Enjoying the benefits of bringing real nature indoors through moss wall art is something really special to experience and more and more people are introducing preserved moss interior décor into their homes, biophilic offices, hotels, restaurants, shops…
As the demands increases, more and more preserved moss suppliers from all over the world are on the outreach with their offerings. We as moss artists feel the responsibility to ensure the materials used are not hurting the environment and are sustainably harvested and preserved.
At Ninfa Studio we’re driven by quality and respect for the environment. We’ve made the conscious choice of not preserving natural elements ourselves, we only want to use materials that are sustainably harvested and preserved. Also, we believe that everyone has their own expertise that ensures the quality and durability of the materials through sustainable practices that should be done by ad-hoc professional factories.
Throughout our journey into the world of preserved moss art, we’ve gone through a pretty strict selection of suppliers that provide premium quality products and sustainable practices. We’ve inquired about how the moss was harvested and preserved and have chosen several suppliers - all based in Europe, like us - that satisfied our sustainability requirements.
Let us share some interesting findings on how the moss and plants that make your beautiful moss wall are harvested in a way that respects the animals and the environment.
SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING
Some types of mosses, especially reindeer moss (which is actually a lichen) naturally grow in the northern, artic lands and serve as critical food for several animals like reindeers, mooses, caribou and musk oxes. They have a very slow growth rate and due to the nature of the lichens (they can’t be grown for harvesting purposes like other plants), their harvesting process has to be carefully planned.
Sustainable harvesting is done in a patchwork grid where no more than 20% is picked at a time and those areas are left to re-grow for 5 years before being picked again.
SUSTAINABLE PRESERVATION
After the moss has been harvested, the preservation process should involve only natural preservatives, dyes (like food coloring) and non-toxic, VOC-free products that wouldn’t hurt pets or kids that might inadvertently ingest a piece.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE SUSTAINABLY TREATED MOSS
Besides asking specific questions on practices and certifications from suppliers, there are some indicators that make it easier to spot unnatural preservation practices, for example, the ODOR. Preserved moss can have an odor, however when preservation has been done safely, the odor should fade quickly and naturally. If the odor is extremely strong and persistent, it’s likely that the products used for preservation were not natural.
COLOR and viscosity are other indicators. Some freshly preserved moss can still transfer color, this is absolutely normal, with time, the color of the moss used for a moss wall is going to dry and is not going to transfer much color any longer. However, low-quality preserved moss can have a color overload and appear viscous at the touch, which is a no-no for good high standards moss artists.
At Ninfa Studio we can pride ourselves on trusted suppliers that use sustainable practices and provide premium quality materials that have successfully proven to last many years bringing the freshness and calming vibes of the forest into beautiful interior spaces to be enjoyed every single day through our moss wall art, gift ideas and interior décor handicrafts.