Four Inane Questions with Fat Plant Society’s Kasey L. Riley

Photo Courtesy of Kasey L. Riley

What’s that old adage again? A rolling Kasey Riley gathers no moss? (Uh, something like that.) Seems Riley—who owns Fat Plant Society with her husband, Morten Klinte—is all about putting the literal green in your green space. For the last several years, the duo has been working tirelessly to bring nature indoors, albeit artistically. 

Besides helping design, craft, and install moss walls and living plant walls throughout the Midwest, Riley has been educating the masses about the benefits of biophilic homescapes. Per her blog, they help provide calm and other wellness benefits, including noise and air pollutant reduction. And, as she points out, that’s alongside all the mental benefits of attention restoration and focus. 

If you’ve seen any of Team Fat Plant’s texture-ific handiwork around the metro, you can definitely spy their design aesthetics. Based in KCK, their art utilizes Danish design principles of minimalism, simplicity, and functionality—all in conjunction with their connection to nature. 

We caught up with Riley in between sales calls and designs to inundate her with our inane questionnaire. By the time we left, Riley had us enrolled in some horticultural classes. Bless.  

Photo Courtesy of Kasey L. Riley

The Pitch: What’s worse, poison ivy or poison oak?

Kasey Riley: Neither! I seem to be immune to both. However, we discovered that my husband and business partner Morten Klinte is allergic to pokeweed! Given his reaction, it’s hard to comprehend that some folks eat pokeweed. 

Fun fact—Native gardening requires maintenance and care so that highly invasive and toxic weeds like poison ivy, poison oak, and pokeweed do not take over. The Missouri Department of Conservation has fantastic recommendations for low-maintenance native plants for Missouri. They wonderfully break down the types of native plants for shade or sun and provide useful tips for planting and maintaining native plants. 

If you were a famous painting, what famous painting would you be? 

I would like to be one of Monet’s water lilies, mainly because I am planning on a green burial. (It’s a thing, I swear! Look it up and get into it!) Becoming a plant or tree of any kind upon my demise is a very real possibility.  

The Green Burial Council provides loads of information on green burials. Here’s the definition from their site: “Natural burial grounds, cemeteries, and preserves all seek to bury without impediment.” That means no embalming, no liners or vaults, and the use of biodegradable containers, whether it be a wicker casket, a shroud, or nothing at all. It’s a very cool movement if you can dig it.  

What item is the most expired in your fridge right this very second?

Blue cheese stuffed olives. I buy them for my parents when they come to town. My folks and I have a tradition of stocking one another’s rooms to the hilt with all sorts of travel necessities from booze to eye drops to cortisone—uh, for when you get stung on a hike when we visit one another.  

It’s a fantastic tradition as it makes the visitors feel welcome and lets them know you have been thinking about them, including all their likes and dislikes. 

At what point do you have to fill your car up with gas before you start getting twitchy?

Photo Courtesy of Fat Plant Society’s Instagram

I’m very “Kramer” about my gas tank (for those who get that Seinfeld reference). I ignore the “fill up soon” light for as long as I can. And since most of my life is a less than six-minute drive from my house, it’s wonderfully easy to “game it” and see how long I can make one tank of gas last.  

Bonus 5th Question: What song features the best male/female duet in the history of music?

I’m going to go ahead and share the first one that comes to mind: “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee. Not only is it a killer duet, but I also challenge anyone to stay still while listening to that classic track!  

It has everything—great lyrics, a put-a-spring-in-your-step beat, fantastic vocals by both artists, and an excellent sing-along chorus. If you’ve never seen the video, find it and watch it. Elton wasn’t even 30 years old when it was recorded. It’s a charming studio video with him in a plaid jacket and Kiki sporting one heckuva pageboy haircut.  

Of course, I also have mad respect for the karaoke version of it that Elton did with RuPaul back in 1994.