Heliotropic Carousel

The Studio

Heliotropic: to turn towards the sun, a mechanism in plants to maximise the ability to photosynthesise. In psychology, heliotropic describes choosing a positive path or outlook. The plants in the Heliotropic Carousel rotate in a calm, merry-go-round fashion to maximise or reduce exposure to sunlight. At its heart, the room is a space to care for plants, to enjoy the healing energy of their collective foliage. 

The room becomes what the user needs as the sun moves – a place to enjoy morning rays and a cup of coffee, or somewhere to quietly work in a calming sanctuary of green throughout the day. A space to meditate or read, a space to entertain friends, to wine and dine as the sun begins to set.

The building itself catches east to west rays on one side and will be comprised of glass on all sides. The roof provides shade from the harshest of the summer rays and grow lights provide a boost in the winter months or on more typical British summer days. It features plants that open and close in the sunlight, lush tropical foliage that leans into light, and a variety of form and texture in the leaves. The decor will pop with yellows, pinks and blues.

The space will connect to a slower rhythm, the instant grounding calming energy of plants bringing you to a calmer sense of self. For all intents and purposes this is forest bathing in a shed, a space to calm the nervous system and energise the senses.

Key plants

• Oxalis triangularis:​ they open and close in the light, their foliage moving to follow the sun

• Anthurium: these will mostly be displayed growing in water

• Euphorbia tirucalli: a striking and overlooked, easy to care for sun-lover

• Dracaena reflexa: old school style but very cool and super easy to care for

• Caryota mitis: an unsung, striking hero in the palm world that is just different enough to be a little Marmite – you either love or hate them

About the designer – John Kitchin

Hugo & Green was founded in 2020 by John and his partner Stevie. John has been keeping house plants since he was eight years old, building terrariums for frogs and lizards that he kept as pets. In his 20s, he worked for an indoor plant company taking care of plants and maintaining displays throughout some of London’s landmark buildings. John has travelled the world and worked in a variety of roles from photography to visual merchandising.

After being made redundant during Covid he realised his lifelong dream of starting a house plant business, opening his first shop in Horsham in 2021. John and Stevie opened their flagship store in Brighton in 2023 and have grown thriving business, inspiring many people to keep plants in their homes and businesses throughout the UK.

About the sponsor – Ladybird Plantcare

Ladybird Plantcare believes that the long term goal should be to understand and work with our natural environment rather than introducing chemical pesticides and poisons which may have unintended consequences. Keeping plant pests under control in a planet friendly way is no easy feat but the old way of working is a threat to our native bird and bee population and we need to do something different.

Biological pest control is all about introducing natural predators and parasites to control plant pests. In a natural ecosystem, nearly every creature is food for something else. Ladybird Plantcare’s range allows customers to boost the population of a pest’s naturally occurring predators.

​Sustainability notes

Every Houseplant Studio has a life beyond the show, as each building is carefully relocated to new homes in people’s gardens.