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Ilex Studio’s Glass Vases Let You Grown Your Own Trees

You might have caught sight of Ilex Studio’s glass vases when we shared they were joining our Milk Stand pop-up shop this week during London Design Fair. The London-based studio aims to bring you closer to nature with the launch of their second design, the Avocado Vase. Along with their first product, the Acorn Vase, the glass vessels elevate the old trick of growing seeds using toothpicks and a cup to allow them to sprout and grow. Both vases feature minimalist silhouettes with spherical bottoms that let you witness the process of the seeds sprouting during their first stages of life.

The exaggerated hourglass shape keeps the avocado seed or acorn dry in the top section while the roots grow down into the water below. The glass is designed to magnify giving you an up close and personal view of the roots as they grow. By letting the roots hang freely, they become stronger and ready for their eventual planting in soil.

Both the Avocado Vase and the smaller Acorn Vase come with instruction booklets to guide you through the process of growing the trees.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.