Fermo Large Planter

Designed by Jamela Alawneh for Melaaura, the Fermo large planter is a piece that occupies the space between design object and landscape architecture, a ribbed, wide-bodied fiber cement vessel whose presence in a room or garden is felt as much as seen. It is not background furniture. At 75 cm wide and 63 cm tall, it commands the scale it inhabits and earns that command through the clarity and confidence of its form.

Alawneh’s design for Fermo is rooted in the conviction that texture, when used with restraint, can do the work of ornament without any of ornament’s risk. The carved vertical grooves that run the full height of the planter’s cylindrical body are the Fermo’s defining gesture,a rhythmic articulation of the surface that catches and releases light and shadow as the day moves, giving the piece a quiet animation that a smooth surface could never achieve. Up close, the grooves reward touch; from across a room or garden, they give the silhouette a sense of depth and intention that distinguishes Fermo immediately from the flat, anonymous forms of lesser planters.

The wide mouth is generously proportioned to accommodate even the most expansive root systems, fiddle leaf figs, sago palms, olive trees, oversized monsteras, layered arrangements combining trailing and upright species without restriction or compromise. The interior depth provides optimal conditions for root development and moisture retention across seasons, while thick fiber cement walls offer the thermal stability and structural weight that keep the planter firmly rooted in exposed or high-traffic environments. Drainage can be adapted with liners or inserts depending on whether Fermo is used indoors or out.

Available in two matte finishes; White, which reads as crisp and gallery-clean, amplifying the sculptural quality of the grooves in bright light, and Ash, a deeper slate-like tone that lends the piece a more grounded, raw sophistication, the Fermo adapts across a remarkably wide range of design contexts. It is equally at home in modern minimalist interiors and lush Mediterranean gardens, in Japandi-inflected spaces and industrial atriums, beside high-end indoor furniture and anchoring open outdoor courtyards. Both finishes develop a natural patina over time that only deepens the material character of the piece without degrading its structural integrity.

The Fermo works powerfully as a standalone object, placed at the end of an architectural path, anchoring an entryway, or defining a corner that demands more than a standard pot could offer. It is equally effective in pairs flanking a threshold, or in a staggered cluster of varying sizes that creates spatial rhythm across a larger outdoor setting. In commercial environments, hospitality venues, gallery spaces, hotel lobbies, restaurant gardens, it delivers the kind of composed, material-honest presence that professional design increasingly demands.

At Niche Beverly, we carry the Fermo large planter as part of our curated selection of the world’s finest luxury furniture and accessories. Visit our Los Angeles showroom or contact us to discuss sizes, finishes, and lead times for your project.