Moss art is one of the simplest ways of creating a green visual impact in an internal space like an office or even in your own home.
The simplicity of how it is designed, built, and installed means that it comes at a fraction of the price of a full living wall (like this system, for example), and whilst you don’t get the same ecological benefits that having soil and plants together gives, you do get to enjoy the effect of having nature close by – also known as the ‘biophilia effect’ which describes our innate connection with nature.
There is a myriad of benefits associated with living and working in proximity to nature. It is in fact proven that having views of green restores cognitive abilities (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989) and decreases mental fatigue (van den Berg et al., 2007).
Whilst speaking to our customers, we’ve noticed the same questions coming up around including moss art in interior designs, so we thought it would be useful to have them answered all on one page.
The top 7 questions around moss art we get asked the most are:
- How much does a moss panel weigh?
- How much does a moss wall cost?
- What is the lead time?
- Are there different types of moss?
- Does moss provide any environmental or ecological benefits?
- Does moss art need maintenance or irrigation?
- Is supplementary lighting required for a moss wall?
Let’s get stuck in:
How much does a moss panel weigh?
Moss panels are a completely different product to living walls, with no soil or water, which means they are significantly lighter. The weight ranges from around 5kg – 8kg per square metre, depending on what the backing board (that the moss is fixed to) is made of. For example, you can have a composite panel or a plywood panel which alters the weight.
How much does a moss wall cost?
To have your bespoke piece of moss art supplied and installed, you’re looking in the region of £350 – £550 per square metre. This is dependant on the type of moss you go for (which we cover later on), and the complexity of your design.
What is the lead time?
Moss is usually held in stock in the most popular colours, and lead time should be around 2 weeks. If the design or install process is a more involved, then you may want to allow a couple of weeks on top of that. To get a more accurate timeline, please do get in touch with us.
Are there different types of moss?
There are three main types of moss available, although within those options there are lots of opportunities to customise to your preferred aesthetic.
The three types of moss:
Flat Moss
Also known as carpet or sheetmoss, this type is as it sounds, giving a sheet-like coverage and growing evenly and flat. Flat moss is the most basic kind of moss at the first price point, and offers a good backdrop for the other moss types like bun or reindeer (the photo above is a good example of using flat moss as a backdrop to the more 3D bun moss).
Reindeer moss
The name ‘reindeer moss’ comes from its shrub like appearance with its branching segments of the lichen, and sits in the middle price range. Reindeer moss has a much more open and airy texture, offering a more fun, bouncy effect, which is ideal if you want something more 3D than flat moss.
Bun moss
Sitting at the top end of the price range, bun moss comes in different shades of green and is the most 3D of all the options, also known as ‘cushion’ or ‘pillow moss’ for that reason. This is often used to create a contour or stand-out element on a backdrop of flat moss, which certainly gives great visual appeal.
Colours
The most common colour for moss is the natural green, but some manufactures offer up to 20 different shades to pick from. These range from blues, oranges, paler shades, brighter greens and yellows. This means you can create a stronger contrast within your moss art with colour if you’d rather not rely on mixing moss types. This makes moss art a great advertising or branding tool for your company.
Does moss provide any environmental or ecological benefits?
Preserved moss is neither dead nor living but rather a dormant product that has been preserved using an environmentally friendly process. Unlike a living wall it doesn’t provide the same ecological benefits as there is no soil, and no live plants, however it has been proven that adding biophilic elements to your environment does improve health and well-being, increases positivity and happiness, and in a work environment it has been proven to increase productivity and energy levels.
Does moss art need maintenance or irrigation?
Moss doesn’t need irrigation or maintenance, it’s a preserved product so there is nothing there that needs to be looked after, or nothing living that needs to be kept alive. It really is a hassle-free solution!
Is supplementary lighting required for a moss wall?
Moss doesn’t require any additional lighting; it’s perfectly at home in any environment with any kind of lighting you have there. You can use architectural lighting to highlight certain areas or contours of the design, however it is not required to keep the moss healthy and looking great.
You’ve probably now got a good idea of how the steps to creating your moss art are really quite simple!
Otherwise, if you’d like top take one step further to creating your own piece of moss art, please do get in touch at enquiries@ans.global, or give us a call on +44 1243 545818.