From showroom to factory floor: how we built something new with JDD
- May 12
- 3 min read
Some collaborations take time to find their shape. This one took about five minutes.
When we walked into JDD's London showroom during the 2025 Clerkenwell Design Week, we knew straight away. The craftsmanship, the thinking behind every piece, the sheer ambition of what Joe and James have built since founding the company, all pointed in the same direction we've been heading. We looked at their plantable furniture and saw something that could be so much more. And we think they saw the same in us.
Within weeks, we were deep in conversation. Within months, we were at their factory.
Two proud Birmingham businesses, one shared vision
There's something special about two Birmingham-founded companies finding each other. Joe and James built JDD with a clear belief: that furniture should do more than fill a space. It should enhance it, reflect the people in it, and stand the test of time. Their story as founders, the passion, the graft, the refusal to compromise on quality, was genuinely inspiring to our own founding team. It's the kind of origin story that makes you want to build something together.
At Visionary Farms, we've always believed that great design and thriving greenery should be inseparable. Not an either/or. Not a compromise. Both, fully realised, in the same piece.
That shared belief is the foundation of everything we've built together.
Inside the factory
Our visit to JDD's factory in November was one of those days that remind you why this work matters. Seeing the fabrics, the production process, and the care that goes into every detail, it reinforced exactly why this partnership felt right from the start. The Visionary Farms team came away buzzing. Multiple site visits followed, working closely with JDD's design team to brainstorm, refine, and push the concept further. Their team, dynamic and genuinely excited by what we were exploring together, brought an energy to the process that made every session better.
A new generation of plantable furniture
The result of all that collaboration is something we're incredibly proud of. We've been working together to integrate our smart grow lighting technology into JDD's already popular Ferne planter, making it smarter, more versatile, and more capable than ever.
Every piece in the collection comes with everything needed to grow plants successfully, built right in. The smart grow lighting, with its integrated sensors, monitors the environment in real time and connects directly to our app, so the guesswork is completely removed from plant care. Light levels, humidity, temperature, the system tracks it all and tells you exactly what your plants need to thrive. It's available in a range of colours and configurations, so it works within any interior scheme without compromise.
Live plants, anywhere. Finally.
Why it matters: the case for plants in the workplace
The evidence for biophilic design in the workplace has never been stronger. Study after study confirms what many of us feel intuitively, being around plants is good for us.
15% | 47% |
increase in productivity reported in workplaces enriched with plants (Human Spaces, 2015) | reduction in reported fatigue among workers in plant-enriched offices (University of Exeter) |
58% | 38% |
of employees feel greater wellbeing when their workspace includes natural elements (Fellowes Workplace Wellness Trend Report) | reduction in anxiety and tension reported in plant-enriched working environments (University of Exeter) |
The challenge has always been implementation. Dark offices, complex maintenance, plants that die quietly in a corner, these are the barriers that have held biophilic design back from its full potential. That's exactly what our technology is designed to solve. And with JDD's furniture as the vehicle, we're bringing that solution into spaces where people spend their days.
Come and see it at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026
We're unveiling three unique plantings at CDW 2026, each one a different expression of what this collaboration can do. Never-before-seen configurations, brought to life by the combination of JDD's extraordinary craft and Visionary Farms' technology.
We are so proud of what we've built together, and genuinely excited about where this goes next. This is just the beginning.
Come and find us at the show. We'd love to show you in person.
JDD - Clerkenwell Design Showroom Location:
Thackery Court, 75A Turnmill St, London EC1M 5SY
