Planted for Spring

An admittedly minor benefit to the pandemic of 2020 is being commanded to enjoy the comforts of home for an unprecedented run of time.

Those joys might include comfort foods, comfort furniture, and extra time with family, pets…and plants.

What's that? You haven't considered the emotional benefit of extra time with your indoor plants? Perhaps a little advice on the matter would help.

Plants, according to interior designer Lucile Glessner, "have an amazing ability to make you feel connected to nature and feel healthier, especially for those of us who spend so much time indoors."

With those words, the South Bay-based designer related to Adriene Biondo for the latter's story in the new Spring ‘20 issue of CA-Modern magazine, ‘Houseplants to Love.'

"With an endless range of textures, sculptural shapes, and colorful leaves, plants can help define a personal space, whether it's large or small," writes Biondo, an architectural restoration consultant and the Eichler owner most responsible for her Balboa Highlands neighborhood being designated an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone by the City of Los Angeles.

In writing her story, Adriene said recently, "I was really made aware of how much plants make a home lush and livable, and contribute to our sense of well-being. The feeling in a room is enhanced so much with the addition of plants."

The Spring CA-Modern celebrates planting season with not one but two flora features by Biondo, including a sidebar compilation of her favorite plants for mid-century modern decorating divided by needed lighting levels.

"There are literally countless ways to display plants, and many variations that can complement architecture and furnishings, so every view you have of a room accented with plants becomes a design consideration," writes Biondo. Several of her sources emphasize furthermore that a plant's setting in home or garden can dramatically influence its design contribution.