This Furniture Line Focuses on ‘Blooming Tables’, and Is the First That Incorporates Plants Right Into the Design
It all started with a romantic gesture by San Diego-based founder Dustin Anthony, who decided to build a dining room table for his girlfriend that incorporated her beloved plants. “When we first moved in together, [plants] were taking over our apartment. We were running out of room for them,” he shares. His solution? To build a glass-topped dining room table with a level beneath that could serve as an indoor garden of sorts, consolidating their plants into a functional piece of furniture that made meals even more enjoyable.
When that first table turned out “a lot better” than he imagined, Anthony, with a background in product development, had the idea to launch BloomingTables. In 2019, he launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $40,000 and launching direct-to-consumer sales officially on Black Friday that year. Then, the pandemic hit, and his supply chain was nearly cut off. But he was able to ramp up production again in June 2020, and in an ironic way, the pandemic ended up being the best thing to happen to the business.
“We’ve ridden the trend of the plant craze we’re all in, even more specifically with succulents,” says Anthony.
So how exactly do BloomingTables work? First, you order your desk or table, which ships in a large box and includes all the pieces to build the furniture—plants not included. This was intentional, says Anthony, because the goal is to give consumers the freedom to get as creative as they like with the design of their tables.
Once you’ve built your furniture, the fun begins. You’ll want to fill it the base (which has drainage holes built in) with soil and decorative rock, if you choose, then plan out your plants. Many people gravitate toward hardy succulents, as they are relatively low maintenance and don’t require a ton of watering. But Anthony says they’ve also seen customers planting herbs and microgreens in their BloomingTable, as well as adding decorative items like driftwood pieces, moss, or larger rocks. One customer even figured out a way to create a pond within his table, complete with an electric pump to keep the water feature going. (BTW, if you need more ideas, see the best places to buy plants online.)
In the next few months, BloomingTables will introduce new offerings such as clip-on grow lights to help plants stay healthy (another natural solution to lighting is to place a lamp on or near your table, says Anthony), as well as plant kits that will help guide those who don’t have a green thumb as they fill out their tables. BloomingTables' Instagram also offers plenty of inspiration from others who’ve gotten creative with their furniture.
I recently got my own BloomingTables plant table, and it’s been amazing to see how it’s brought our home to life, literally. “Plants make people feel at ease and create a healthier living space,” says Anthony. “So why not place them right under your desktop?”
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