Root System: Ceramic Plant Funnels from Alicja Patanowska

Polish artist and designer Alicja Patanowska spent a year collecting discarded drinking glasses on London streets to study their shapes. The result is her Plantation collection: ceramic funnels that fit snugly into glass rims, creating hydroponic growing environments. It's a beautiful way to sprout seeds or root cuttings—and a compelling reason to recycle.

"Use a glass you don't need anymore, top it with one of the four Plantation shapes, and enjoy your own mini-farm," says Patanowska.

Four sizes and shapes of ceramic Plantation funnels fit drinking glasses or serve as bases for mini-greenhouses under glass cloches.

Available at shops including Merci in Paris, MoMA Store in New York, and Barbican Shop in London.

Porcelain Seed Tray (7.5 cm high, 10-inch diameter) at Merci for €29.

The handmade ceramic funnel collection debuted at the 2015 London Design Festival.

Patanowska, a graduate of the Ceramics & Glass program at London's Royal College of Art, lives and works in London and Warsaw.

For more stylish hydroponics, see our guides to windowsill herb kits and Terra Hydro by 10¹².