At least when I do not own them, plants are living things. They grow, and they need space to do so. But the pots we put our plants in aren't up for the task. Made of clay or plastic, they do not grow alongside the plants they are designed to house.
It's time to take a different approach to the humble plant pot, says designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso. As an alternative to the rigid and unalterable pots that are in most of our houses, she has created the Fold Pot: a pot that grows along with the plant inside it. (Pizzolorusso, on her part, seems obsessed with folding designs: She is also the designer behind this Crumpled City Map.)
Designed for Zincere, the Fold Pot is made of silicone. Fitting your plant almost like a sock, you start out by folding the upper portion down over the rest of the pot like a cuff. As the plant grows, you simply unfold the edges to make the pot bigger and top it up with soil.
There's another cute design advantage to the Fold Pot's design. While most pots require that you decide ahead of time whether you want a drainage hole or not, the Fold Pot has a hole at the bottom that can be easily cut out to drain the plant.
It's great design. Although the Fold Pot looks very much like a regular pot, it has numerous advantages over the clay or terracotta models you pick up at your local Home Depot. It's flexible, unbreakable, and expandable. Available in three colors--terracotta orange, white, and black--about the only thing you can say against the Fold Pot is that they aren't cheap: a set of three will cost you around $87.