Biophilic design aims to bridge a connection between natural elements and manmade environments. It invites the outside world in, particularly among urban spaces, to create an inviting sense of calm. Since E.O. Wilson first coined the phrase in the early ’80s, it has sparked curiosity and inventiveness around the globe — such as with Second Home co-working spaces, The Jewel in Singapore, or One Hotels — and it continues to grow in popularity.
Naturalist Interiors, a biophilic design company started in 2017, caters to this growing trend. It specializes in handmade wall gardens and reclaimed walnut wooden furniture from the forests of Turkey, made with epoxy resin. Each piece contains modern materials and natural elements, all customizable, that bring a component of overall well-being to a space.
Founded by Serkan Yapicilar, Naturalist Interiors quickly established a foothold in the wall garden industry with $300,000 worth of sales in its first year. Today, the company installs more than 150,000 square feet of moss across the country, with some of its top clients including LG, Hermes, Hilton Canopy Hotels, Rolex, USA NSA and DOD, Serena Williams private home, Bank of America, The United Nations office at World Trade, The W, Charles Schwab, to name a few. All work is handmade in Hoboken, New Jersey and installed by Yapicilar himself, every time.
“Moss walls are seemingly all over the place at this point and we are happy to have been one of the pioneers in the US market. However, plant walls are fewer and far between as they not only require a higher quality material to be used but also a heightened attention to details as creating a ‘natural’ flow is not as natural as one would think,” Kara Kelly, CEO of Naturalist Interiors explained. While moss walls are less maintenance, they have a less robust appearance than a lively plant wall. Fortunately, Naturalist Interiors plant wall, or wall gardens, are naturally preserved to last five to seven years without the requirement of water, light, or soil.
Kelly and Yapicilar work side by side (they also happen to be husband and wife). Kelly steers the company’s sales, from outreach to the installation process, while Serkan manages the books and fabricates the physical pieces. Together, along with their dedicated team of creatives, they have crafted beautiful interior spaces out of a seemingly futuristic film.
Naturalist Interiors design team, also known as the Moss Stars, primarily produce large-scale commercial installations. They work closely with interior designers and architects, or project managers, to create lush and leafy wall gardens. “With any creative process, I feel the creative themselves are what bring uniqueness into each of our projects,” Kelly said of the living art pieces. “Our creative process thrives on having a lead designer appointed for each project we work on seeing it through the installation and the touch-up process.”
The process begins when a client pulls up an image, whether found in a magazine or photograph, that they’re looking to replicate. Then, together, they have a conversation about the different variations that can be brought to life. From here, a visual rendering of the design is created for the client to approve and the wall garden is fabricated, a process that takes three to four weeks. Once it’s ready, the wall garden is seamlessly installed into its permanent home, which oftentimes contain multiple panels, and is carefully touched up before it’s ready to be unveiled.
Biophilic designs have proven to decrease stress, increase productivity, boost mental health, and overall enhance mood. As a result of the pandemic, with more people spending time at home or utilizing co-working spaces, living walls have become more popular for common spaces and office spaces.
Though mostly hired for larger pieces, Naturalist Interiors also specializes in residential installations both large and small, including private homes in the Hamptons. Last year, in summer of 2021, the company made their Hamptons showcase debut at Topping Rose House’s Holiday House Hamptons. As architecture continues towards an environmentally conscious shift, residential clients express an appreciation for green art because it is something they, now, see everyday.
More than a company dedicated to ingenuity, Naturalist Interiors showed true perseverance in late December of 2021 when a tragic fire ravaged through the building that housed both its showroom and warehouse, affecting more than 70 local businesses. It lost everything; materials for wall gardens and custom furniture, even entire completed projects such as one for the Javits Center in New York City. Quick acting, Kelly immediately began to source replacement materials and scouted the area for a new location. Within two weeks time Naturalist Interiors signed a new lease with over 8,000 square feet of vacant space. As they continue to rebuild, bigger than before, the company cannot forget the fire that literally took away everything — from them and their fellow tenants. As a way to bring the community back together again, they now sublet part of that space to three other companies who were victims of the same fire.
Kelly said of the experience, “Knowing that we have been able to help others who are up against the same struggles get back to work means the world to us. In the toughest of times community and humanity are what pull us through.”
