Our second bedroom turned home office in our Oakland rental was a plain white box. Natural light was minimal — we stared directly into our neighbors’ kitchen — so it wasn’t a welcome space for our house plants. But without them, the room felt sterile and lifeless. 

Inspired by Tay Nakamoto (@taybeepboop), I designed and built a plant wall that wrapped around half the room. The shape was sketched directly on the wall freehand, then built out by cutting artificial boxwood panels to follow the organic outline and nailing them in place. From there, faux ferns, wisteria, calla lilies, poppies, and trailing vines were woven throughout to break up the flat texture and make it feel more like a living wall. 

The center mirror was thrifted — designing around the mirror was intentional. Not only does it reflect light from the windows opposite, it makes the wall feel larger and the installation more dynamic. The yellow fluted side table was made by hand.

DIY project. Oakland, CA. 2023.