Turning over a new leaf
There are certain design elements you can expect to see in a workplace or commercial space: Hard surfaces, utilitarian lighting, furniture and functionality. If the folks from Capital InteriorScapes are called in however, you can also count on clusters of lush green aglaonema, towering ficus and verdant palms.
Interior landscapers Gregg and Karen McGowan, founders and owners of Capital InteriorScapes, along with their niece, Gina Butera, are on a mission to bring the outside in and chances are you’ve wandered by their work. Together they create and maintain dynamic indoor live plant displays, contemporary moss walls and seasonal arrangements and in area building lobbies, doctor offices, shopping centers and private companies throughout the Capital Region.
Humans have been integrating plants into their homes for thousands of years. Wealthy Egyptians, Greeks and Romans incorporated houseplants in their sprawling estates and lavish courtyards. Potted plants became increasingly common during the Victorian era and were more recently embraced by millennials with a penchant for macrame. The popularity of houseplants really grew during the pandemic as homeowners sought to create a warm, lively environment to de-stress and connect to nature.
Houseplants are household companions, but outside of our personal digs, plants can provide visual relief from the sterility of stark commercial spaces, Karen McGowan said. Beyond aesthetics, plants can improve our environment and our mood.
“We have an innate connection to nature,” she said. “It’s not just that it’s beautiful, it’s that it’s alive.”
Starting from a seed
The McGowans business sprouted slowly. Gregg was a landscaper who worked on homes across his native Long Island. Karen, an art major, worked as a chef for a stint before entering the world of floral design.
“I went from smelling like garlic to smelling like roses overnight,” she laughed.
The couple met at an indoor landscaping company in Connecticut and then relocated to the Capital Region where they managed the interiorscape department for a local nursery for more than 16 years. In 2013, they decided it was time to turn over a new leaf and grow independently.
The greenery they install isn’t like the garden variety plants sourced from the local home improvement store. They work with a broker in Florida who acts as a personal shopper and selects the palms, dracaena and anything else on their list. The delicate load is delivered to a small climatecontrolled warehouse based in Ballston Spa. The McGowans, Butera and a few part-time workers receive shipments of philodendron and pothos and other exotic and tropical plants. The team installs, waters, prunes and dusts each pot or display for their 100-plus clients on a weekly or biweekly basis.
“It’s such a privilege to work with beauty,” Karen said. “The plants are alive and you build a relationship with them.”
Capital InteriorScapes constructs their landscapes with an emphasis on biophilic design, an approach to architecture focused on connecting building occupants to the natural environment to reduce stress, boost creativity, foster connections, increase productivity and improve air quality. (A NASA study in the 1980s found that houseplants can help improve air quality by removing cancercausing chemicals like formaldehyde from the air.)
“The design process starts with a complimentary site visit to walk through the desired locations so we can select plants that will be suited to the available lighting and work with the existing decor and traffic patterns as well as recommending containers that will work with the decor,” Karen said.
The initial cost is based
on the quantity and size of the plants and containers selected, which can vary depending on style and finish. The team then creates an estimate for the initial installation cost as well as the monthly cost to service weekly.
In addition to their regular maintenance route, they’ll also replace plants if needed.
“Our plants are guaranteed and we automatically replace them if they fail to thrive or out grow the design intent,” Karen said.
Business really picks up near Christmas when the team temporarily transitions to installing indoor holiday displays. They also provide plants for events, including weddings and conferences.
Growing forth
Capital InteriorScapes will soon move to Clifton Park. After more than 20 years in interior landscape design, the McGowans are preparing to pass the trowel to Gina, their niece, who will partner with Nick Marshall and Jeff Paulsen of The Plant Hatch, a florist and plant shop, to form a new LLC to grow and expand the company’s services.
Passing the company on to Butera has been their exit strategy for some time, but the roots of the company will remain.
“Karen and Gregg have built a great business and there is a great customer base and I definitely want to expand that,” said Butera, who has a background in fashion design and will serve as chief operating officer once the two businesses merge. “I know that the potential is there. I know that they don’t want to be in charge any more but I’m excited to have them still be with us. They are the ones who are still the experts.”
The McGowans aren’t ready to hang the watering can just yet. The pair will back away from the business, but stay on to help tend to the displays, which is the most enjoyable part of what they do, they say.
“We’re ready to do baseline work. We need some youth,” Gregg laughed, adding that his old-school approach and lack of tech prowess may inevitably set them back. “The next email I send will be the first email I send. It does need generation next to infuse a new dynamic, a new approach.”
The trio digs the connections they make with clients and it’s something the McGowans will miss as they edge closer to retirement. It’s the opportunity to meet and connect with a lot of different people from different walks of life, everyone from the cleaning crew to the CEO that brings real joy.
“We get in our own little silos too easily and this is a driver to meet lots of different people,” Gregg said.
No one is every unhappy to see the plant people pop into the workplace, Karen added.
“You’re building relationships in addition to building an environment,” she said. “It’s amazing where a water bucket will get you.”