Biophilic interiors are everywhere. Desks covered in plants. Kitchens turning into indoor jungles. The appeal is obvious: people want a closer connection to nature indoors. The reality is less romantic. Soil spills, fungus gnats, fertilizer smells, and the constant obligation to water something before it dies.
That friction is exactly what the Izestee is trying to remove.
Designed by Yunyi Zheng, Izestee is a desktop aeroponic plant ecosystem that grows plants suspended in mid-air. No soil. No pots. No traditional watering. Instead, the roots are nourished with a fine, nutrient-rich mist inside a transparent chamber, making the growth process fully visible from seed to bloom.
The system is built around three main components: a clear root chamber, a planting panel with seven individual baskets for germination, and an adjustable full-spectrum light. Seeds sit in the baskets above, while roots grow downward into open air, periodically hydrated by mist. This aeroponic approach keeps roots oxygen-rich and eliminates the mess that usually comes with indoor plants.
The transparent chamber isn’t just a technical feature. It turns plant growth into something you actually notice. Roots expand, branch, and thicken in real time, turning what’s normally hidden into part of the object’s visual appeal.
Izestee also pulls double duty as a passive humidifier. Excess mist naturally escapes the chamber, subtly increasing ambient humidity in the room. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated humidifier, but it’s a useful side effect—especially in dry indoor environments.
Lighting is handled in two layers. Inside the chamber, integrated LEDs offer three lighting modes with adjustable brightness and color temperature, shifting from dynamic daytime cycles to calmer nighttime tones. These settings are controlled via a tactile button on the front of the unit.
Once plants grow above the planting panel, an external adjustable arm takes over. The full-spectrum light can tilt and bend to accommodate different plant heights, while also functioning as a desk lamp or night light when needed.
Temperature is regulated internally by a built-in heating system capable of maintaining up to 45°C. A small LED display on the front shows real-time temperature data, with manual controls nearby for fine-tuning.
The result is a compact, self-contained growing system that removes most of the friction that keeps people from maintaining indoor plants. No soil to manage. No daily watering routine. No visual clutter. Just a controlled micro-environment where growth happens in plain sight.
Izestee isn’t about turning your home into a greenhouse. It’s about making plant care visible, contained, and low-effort enough that even the plant-curious—or the chronically lazy—might finally stick with it.
