Core77

According to NORML we are only 7 states away from half of America having access to legalized medicinal marijuana (at the state level). This product has a great deal of promise if designed to accommodate homegrown cannabis plants.

One critique though is that the cable for the light is merely dropped down and then underneath the paneling. It would at least have been a bit more elegant to run the cable along a corner if the back side had some unseen aesthetic preventing a sealed hole.

Also, there is an opportunity to address the light leak with some additional design detail or to not have the light leak at all. If the light leak isn't consistent, it would tend to cheapen the overall look.

Otherwise, I think it would make a great addition to the home of any gardening enthusiast.

What's your problem? The first thought is pot? If it does become legal, there's no point in hiding it in something like this anyway.

There's much room for improvement. It needs to be easily serviceable, preferably with a water treatment system hooked up to water service, either an RO unit or a simple bubble for dechlorination and oxygenation. Hydroponic systems require a lot of flushing and refilling, and unless that is nearly automatic, this is just a mess waiting to happen. Next, most plants you will want to grow get a *lot* bigger than this unit can support. Since marijuana was mentioned, if that's your thing, there's no way that would work at all. Next, the lighting. Lights make a significant amount of heat. Even HO T5s and LEDs need a serious amount of ventilation and headspace, unless you have a fire suppression system installed above this, I would not use it since it appears to be enclosed. Finally, and related to that, is air. Plants need a lot of air. The more air they get, the better and faster they grow. (Look up transpiration.) You will want to cycle the entire volume of air a few times a day for at least proper growth while keeping temperature within something like 60 F and 80 F. Most plants you will want to will either stop growing or stop utilizing certain nutrients outside of that rough range.

Maybe if the island was translucent or at least had some clear areas? It makes no sense to me to grow plants and have them "hidden" regardless of the reason. What's next? A fishtank in a closed door closet?

To III,

It is a problem that people are being arrested for a plant the DEA says has claimed zero lives of overdose. As a taxpayer, I do have a problem with this issue and I'm really surprised that more people are not. As a designer, I recognize and can anticipate a potential medical design market resulting from changes in the political and social atmosphere.

I was merely broadening the scope of this furniture which, as you point out and the article mentions, is already "hiding" garden-variety herbs.

But this product is really less about hiding and instead provides a constant source of light for plants in a controlled environment. Any light that escapes is essentially wasted energy when it comes to plant growth.

Designed for, say a surviving cancer patient with a permit to grow their own marijuana, this could be customized to accommodate taller plants. LED's could be used to reduce heat, there could be multi-faceted mirrored surfaces inside the cabinet to increase light coverage, and maybe even the light leak could be used as a kind of feedback where the LED's could change color letting the patient know it needed more water or some other attention.

So, I would argue that there is a point in "hiding" cannabis plants in such a piece of furniture for cancer patients which would make them less dependent on Big Pharmacy for their pain relief.

Additionally, there is the added benefit of locally-sourcing their own medicine to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of their medical needs if this could be designed where the plant was being grown with the likes of renewable energy, collected rainwater, and composted waste material for nutrients.

The trend towards marijuana legalization will open up a whole new paradigm for industrial design to proliferate, especially considering that the oil from cannabis plants can also be used to make plastic.

what a waste of energy. hiding plants in a shelf from daylight and then putting in that much artificial light (energy). i struggle to imagine a concept more unaware of the problems of our time.

Jerry:

LEDs do not substantially decrease heat. The heat is not released as IR outside of the lens/light side, but instead radiated via the back of the device. They are actually a bit difficult to cool, as the heat is in a very small area and they often need to be cooled aggressively. You are correct about keeping light in, though. Reflectors really make the lighting fixture, not so much the bulbs or the ballasts.

I hate stuff like this. Looks/acts all organic and "green", but in reality (like stefan from above said), it's a complete waste.

Put your plants where they can receive natural sun. Lately there's been all sorts of schmuck on growing shi! indoors, on roofs, or in cabinets. Looks green, but is the opposite. Instead, live leaner and more frugally. Build sparsely, and in a way that requires you to use less energy, water, materials, etc., and not more.