Don't try this at home. We don't know how they do it, but it's really cool. We were at Kittichai on Thompson Street on Tuesday night with the folks from Yelp!, and couldn't resist snapping pics of these mesmerized orchids...
They are fully immersed in some kind of liquid (which has to be a chemical), and they are beautifully underlit, which gives them a radiant quality.
It's a lovely idea (minus the chemicals), and we could see doing it at home in water for short periods of time. There have got to be over 100 of these bottles in the bar. Can you imagine having to change them if they go funky?
Kittichai is a beautiful place, very much a see-and-be-seen scene. Not surprisingly, it was designed by David Rockwell. They call it "a modern interpretation of poised, Thai-inspired design."
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Comments (32)
Perhaps it is glycerine?...I know you can use it to preserve flowers.
or maybe they are preserved first and then submerged in water or alcohol....preserved orchids are readily available from asia
those jars look like the ikea pasta jars
are you sure they are real? perhaps they are silk and are in water?
Don't you just love Kittichai? Great food!
My friend had a restaurant in Miami where the bar counter itself was plexiglass and filled water and silk flowers.
The water did get nasty after a bit and had to be changed often but it was not impossible. He had color changing LED lights illuminating it.
Pretty dramatic effect. Except the color changing LED lights have been used to death already.
You can actually do this with a mixture of Vinegar and Water. I don't remember the portions but I'm sure you can find it online.
Found it.
http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/ViewProductDetail-SellPage?OfferID=17332&SC=
Why do you all assume it's not just plain water? I've seen florists do this using just palin water...
plain
wow just stunning!
I do it at home with plain water, in a simple glass vase, with some large white pebbles on the bottom. I use sturdy little purple orchids that last and last. I change the water daily (very simple to do. use chilled water, sometimes add an aspirin....was told a long time ago that aspirin helps flowers last longer...don't know if that's old wife's tale or not but I do it).
I was inspired by similar orchid-in-glass-vase arrangement I saw at a beach resort. Think simple glass vase looks less clinical than the capped jars in the photos.
This type of thing has been around for years. I've got some Victorian "floral aquariums". They are done with water. I have one that sits on a base and is meant for roses. You can also make your own.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ic_other/article/0,2029,DIY_13965_2277629,00.html
They're not orchids. They're pod people. The lid stops them escaping.
Equinox Gym on the UES is another place I have seen this. They have massive glass vases that are filled with water and cut orchids, and they seem to have the budget to replace them on a constant basis. But it does not seem to last any less than other cut flower arrangements. Cut orchids, like Cymbidium, hold up very well for this. I also think that Ovando is well known for this style - I have seen callas, orchids, tropical leaves and other materials submerged in water in her arrangements. It's interesting to see how many options there are for how this could have been done!
This is a neat idea. And I don't even have to worry about killing plants/flowers!
Deb, you're so cheeky. Don't let the pod people escape!
Yeah, I start to get sick of the anti-chemical bandwagon. At least specify TOXIC chemicals if you're going to make anti statements. WATER IS A CHEMICAL COMPOUND. There are toxic and non toxic chemicals but we will never escape them all.
That said, I had a chemistry teacher come in to class one morning having found a place that sells "chemical-free beer". We finally decided that someone had to have bottled a vacuum in order for that to be true. It's starting to remind me of the "everything's got to be green" hype in that it is not always accurate, nor is it always the better thing.
Icky chemmiiicaallls!
I don't know if this is common, but I have a leaf that I put in a jar filled with water that's lasted about a year now... although I'd assume that orchids would have a shorter lifespan.
Can I get on the anti-fear of chemicals band wagon too? I'm a scientist and I'd like to point out that you too are made up of ... gasp ... chemicals.
I'd guess that a quick wash in 70% ethanol (the active ingredient in your little hand sanitizers, if they're the kind that work) and then a plunge in clean water or some glycerine (or glycerol if you're a lab person) would work in this situation.
Thankfully, there are still some sane people around here. Quit bashing chemicals. Without them, we'd still be living in caves. And ever considered how that TFT flat screen you're staring at is made? Or that motherboard and HD inside that computer you're typing on. And that's just within a feet of your surroundings.
Anne (in Reno): Maybe that person became the chemistry teacher bec they couldn't find a qualified one. I'd hate to think that's the kind teaching our kids.
My chemistry teacher used to wear a button that said "Cyanide is all-natural too."
Okay, Okay! The point is that when you take something as lovely, organic and natural as an orchid and you preserve it in toxic, nonnatural chemicals, you are preserving the beauty, but killing the plant and the life of it - as it were.
I find this contradiction unappetizing.
However, if there's a way to preserve flowers naturally, organically and nontoxically, that makes for a very different experience.
Agreed?
Loved the "chemical" discussion, though... reminds me of the stand-up comedian who talked about cigarette packaging saying "No Cholesterol!" :)
I still don't get why you assume these are submerged in anything other than water, though. Since water works.
And when you take something as lovely, organic (though not necessarily organically grown, btw) and natural as an orchid and CUT IT, regardless of what you stick it in next (Evian, formaldehyde, or water from Lourdes) the orchid is on the way to a certain deadly demise, regardless.
Which is very Buddhist, in a good way... at least I am so informed by sitegeek.
Digitalis, a naturally low fat food.
Sodium Chloride, now without trans fats!
no comment.
I wonder if there is a chemical that will preserve these....
Rather than speculate, I emailed the restaurant to ask how the orchids are preserved. We'll see if someone there has the time to reply...
Okay, Okay! The point is that when you take something as lovely, organic and natural as an orchid and you preserve it in toxic, nonnatural chemicals, you are preserving the beauty, but killing the plant and the life of it - as it were.
However, if there's a way to preserve flowers naturally, organically and nontoxically, that makes for a very different experience.
Huh? That makes absolutely no sense. You're still killing the flower by taking it and putting it in a jar submerged, no matter how toxic or non-toxic the method. Preserving it either way is killing it in an unnatural manner, no matter that it continues to look pretty for a time. How is that a different experience? The chemical thing is all in your head, I'm afraid.
Here is the answer from Kittichai:
"New York City tap water...thank you for your interest...regards..."
Original email available for inspection on request. :-)
thanks wende for finding out that the beautiful organic flowers have been submitted to a soaking in the dread chemical dihydrogen monoxide.
you rock. \m/
Hilarious
We ate there last weekend and they told me the flowers are silk and it is not real water .... would love to know what it is but they did not know