Plant Friends, I wanted to write this short blog to let you know about an adorable Airbnb I stayed in for the month that I was in Los Angeles. This little bohemian Jungalow style studio has brought me planty joy in addition to being in a super convenient location in Hollywood (right around the corner from The Pantages Theater, where Cats was performing).

You enter the apartment with a small entry hall of funky gold palm frond wallpaper and a sign that says “good vibes only”. It’s so inviting and a wonderful way to set the tone for the space.

Photo: Chelsea Traille

A partial wall separates the kitchen with a keyhole through it. It is stocked with every spice and kitchen appliance you might need. I was particularly thankful for the nutri-ninja high powered blender provided, which I used to make my bulletproof coffee every morning.

One of my favorite sections of the apartment is what I called the “plant corner”: a custom installation that Coco, the owner, did that includes little twinkle lights behind the wooden wall. At night, turning them on and enjoying the whimsical twinkle lights definitely made for a relaxing space to unwind in.

Photo: Chelsea Traille

Speaking of unwinding… my absolutely FAVORITE part of the apartment was… the bathroom! She created some SERIOUS jungle vibes by wallpapering the entire bathroom with gorgeous planty wallpaper that had me in heaven. I would light some Palo Santo, draw a lavender epsom salt bath in the deep soaking tub and unwind looking up at the planty wallpaper at least three times a week. (At least once a week… this also involved a nice glass of wine).

The apartment comes with a murphy bed, which ended up being one of the most fun parts of my stay! I loved the ritual of opening the bed at night to prepare to go to sleep, and then putting it away in the morning. It was such a lovely way to signal to myself that it was time to wind down for bed, and then when I woke up, a great way to tell myself “ok, beds away, time to go to WERK!” The bed itself is also one of the most comfortable that I’ve slept on, and the bedding was so soft, I asked Coco for the link to the sheets she used so I could buy some for my apartment!

Another planty thing I love is how Coco styled her plants in the house. The apartment didn’t get a ton of direct sunlight, but she wanted to create an urban jungle look, so she mixed living, hardy, low light tolerant plants (like pothos, philodendron, calathea and peperomia) with fake plants! I’ve never seen this done before, and at first was a bit skeptical… but honestly, it’s brilliant! She didn’t have the light for a fiddle leaf fig or succulents or the moisture for ferns (especially because this is primarily an Airbnb apartment, so she doesn’t have complete control over the care for her plants) but wanted the visual effect of having them, so mixing the living and fake plants really elevated the look of the place, without bringing home living plants that couldn’t thrive in her place. Another smart way she managed having living plants in her apartment while not being there to water them during rental periods was using terracotta watering spikes in many of the pots.

terracotta watering spikes help an airbnb host have live plants that stay hydrated, without needing to ask guests to water for them!

If you are looking for a planty, cozy, funky place to stay while visiting LA, check this link out to view the listing! I also have a pinned story on my instagram of a little tour I did.

If you're looking for an interior designer to bring your jungalow dreams to life, @chelseatraille of A Life Styled designed this apartment!

Keep blooming and keep growing, Plant Friends!

If you are looking for planty places to visit while in LA, I highly recommend checking out my plant friend, @workhardplanthard ‘s planty places blog ! For me, Folia Collective and Mickey’s are must see plant shops, and the Huntington Botanical Garden is pure magic!

Want to learn more about houseplants? Check out my podcast, Bloom and Grow Radio, on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify… and pretty much any other podcast player you might prefer!