Your Home Herb Garden Is Now a Piece of Art
Sabine Marcelis has won many awards for her ambitious, sensory-pushing installations, but for Milan Design Week 2025, the celebrated Dutch artist and designer is taking us back to her roots—quite literally.
“I grew up in New Zealand on a fruit orchard,” she explains as we sit down to discuss Bloom Planter, a revolutionary planting sculpture she created in collaboration with Italian ingredient brand, XL EXTRALIGHT®. “My parents had greenhouses for growing flowers and orchards with passionfruit and kiwifruit. It’s important to understand where our food comes from and it’s so easy to grow herbs.”
Marcelis’ goal with Bloom Planter is to encourage people to reconnect with where their food comes from and the process of nurturing nature. ”Especially living in a city without a garden,” she says. “Bloom Planter makes the act of growing more accessible.” And naturally, given that it’s Marcelis we’re talking about, it also makes it beautiful.
As she explains in detail below, the whole concept of Bloom Planter is about creating artwork that is simultaneously functional, transformational, and highly aesthetic.
Can you tell us how the idea for Bloom Planter was conceived?
The goal was to create an object that feels alive even before anything is planted. I wanted to design something that naturally invites interaction, an object that sparks curiosity, making people want to touch, explore, and engage with it. At the same time, I was conscious of the need for Bloom to be visually striking at every stage of its use, whether filled with sprouting greens, standing empty, or even repurposed for something unexpected.
How does your planter differ from traditional ones?
Typically, planters are made from rigid, heavy materials. I wanted to challenge that norm by using XL EXTRALIGHT® in a way that feels entirely fresh, taking advantage of its waterproof, UV-resistant, and impact-resistant properties to create something that feels playful yet enduring.
Can you tell us a bit more about the XL EXTRALIGHT® partnership?
In 2023, Sara from XL EXTRALIGHT® invited me to visit their production facilities. Nothing gets me more inspired than seeing a process and understanding how I can work with it. When she asked me to dream up something for Salone this year, my initial thought was to make a big installation. But I quickly changed the concept to go small instead to encourage the humble act of growing your own food and plants. Maybe I’m rebelling a bit against all the big activations during Salone.
How challenging was it to work with an ingredient brand that is both a material and a technology?
The main challenge was finding an application that hadn’t been explored before. XL EXTRALIGHT® has been widely used in various industries, but I wanted to push it into a new, unexpected territory. It was crucial for me to ensure that Bloom Planter wasn’t just another functional object—it needed to leverage the material’s properties in a way that felt both natural and surprising.
How does Bloom Planter actually work?
UV resistance. The design features two integrated volumes: one dedicated to water retention and controlled moisture diffusion, and the other optimized for root anchoring and substrate support. This configuration ensures stable hydration levels while minimizing evaporation.
What inspired the donut-shape design?
It’s a shape I’m continuously revisiting. It’s finite and works perfectly for a vessel. The double-donut not only gives a bold look to the object, but it’s functional by making the watering process easier and fun. Plus, its dual-chamber structure allows organized storage of varied items, from office supplies to accessories. We invite you to discover new ways to repurpose Bloom beyond its intended use.
Are you excited to be exhibiting at Milano Design Week?
Of course! It’s always a fun week. However, it feels like it’s getting crazy big with so many projects and brands involved. I hope there is still room for smaller humble projects in amongst all the grand gestures.
What’s next for Bloom Planter?
The limited edition of four colors (240 in total) will be for sale during Salone. And who knows what’s next—a drop of more colors maybe, but for sure a whole lot of plant growing.
Bloom Planter by Sabine Marcelis x XL EXTRALIGHT® was unveiled as part of Highsnobiety’s Not In Milan pop-up and is available to buy now on Highsnobiety.
