Uncommon Fulham: Case Study

With a strong focus on experiential design, Uncommon is not your average coworking space. By carefully considering factors including ergonomics, planting, sound, lighting, and scent, each one of their central London locations is imbued with a sense of creativity, offering a unique proposition to clients across the capital.

When opening their Fulham branch, Uncommon approached us to help convey their commitment to biophilia in this new workspace. The focus of the interior was to be a large, living tree in the café space, with supplemental planting throughout the building showcasing a breadth of eye-catching plant species.

Using the floor plans provided, we put forward a planting scheme designed to complement each space aesthetically, as well as thrive horticulturally.

This included large planters for floor spaces in a range of textures and finishes including greys, blacks, and neutral tones. Each of these pots was planted with a single large species including Ficus lyrata, Ficus elastica and Strelitzia – all chosen for the visual interest they would add to the space. We added small pots to shelving, table tops, and credenzas, in a range of textures and finishes that would complement the chosen floor planters. These smaller pots were planted with smaller species including Sansevieria, Maranta, and a selection of cacti and succulents.

At the crux of the design was the cafe space, which was to have a large tree built into a seating area. After careful consideration we chose to work with a Ficus natida, based on the requested look and feel for the space. The spread of the crown and shape of the trunk were both hugely important as the client wanted the tree to look mature from the offset – based on the architect’s initial renders of the space, we set about sourcing a tree that not only met the design specifications, but would thrive in the space. We searched dozens of growers in the Netherlands, working closely with the client on selection until we found the right tree for the space. The Ficus was potted in a planter on wheels, enabling it to be turned regularly to ensure equal amounts of natural light on each side of the tree. This small but important detail allows the tree’s foliage to flourish all the way around.

Additional hanging plants were added a short while after the initial installation, completely enclosing the space in abundance of greenery. We used a wide range of trailing plants with contrasting textures to create a very organic and overgrown feel, including Cissus rhombifolia, Scindapsus aureum, Lepismum cruciforme, Rhipsalis paradoxa, Senecio rowleyanus, and Tradescantia.