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The Vantage planting design process

We live and breathe planting at Vantage, and love nothing more than seeing a project come together – biophilia can really make a workspace fit-out or redesign ‘pop’.

This month, we’ve interviewed Hollie Kneeshaw, and Rachael Crampsey, members of our creative team at Vantage, to give a flavour of how one of our workspace designs develops from concept to fully-fledged reality.

Can you describe your role at Vantage, Hollie?

I’m one of the interior planting designers at Vantage Spaces. I liaise with the client, listening to their design vision and then translating that brief into a biophilic design in keeping with the look and feel of the space. So, no matter the brief, I come up with concepts for planting that fits.

And how does that transfer of knowledge take place?

We can get a good idea of a space by looking at floorplans and visuals and talking to the client about their vision for the space. A short video walk-around from the client, or an in-person site visit on our part, can be helpful to establish light levels and things like structural walls and plumbing for watering system. We flex around the client to get the information we need.

Is there a great deal of variety when it comes to styles of planting, Rachael?

We always try to design something in keeping with the style that the client wants and the type of business being catered for.

For example, a call centre might have rows and rows of desks, but we can soften this with planted screening so that it doesn’t feel as regimented or exposed. Then they might want some sort of hip coffee culture vibe in the communal area, so we could install a planted EnviroGrid over a central island so that it has greenery tumbling gently over it.

Alternatively, a business might need a design that is more formal and understated, perhaps built into the design at the very beginning with bespoke joinery so that it’s part of the fixtures and fittings.

What’s the trick to nailing a brief?

It’s really about listening carefully to what the client says and interpreting that into a biophilic design. Every client is different. If they haven’t got a lot of space or like to keep floors uncluttered, we have ways of getting around that – we can use pillars, walls, ceilings – we’re just re-purposing space instead of taking it up!

What’s the next stage in the process, Hollie?

We develop a look-and-feel board and have a conversation with the client about what works well, and we discuss anything else that they feel would enhance the space – like a wishlist. We normally get most of it right the first time, but we’re always open to ideas or alternative ways of looking at things – it’s a conversation really.

I like to hand sketch things as I develop a brief, but we use 3D design software to give a realistic vision of what the final design will look like.

What’s your favourite type of brief, Rachael?

We absolutely love it when a client says ‘go for it, we want plants everywhere!’ This might be for a WELL or SKA standard, where employee wellbeing and sustainable construction are really prioritised, and planting is centre stage. Achieving the SKA sustainability standard plays to our strengths because we use various recycled and/or natural materials – we put a lot of time into sourcing sustainably so it’s heartening when this is prioritised on a project.

We naturally love any job where there is opportunity to be bold and expressive with planting – huge living walls which are then echoed throughout a space with different types of planting say a lot about how much a business is prepared to invest in their people. But we also appreciate when clients want planting to be more subtle – to punctuate a space rather than dominate it. Every brief is different, and sometimes it just changes – clients like the planting so much that they just decide they want more.

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What are the challenges of the role?

Some buildings can be more challenging than others, but we always rise to the challenge and find a mix of planting that suits the environment. Living plants do need natural light, and every building will have a dim corner that’s not best suited to plants that require bright light (unless you use specialist lighting).

That’s why we work with a mix of living, preserved and replica planting, to ensure that everyone has access to a little bit of nature, wherever they work. We like to be creative in coming up with solutions. We recently underplanted a replica tree with mixed living plants to make a really striking focal piece in a reception area – the contrast with the busy tube-station exit outside was quite something!

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Tell us more about different plants for different places – how do you know what to put where?


Certain plants will tolerate situations with less light – for example:

Sansevieria – A bit of a hero plant because it comes in lots of different varieties, doesn’t need a lot of water and can tolerate lower light. It’s a very structural plant with rigid stems and it looks elegant when repeated in a line on its own.

‍Zamioculcus – Much like a Sansevieria, are tolerant of lower light levels and add structure to a design – it looks like it would be hard to care for, but it’s surprisingly no-fuss.

In areas with more light, you have a bit more choice:

Chamaedorea Elegans – Always a popular choice!

Asplenium Nidus – Can provide a cheerful pop of acid green.

Aglaonema Crete – Interesting for its variegated leaves.

Monstera – Are great for hiding things you don’t necessarily want to be in plain view!

‍Practicality always has to be taken into consideration – we wouldn’t ever suggest anything that wouldn’t suit the environment. Also, it’s the small design details that make the difference between a good or a bad scheme, such as ensuring that corridors are not obstructed or not putting living plants in places that are hard to get to.

Do you have a soft spot for certain plants?

I quite like succulents because they come in so many different shapes and colours. I’ve been propagating them in the office for my own interest, and I think they can look really effective in a bowl as a tabletop feature in a communal area. – Hollie Kneeshaw

Where do you get your design inspiration from?

Office Snapshots is really useful for workspace inspiration but I also spend far too much of my spare time on Dezeen, Design Milk and Pinterest! – Rachael Crampsey

Do you have a favourite project?

I personally loved a project we did for Convene at 22 Bishopsgate – it’s bright, bold, full of colour, just a modern, eclectic mix with lots of character – I can imagine the staff really enjoying coming into work in the mornings. – Hollie Kneeshaw

I really like our London showroom, because you can see every type of planting we use in one place. It’s definitely worth a visit to see how combining different elements can make a design that really sings – that’s the where the challenge of planting design really lies. – Rachael Crampsey

Thank you, Hollie and Rachael, for this enlightening dive into the design process at Vantage Spaces!

If you’re looking to dip a toe into the world of biophilia or if you’d like to boost your existing planting scheme and greenify some tricky areas, get in touch with one of our experts for an informal chat – we’d love to help transform your space.