Words by Rachel. Images by Kharis and Fredy.
In case you didn’t notice, music and plants are two of our favorite topics. Tunes inspire us to create while plants and planters set the mood for our listening sessions.
[Plants] add comfort, for sure. Having plants in the room that we spend a lot of time in makes us more sensitive to the environment, for example, by being aware of when the plant needs watering.
This is especially true for our potter, Kharis. We’d love to bring your attention to his unique way of setting up his favorite plants: in the music room.
But first, what exactly is a music room?
Kharis: The music room for us is a place where we lay back, zone out, and detach ourselves from everyday life’s commotion.
When asked about why this is his room of choice for the arrangement, Kharis simply said that this location has the most optimum light source, and it happens to be the place where he and his family spends the most time.
If you remember our previous article, Music Through The Earth: A Love Story of Humans and Plants, many believe that plants communicate with us through the subtle “music” they make. So we couldn’t help but wonder if there are any effects of plants in Kharis’ space.
“I think the most important tip is to create something that resonates with our hearts. What we like, just execute and we’ll be satisfied. Besides, we’re the ones that will see it most often.”
Kharis: [Plants] add comfort, for sure. Having plants in the room that we spend a lot of time in makes us more sensitive to the environment, for example, by being aware of when the plant needs watering. Other than that, having plants mainly helps with filtering the air.
Comfort is indeed an effect we could feel just from seeing snaps of the space. Apparently, it’s not just us, but guests of Kharis’ house also believe that the plants made the space homey and comfortable.
As a potter, who interacts with planters and plants on a daily basis, Kharis sees his taste in houseplants arrangement is no different than most of us. Taste and knowledge of how to fill empty spaces affect how we arrange houseplants more than his role as a potter.
Plant and planter pairings can sometimes be influenced by his daily work. His time at Taman Hayat does give him some ideas of how certain plants and planters could go together. “But everyone has a unique experience that affects how they pair plants and planters,” he said.
A father to a daughter, Ginji, Kharis finds an opportunity to teach a lesson about gentleness and caring to plants. Almost every morning, Kharis and Ginji circle the house to “say hi” and gently touch the plants. Eventually, Ginji started reminding Kharis to water the plants from time to time, saying “Papi, pohon mimi” [“Papi, tree drink”].
Kharis: Having plants indoors allows me to make it a habit for Ginji to join us to water or inspect plants. Hopefully this helps her to learn to be sensitive to everything.
So how can we have a home friendly for plants, children, and music-loving people like Kharis’?
Kharis: I think the most important tip is to create something that resonates with our hearts. What we like, just execute and we’ll be satisfied. Besides, we’re the ones that will see it most often.
Kharis: To take care of our indoor plants, simply start by routinely checking the plants’ condition. Give enough nutrition. I personally like preparing rice water (from washing rice) to water plants. If the light source in your house is limited, you can take the plants out once a week in the morning.
To close off this article, Kharis shared a playlist he loves. Enjoy this playlist on your Spotify!