"Your light will always be too bright for someone." I read this quote recently and it really resonated with me. It's definitely true for people - but also for interior design! That's why I love to shake things up a little and try to feature a variety of different Scandi-inspired styles - so there's something for everyone! While yesterday's white
Danish summer cottage was about a simple, pared-back way of life with an interior designed to take a back stage to the great outdoors, today's home tour is about bringing nature indoors, and creating a wonderful, relaxed, oasis in the heart of the city!
Lifestyle photographer
Caroline Reichel lives in the greenest district of Berlin with her partner and two cats. Her apartment may be small but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for it in plants!
As someone who wishes they had more plants, I couldn't resist catching up with Caroline for some green-fingered tips!
How would you describe your home?
We have a small, two room apartment in an old building with over 100 plants - a small urban jungle!
What do you love most about filling your home with greenery?
I love to surround myself with plants - they calm me down. Plants grow with me and it's like one big green family. Also, I love the jungle. When I travel, I always go where it is especially green. Now I have my personal little jungle at home and I love it.
Do they require a lot of care?
I look after my plants two to three times a week. It's part of my morning routine. I find it very relaxing and a bit like meditating.
I love how this climber has been trained up and around a mirror!
Do you have any tips for anyone looking to acquire more house plants?
There are some plants that are very easy to care for and grow quickly - like
Devils Ivy. In general, I can say it's better to water plants too little than too much.
That's so interesting! I've found that the plants I've given up on and just shove out in the back yard to fend for themselves, always seem to thrive ! It makes sense now.
Do you have a favourite plant?
I love all of them, but my favourite ones are climbing plants (philodendron) and one of my most beautiful plants, I think, is the
Anthurium Crystallinum.
Finally, your cats seem very happy at home! How do you manage your plants to ensure they do not cause any harm?
I pay a lot of attention to where I place my plants - and whether or not my cats show an interest in them (particularly if they are poisonous). With my cats, it works wonders to position the plants a little higher.
I am especially careful with plants that have smaller leaves, for example some ficus plants. They arouse more interest in our cats than plants with larger leaves. The Dragon tree (palm-like) is out of the question for us because our cats confuse it with cat grass because of its narrow leaves - and it's poisonous.
Thank you Caroline!
I need to head straight out to a nursery this afternoon and pick out some new house plants. Seeing Caroline's home makes me realise just how much greenery is missing from my own. Do you feel the same?
Even though I don't have a pet (actually that's not strictly true - we do have a hamster named Dexter), I was really interested in what Caroline had to say about how to manage plants around cats. So important, don't you think?
If you'd love to look at more plant inspiration today, you might like to check out more pictures of Caroline's Berlin home
here. And there's a ton more 'green' inspiration to be found in the
plant archive!
Speaking of greenery, I spent the day photographing a brunch setting in my small back garden yesterday for Danish brand Georg Jensen. It was so much fun - but being more of an interior photographer I always forget the challenges of outdoor photography - from the changing light and insects to rain showers and pigeon pooh! Even so, I can't wait to share the results with you soon!
Niki
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