Here is another our Gold Leaf Award winners for the design and installation of the interior planting scheme at Samsung KX by Tivoli Services. These Gold Leaf Awards recognise and reward quality and workmanship and create a benchmark of excellence in the industry.

A great scheme – congratulations to Tivoli and particularly our Chair Madeleine Evans who managed and designed this installation.

General information
The Samsung KX experience space is a new 20,000 square foot venue in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, London which offers a range of experiences, events and workshops. It is a place of discovery to experience the latest in culture and innovation, powered by Samsung technology. It showcases the complete Samsung Ecosystem - how multiple devices and services come together to deliver a complete and harmonised experience, making consumers’ lives easier, more convenient, and more efficient. The venue features connected kitchens, a gaming lounge and the world's first digital cockpit.

The glass-fronted venue is centrally located underneath the two original long Victorian brick and cast-iron sheds that link the cobblestone yard between them with two "kissing" roofs, made of 80,000 slate tiles drawn from the same Welsh quarry as the original 1850s covering.

The client brief was to design and install an interior planting scheme which was both natural and contemporary, with a domestic feel to mirror the areas that have been designed to reflect the rooms of a home, i.e. a lounge, kitchen, dining space etc. The brief was very specific on the look and feel of the interior planting, including the colour of the LECA top-dressing, the colour and shape of the leaves on each plant, and the colour and style of each pot.

The brief was further developed at a late stage to include extra planting to soften certain areas of the venue; the structure of which has a very masculine feel with concrete floors, high ceilings, and exposed metal.

Installation
80 units – including hanging troughs, concealed troughs built into furniture, shelf displays, tabletop pots, banquette planter, and various floor standing displays.

The planting scheme encompassed both the East and West wing of the venue, separated into different experience areas:

9 x stainless steel hanging troughs were lined with strong plastic sheet to ensure they are watertight. These
were filled with a mixture of upright and trailing plants, using Aglaonema Silver Queen, Scindapsus pictus trebie, Dracaena frag, Compacta lemon surprise, Philodendron scanden, Tradescantia zebrina, Ceropegia woodii and Hoya linearis.

4 x recessed galvanised steel troughs (220x13x22cm) hidden in tiered seating units planted with a mixture of lush, leafy plants and trail – Zamioculcus, Monstera deliciosa, Epipremnum marble queen, Aglaonema Silver Queen and Aspidistra.

6 x floor-standing displays in a mix of rounded fibreclay and fibrestone pots in grey washed and black washed finish, to create a relaxing feel in the home areas, top-dressed with grey LECA. Further consistent floor-standing displays were introduced to fit against areas of the wall to soften the corners of the venue. These were all planted out with Dracaena lemon & lime, Ficus robusta, Monstera deliciosa, Sansevieria laurentii, Zamioculcus, Dracaena Janet Craig, Ficus lyrata, Beaucarnea recurvata and Codiaeum petra. (See images 9 and 10)

Shelving displays included 32 x small plant displays in a mix of rounded fibreclay and fibrestone pots in grey washed and black washed finish, planted out with Codiaeum petra, Hoya Carnosa, Hoya linearis, Zamioculcus and Mixed Succulents. (See images 11, 12, 13 and 14)

1 x long built-in Banquette planter (approx. 11.8m long x 30-50cm wide x 25cm deep) filled with low-level mixed
planting, using Philodendron Imperial, Aglaonema Cleopatra, Monstera deliciosa Asplenium Parati, Philodendron xanadu, Epipremnum Marble Queen and Monstera Obliqua Monkey Mask. 

 2 x light concrete troughs in grey (85cm long x 26cm wide x 41cm tall) each planted with Dracaena lemon & lime and

Howea forsteriana interspersed to cover the back of TVs on shelving units.

10 x mixed succulents were also planted up in client’s own pots for the staff room, as well as 2 x client’s own pots planted to an overall height of approx. 1.2-1.5m with plants to tolerate the relatively low light levels - Dracaena Janet Lind.

Also installed were 4 x temporary displays, featuring clusters of 3 fibrestone pots in various sizes/styles (similar to those already on site) and in a mix of grey and black. These were planted to heights of 1.5-2m with specimens to tolerate the high light levels by the window - Sansevieria laurentii, Ficus lyrata and Codiaeum petra.

Comments
The installation at Samsung KX was complicated and demanding in many ways and the need to be flexible was paramount.

Planting was completed whilst many other contractors were on site finishing the snagging prior to the opening. Samsung KX employees were also present undertaking various product training sessions. All of this required Tivoli to work closely with the other suppliers/employees on site to ensure there were no clashes and the installation was seamless.

The hanging troughs were a challenge as the designer specified an established planting look and feel, but due to the width and depth of the troughs we were limited with root ball size. Therefore, we had to be creative with plant variation and choose plants with long trails and lush foliage, but small enough root balls to fit. Access equipment was also needed to lift the hanging troughs into place.

The design brief for the entire experience venue was very specific regarding plant colours, leaf shapes and sizes etc, however we had to be mindful of the environmental conditions of the building which were quite dry. As such, we had to work closely with the client and find a balance that worked for everyone.

Andrea Ferrara-Forbes, Head of GTM Premium Retail, Samsung UK, said: “We’re thrilled for Tivoli to win this award for helping to bring our new experience space to life with such creative landscaping. We wanted Samsung KX to feel like a home for our guests, where they can relax and enjoy themselves in a natural environment. Tivoli not only executed wonderful displays for us, but they have been maintained to an extremely high standard and it’s been a pleasure to work with them.”