Green House
Thebright Buenos Aires home of Enrico Cavaglià of IR ARQUITECTURA — also featured on NTS for his El Camarin design — was specially chosen for its plentiful natural light and open-air flow. With two balconies and plenty of windows, the 28sqm/301sqft apartment is like a little greenhouse with plants scattered throughout the interior and exterior, giving a freshness and pop of colour to the otherwise pared-back design. The large Monsteras looming over in the living room add some visual levels, while the potted plants on the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf (which Cavaglià tied down so his cat won’t knock them over) help to zone the space.
Green Thumbs
For the popular online personalities, Hige and Watsahi — also known as HIGE and ME — houseplants are a non-negotiable must-have. One look at their Tokyo apartment makes this abundantly clear, where they’ve used plants throughout to introduce a natural feeling of peacefulness. In Japan, renters are often not allowed to even paint the walls, so plants can also provide that needed pop of colour. While their plant types vary, Hige counts Staghorn ferns among their favourites.
This apartment is also featured in Apartments for Book Lovers.
Alicja Szmal-Baehr, owner and architect of Alicja Szmal Studio, loves natural materials and organic colours – and her cosy, 42sqm/452sqft apartment shows it. Amid her decor made from all-natural materials, Szmal-Baehr accented the space with plants, even using them as a privacy screen for the large living room window. The most stand-out feature, however, has got to be the “living” shelf suspended above the kitchen island, where lush Pothos pants drape down to frame the light fixture.
Biophilic Bathroom
The luscious plants placed throughout this airy art studio and home in Sydneyserve as a unifying element for the eclectic, colourful design by Nicholas Gurney. This continues into the all-white bathroom where a cluster along the end of the tub and potted plants along the windowsill add colourfulness and eccentricity. A biophilic bathroom is like an indoor oasis, relying on all the calming properties of plants to give the space a relaxed feel.
More Plant Paradises
This window-filled Amsterdam apartment provides ample light for its green wall and dangling plants.
Plants are perched on stools, shelves, and the loft of this colourful Madrid home.
Watch now: Across six 10-minute episodes, our Small Footprint series explores the philosophies and introduces the thinkers, planners, and designers that are shaping the future of our cities.
