Choosing Planters for a Restaurant Terrace or Business

For a restaurant terrace or business entrance, choose a set of planters that match in shape and colour, are frost resistant with a drainage hole, and are large enough to stay put through the whole season. With a custom order, a company logo can even be worked into the mosaic.

Why do restaurants and businesses choose mosaic planters?

A terrace or entrance is often the first thing a guest or client sees. A set of planters with hand laid mosaic adds colour and character without feeling over the top. Each piece is handmade: the tesserae, small hand cut pieces of glass, are laid and grouted one by one, inspired by the Egyptian mosaic tradition that the name Masr, Arabic for Egypt, refers to. No two planters turn out exactly alike, and small colour variation or slight unevenness is simply a mark of real handwork, not a flaw. For a hospitality terrace or business entrance that works surprisingly well: the planters read as a coherent set, yet never look mass produced.

What size planter suits a terrace or entrance?

The right size depends on where the planter will stand and what will grow in it.

• Along a narrow terrace or a row against a facade, compact bowls often work better than tall pots: they take up less space and keep the line clean.

At a wide entrance or driveway, larger pots stand out. For more on sizing and symmetry in that kind of setup, see large pots for a driveway; the collection runs up to amphorae of around 120 centimetres, a strong focal point near an entrance.

• Planting an olive tree, a palm or another larger plant, choose a pot sized to the root ball so the plant does not need repotting every season.

When in doubt between two sizes, go slightly larger: a plant keeps growing, a pot does not.

Can you order planters with a company logo for multiple locations?

Yes. Working a company logo into the mosaic is one of the most requested custom options, including for a whole series of matching planters across several locations. For how that process works, from design to the final pattern in glass, see our article on a logo in mosaic for businesses. Colour, shape and size follow the same logic, tuned to your house style or the mood of the building. A custom piece typically takes six to ten weeks from approval to delivery, with progress photos along the way, so you know what to expect.

What should an outdoor terrace planter be able to handle?

Terracotta and other ceramics are porous materials: they breathe and moisture evaporates faster than through plastic, which helps prevent root rot. Compared with plastic pots, a well maintained ceramic planter is also often the more durable choice over the long run, see the general guidance from Milieu Centraal on sustainable material choices for garden and terrace. Not every terracotta pot is frost resistant, though. For year round outdoor use, including on a terrace that cannot be moved indoors in winter, choose a frost resistant pot with a drainage hole so water never sits at the bottom. During a hard freeze it is worth keeping an eye on the forecast, for instance via KNMI, and standing the pot on small feet so it is not in direct contact with a frozen terrace. For the right layering with drainage and potting soil, see our article on the right layers against root rot.

How does ordering several planters at once work?

The collection starts at around €135 per piece, with larger sizes available on request and quote. For a series for a restaurant terrace or business premises, request a no obligation quote; a proposal for quantity, size and colour typically follows within two working days. Delivery covers the Netherlands and Belgium, right up to where the planters will stand. For inspiration on combining heights, colours and groups of pots on a terrace, take a look at styling pots on your terrace. You can browse the full collection on the homepage.