Home for Aphid Hunters
DESIGN: Natalia Markowicz
Poland
make me! 2025
“Home for Aphid Hunters” is a shelter for beneficial insects that support natural plant protection. The design was inspired by observations and conversations with staff at the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden, who had been adapting terracotta pots as hanging shelters. This form better suits the needs of species like earwigs, ladybugs, and lacewings. The project is tailored to both insects and gardeners – it allows for easy installation, cleaning, and litter replacement. Made of durable stoneware, it includes an aluminum insert at the base that prevents the filling from falling out, and custom holes for hanging with jute ropes. Its flower-like form, inspired by a plant growing in the Garden, blends harmoniously into the natural environment. The design combines gardeners’ practical knowledge with contextual research, promoting interspecies cooperation, biodiversity, and environmental responsibility. It is intended for botanical gardens, educational spaces, and home gardens.
Home for Aphid Hunters, design: Natalia Markowicz / from designer’s archive
Home for Aphid Hunters, design: Natalia Markowicz / from designer’s archive
Home for Aphid Hunters, design: Natalia Markowicz / from designer’s archive
Home for Aphid Hunters, design: Natalia Markowicz / from designer’s archive
Natalia Markowicz
A designer with a background in product and visual communication design (Faculty of Design, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw), currently deepening her expertise in Human-Machine Interaction at SWPS University. She focuses on digital product design, drawing on her experience in service design. She’s particularly interested in systemic design as a way to create a more understandable, sustainable, and friendly world—both online and offline. For her, design is a mindset and a way of understanding the world. In her personal work, she often draws on local themes, inspired by Polish landscapes, traditions, and crafts. She combines cultural reflection with a hands-on design approach, always considering the relationship between product, environment, and user.
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