Profile: Fat Plant Society
Turning lush greens into living art, Fat Plant Society is on the cutting edge of sustainable home decor.
Photo by Alexandra Rhoades Photography
Que tal, MIKC Explore readers! This article is going to make you green with envy… well, not really, but it certainly will make your life a lot easier if you don’t have a green thumb. I can’t remember the exact time and moment when I came across an installation created by The Fat Plant Society, but I do remember thinking I needed to know who was responsible for that beautiful moss wall art. After some investigating I found them on Instagram (of course) and I slid into their DMs *wink wink*. I had to let them know how obsessed I was with their work, and to my surprise they reciprocated the sentiment. We knew we needed to work together soon!
Photos by Austin Grate
@grate.lifestyle
River Market Dental.
I sat down with the talented founders, Morten Klinte and Kasey Riley to chat about how they brought this incredible local and green business to life. Their story spans continents…starting with their meeting in Malaysia and marrying after spending only two weeks together (hey, when you know you know). Morten was living in his home city of Copenhagen, Denmark and Kasey was living in Beijing, China. It wasn’t easy for them to get to where they are now, but nothing great ever came that easy. Stemming from a not-so-intentional but nonetheless Bohemian lifestyle, love of nature, delight in food and libations, The Fat Plant Society grew out of a desire to return to their roots in Copenhagen in 2015. They made the decision to turn what they love, admire and are inspired by into a business that would not only enhance the beauty of a space but also the wellness of those who inhabit it.
The Fat Plant Society was founded in the spring of 2016 here in our beloved Kansas City. Perfectly timed, since spring is when everything begins to reemerge and bloom. Why did they decide to launch their business here in Kansas City? Well, Morten could go on and on about his love for the United States (fertilized by the stories of his sailor grandfather) but the reason they needed to return specifically to Kansas City was simple…KINDNESS and Midwest values.
Welding by @jpwelding (Belton, MO)
A custom piece for VMLY&R
Now, let’s talk about BIOPHILIC DESIGN. As it was in the beginning, studying and learning remains a vital part of what Morten and Kasey do. Biophilic Design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. (I bet you didn’t know I was that intelligent? Well, I’m really not, I googled it!)
All of us are in the midst of a green transformation of the very best kind. Biomimicry is influencing the design of buildings and engineering solutions using nature as its guide and is becoming not only a desire but a must for those who espouse wellness and concern for the well-being of their customers and employees. The Fat Plant Society’s goal is to make the world a healthier place by contributing their moss designs that absorb sound, reduce VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the air and bring calming beauty to the spaces in which we live and work.
The Fat Plant Society create their moss walls and designs from REAL American moss. A moss wall is also called a green wall, which sometimes leads to confusion between the two. But– they construct their green walls with real, preserved moss that does not require any watering or misting of any kind. A moss wall is neither living nor dead. It is made of moss that is dormant and is being preserved using a natural paraffin or glycerin process. The moss will retain their lush look with zero maintenance (except for the occasional dusting using compressed air just as you would use on a computer keyboard) for at least 8 to 10 years.
Photo by Kyle Gammon. @peaceonelovephoto
The beautiful and luscious moss that The Fat Plant Society uses is harvested in North Carolina and Kentucky… who knew? When the moss arrives it smells just like standing in the middle of a forest (this is when I wish Apple or Elon Musk should invent smell-a-vision for us mere mortals). The moss has acorns and other treasures from its birthplace, so they clean the moss carefully before laying it out in their studio. From there, they use the moss just like a painter would use paint to achieve the colors, textures and depth of each handmade piece. Morten and Kasey have worked with many businesses across the nation, including myself. They did have a lot of beautiful things to say about working with me, but I will spare y’all the mutual mushiness in order to keep y’all from getting a toothache. But, O should send y’all over to River Market Dental (yes, I’m plugging one of my interior design projects) where you can see the moss in all of it’s glory!
“Kansas City is a special city. It is the kid of city you can lose your wallet three times and have it returned to you with everything intact. More than that, Midwestern values align with Scandinavian values…Pragmatic. No nonsense. Transparent. Kind.” - The Fat Plant Society
We’ve all come to love those traits in KC— ones that foster the growth of our art scene and the arrival of beautiful new art forms like these green walls. Cheers!
