Wall of mini terra-cotta pots

Photo: Martha Williams

WALLFLOWER When Fabio Sorano and his mother, Letizia, moved into their just-opened second restaurant space, Letizia’s Fiore (2456 N California Ave, 773-342-4400), they had two governing design elements on their minds: one, the fact that the building where the restaurant resides is shaped like a flower box and features flower-inspired imagery on the exterior walls, and two, a desire to re-create the warmth of the clay tiles that form the foundation of their other restaurant, Enoteca Roma/Letizia’s. “The designer’s idea is that the people are the flowers,” Sorano says. Designer Louis Acerra’s solution? Make a wall of mini terra-cotta pots. For the frame, he created a wire mesh wall with hollow squares just large enough to hold the pots in place. (The Soranos aren’t planning to fill the pots with anything, but they are growing vegetables for the restaurant on the roof.) Inspired to bring the outside indoors, too? Create a room divider by lining a prefab bookcase, such as the IVAR shelving ($73 at ikea.com) with dozens of planters from Home Depot, or simply display a few on a wall shelf to get the organic effect.

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