

The UK’s Globe Print used a Roland SolJet EJ-640 and Drytac’s Polar Grip film paired with Interlam Pro Emerytex overlaminate film to decorate this boat for Monkey Fist Adventures, which took part in an intense endurance challenge, which saw a team of four men row 3,200 miles non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean for over 45 days. I am always on the lookout for new and creative printing applications and projects, be they small or wide format. Have you worked on something unique and of which you are proud? Feel free to share them with me at richard@whattheythink.com. ●

Richard Romano has been writing about the graphic communications industry for 20 years. He is an industry analyst and author or co-author of more than half a dozen books.