New life for office greenery: the Czech Games Edition revitalization

The offices had a large number of plants grown in a hydroponic system, looked after at the time by an outside company. However, the client had long been unhappy with the plants’ condition and wanted a fresh perspective on the situation.

So our goal was not just to deliver a few new plants. We wanted to find out what was causing the current condition, keep what made sense, and above all bring the space back to life with healthy, well-chosen greenery.

From the first email to an on-site visit

A few days later, we went straight to the Czech Games Edition offices in Prague. During the very first site visit, it was clear to us that this would not be a simple plant swap.

The interior included built-in trough planters, most of which needed to be completely replanted. Some of the original plants were in a state where it no longer made sense to try to save them.

But we took the whole situation as a challenge. The office space had a good foundation. It was large and airy, with daylight coming in from several sides. At the same time, we had to work with the fact that light conditions varied significantly between different parts of the offices.

Together with the client, we decided to keep only one large Ficus Amstel King statement plant, which had a skylight above it and therefore enough light.

The final brief had several parts: add plants and planters to the empty spots in the offices, completely renew the built-in trough planters and their plants, and revitalize the statement plant.

For a project like this, we believe it is important not to start by choosing plants, but to understand the space itself first. A plant can be low-maintenance, but if we put it in a spot that does not meet its needs, the problem will keep coming back. That is why our design was based above all on the amount of available light and the exact placement of each trough planter and plant.

Light decides what will work in an office

Although the whole space was fairly bright and glazed on several sides, many of the plants were inside individual offices. As soon as a plant is placed farther from a window, the amount of light that actually reaches its leaves can drop significantly. That is why we could not use the same species everywhere.

We decided to combine species according to the specific conditions. For spots with less light, we mainly chose Epipremnum, Aspidistra, Zamioculcas ‘Zenzi’, Dracaena, Aglaonema and Sansevieria. We added other hardy plants that suit an office environment and do not need constant attention.

In brighter spots, on the other hand, we could use plants such as Norfolk Island pine, Monstera, Cordyline and other species that appreciate more diffused light. This meant we did not have to fill the whole space with a single type of plant and could create a more varied composition that still respects the conditions of each spot.

The built-in trough planters got a new lease on life

One of the biggest parts of the project was the complete renewal of the built-in trough planters. First, we had to remove the old, withering plants and prepare the whole area for new planting. The cleanup also included removing dead, tangled stems from the nets and ropes that Epipremnum or Scindapsus had once climbed.

Statement plants as striking accents

We also added more striking statement plants to the space. They can create a focal point, divide a large space and give the interior a bolder touch of green.

For example, we used a Monstera deliciosa on a support pole, a Ficus lyrata and a Norfolk Island pine bonsai. Again, we chose each statement plant to suit its specific spot.

We did, however, keep the large Ficus Amstel King statement plant, which was already in the office and had a skylight above it. In this case, it made sense to save the plant. The ficus had a heavily overgrown crown and was full of yellow leaves.

As part of the revitalization, we first cleaned up the crown, pruned it back hard and then reshaped it into a regular rounded form.

The work also included renewing the potting mix. We removed some of the old expanded clay (LECA) from the original planting and replaced it with our hydroponic potting mix. The result is a more compact crown, a cleaner look and better conditions for the plant’s future growth.

If you would like to know more about mineral potting mixes, we cover them in more detail in the Potzillas magazine , where you can also buy mineral potting mix .

We unified the planters but kept the shapes varied

For the new planting, we chose planters from Pottery Pots in the Clouded Grey shade . We wanted the containers to look consistent throughout the office and not distract from the greenery itself, but at the same time we did not want the whole interior to look too uniform.

That is why we combined different shapes and sizes. The uniform color created a visual link between the different parts of the office, while the different planter shapes helped each plant stand out. The neutral gray-beige shade also works well in a modern office environment.

Seven hours of work you only see in the final result

On the day of the installation, our whole team met on site first thing in the morning. Everyone had a clearly defined task, and we could get to work. We worked our way through the offices step by step, so that the different parts of the space began to connect visually as the installation went on.

The whole installation took us about seven hours. During that time, we not only put in the new plants, but also removed the old greenery, cleaned the original structures and prepared the built-in trough planters for continued use.

You can find more office projects and a look behind the scenes on our Instagram @dejmipokojovku .