Pacific Palisades, California

Airplantman Inception

The project that started it all!  Many years ago after the landscape architecture firm where Josh Rosen has worked for over a decade (MTLA, Inc.) finished a spectacular garden the client requested Josh discuss a living wall installation for her kitchen.  The result was the birth of Airplantman and and the beginning of a long air plant filled journey.

First Airplant Installation

A shared love of Tillandsia and desire to elevate their display lead to this first AirplantFrame installation that is still being enjoyed to this day.  The client loved air plants, Josh loved air plants and the first of many successful client collaborations followed.  We love the process of working with a client to help realize their vision.  This client wanted a striking living wall art piece for their kitchen with goals of creating something light, clean, modern and easy to care for.  Of highest priority was a slim profile making these pieces work well modularly, easy to combine into a single larger piece or broken up into a series.  This flexibility has served us well over the years as the concept has been applicable in countless situations.  The result was a series of (4) 24”x18” AirplantFrames that read as a single piece with the incredibly thin front edge profile, while being lightweight and easy to remove in sections for watering in the sink.  We designed custom wall stand-offs for this piece as well as incorporating our now classic aluminum and stainless steel cable design keeping everything lightweight and waterproof.  A skylight above provided ample natural light for the project and the client loves the process of watching the plants turn vivid colors while watering.  A brief drip dry is all that's needed before sliding back into its place of honor above the sink.  The lengthy and complex design and fabrication process of a new design left Josh wondering if the rest of the world might not enjoy this idea as well. A legend was born and things were never the same.

Josh took the lessons learned on this initial version to design a product that elevates the display of Tillandsia while also prioritizing ease of care and plant health.  The resulting AirplantFrame has become popular throughout the world and is available in standard sizes and colors to create your own unique arrangement on our webshop.  We've also created every size, shape, and color variation and welcome custom projects so bring us your ideas and we will help turn them into reality.  One final interesting note about this project is while Josh went absolutely bonkers including the most vivid blooming and blushing species of air plant available used in a truly painterly fashion, over time the client's tastes evolved.  Currently the display which is approaching 10 years old has undergone a number of planting tweaks to keep the look fresh and engaging.  Intended as a living art piece that isn't simply pruned (air plants grow slowly so this is hardly ever necessary) but updated to provide a changing piece within a single 'canvas'.  We developed a new planting technique which varies density creating negative space through open areas balanced by other zones with high density.  The client also evolved beyond color to prefer foliage texture and the subtle hues and grey and green that air plants showcase between bloom cycles as a preference.  When installing an Airplantman living wall the result is never static, that's what we love!  When it comes times for a refresh or updated design rather than the mess of soil, visible plastic, and long term rooting it's a simple matter of sliding the plants from our wire mesh and inserting new ones as needed, truly a breeze!