Have you dreamed of creating a calm and cozy spot at home to relax and recharge, but don鈥檛 think you can spare the space?
You don鈥檛 need a 鈥渕an cave,鈥� 鈥渟he shed鈥� or even a whole room to retreat to. Just one corner will do.
One corner, warm lighting, a cozy chair and some plants, says interior and plant stylist Hilton Carter, who specializes in 鈥渘ature nooks鈥� 鈥� tiny wellness sanctuaries that calm the mind, body and spirit.
Carter has hosted plant-forward specials for HBO and PBS, launched a plant and accessories line with Target and authored six books (his most recent is 鈥淯nfurled: Designing a Living Home.鈥�)
Nature nooks, he says, improve a home emotionally as well as aesthetically.
Carter, 46, found himself leaning toward plants a decade ago. 鈥淚 was feeling overwhelmed by the hustle and grind working as a freelance filmmaker in Los Angeles when a project took me to Glen Mills, Pennsylvania,鈥� he said.
There, he popped into a garden-themed caf茅.
鈥淚 was all knotted up, and I walked in there and felt a change. It felt like a vacation,鈥� he said.
Not long after, Carter moved to New Orleans and bought a fiddle-leaf fig tree he named Frank. 鈥淚 was at a crossroads in life, which all of us face, and I faced it with this plant,鈥� he said, adding that he made a vow to love it and keep it alive. 鈥淓verything I鈥檝e accomplished since then was all due to that moment.鈥�
A nature nook doesn’t need a lot of plants
Today, Carter, who lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children, has roughly 150 plants at home and another 200 or so in his studio, including Frank, now 14 feet tall. But creating a nature nook with as few as five plants can reap emotional benefits, he said.
Before buying any plants, choose your site, Carter said.
鈥淭here is no minimum or maximum size鈥� for a nature-nook corner, he says. The important thing is 鈥渉ow lush you decide to make it.鈥�
Next, assess lighting. 鈥淚f one side of the corner has a nice-size window and it gets southern-facing light for eight hours of the day, there are particular plants that you could go wild with that could thrive in that light,鈥� Carter said.
鈥淏ut let鈥檚 say you have a north-facing window on one wall and it鈥檚 a standard-size window. You probably will want to bring in artificial light.鈥�
Don’t get just any grow lights, though.
鈥淔ind those companies that make beautiful grow bulbs. Some have two-color tones, some (replicate) daylight and others make warmer lights鈥� that make the space inviting but still help plants thrive, Carter said.
If relying on natural light, consider the seasons. 鈥淚t may be brighter in the winter because all the leaves on the trees are gone, but in summer that鈥檚 a whole different situation.鈥�
Assess your light and bring that information to a plant shop for guidance.
A comfortable place to sit
Bring in 鈥渟ome sort of accent chair facing whatever direction is going to provide you with joy: facing out the window, where the joy is having that sun caress your face, or facing in if you鈥檙e reading,鈥� Carter said.
Select plants realistically.
鈥淏e self-aware about your ability to care for plants,鈥� Carter said. Your nook might start out looking lush and beautiful, but if you don’t take the time to care for the plants, it will look terrible and uninviting within weeks.
Personalize your nature nook
When creating nature nooks for clients, Carter asks them about their favorite vacations or where they spent honeymoons or anniversaries, because bringing in plants from those places can trigger happy memories.
鈥淭hink about your happy place,鈥� Carter advised. 鈥淕et a sense of what you want to replicate and where you want to be transported to.”
A nature nook is an 鈥渆scape from the chaos of the world,鈥� he said.
When choosing plants, consider their foliage and how they look together. The glossiness of a burgundy Ficus elastica next to a Monstera 鈥楾hai Constellation,鈥� for instance, is striking, he says.
鈥淏ut if you met your wife in the Pacific Northwest and you鈥檙e looking to create a look that鈥檚 similar to that, you鈥檙e going to get your more shaded plants — ferns, Norfolk pines, things that refer back to that space,鈥� he said.
And don鈥檛 overlook pots. A beautiful terracotta planter that fits the space鈥檚 vibe will evoke emotion and set the mood of the nook.
Some practical concerns
Consider how tall plants will grow, and how high the ceilings and windows are.
Carter also advises being mindful of the type of flooring. “Use planters that will protect the floor鈥� in case water drains out.
Toxicity is another important matter. 鈥淒o you have pets? Do you have kids? What kinds of plants will thrive and keep them safe?鈥� he said.
Enjoying your nook
Once your nature nook is in place, create a routine. Maybe drink your morning coffee there or read there in the evenings. Using the space regularly can be transformative, Carter said.
鈥淚鈥檓 much more patient, more kind, considerate and I鈥檓 a better listener because of plants,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 entirely a more loving individual than before.鈥�
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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt 海角社区appletter. You can sign up for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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