This Is the Unexpected Tool Every Aspiring Indoor Plant Parent Absolutely Needs
One of the main reasons I’ve never become an indoor plant person is that my apartment doesn’t get much natural light. OK, also because I’m terrified of killing them (I think I’d grow an emotional attachment to them) and also because of my lack of patience. However, when I see pictures of homes with a sundry of greenery, I feel a little pang of “what if?”
While I can improve my patience and somewhat embarrassing attachment to inanimate objects (although plants are arguably more alive than stuffed animals), that takes time. And while at first, you might think finding natural light in an essentially windowless kitchen would take even longer, think again!
When I saw the flourishing flora in illustrator and tattoo artist Elizabeth Lai’s (who goes by Ze) eclectic Brooklyn apartment, everything I thought about being a plant parent was turned on its head. “There are only northwest-facing windows on one side of the apartment, so it can get quite dim throughout the living room,” Ze explained at the time of the tour.
The current setup wasn’t conducive to growing plants, and that was something on Ze’s bucket list. “One of my goals has been to develop a green thumb, so I needed a solution for the light issue,” she said. “The solution was some plant lights off Amazon and a lot of Command strips.”
A $32 Grow Light Strip Helped These Plants Thrive
The $32 light strips (they come in a pack of four!) and some inexpensive Command strips were the key to achieving Ze’s indoor gardening goals. Now, Ze not only has several stunning (and thriving!) plants but eight herbs, which she likely uses while cooking delicious meals in her spacious kitchen. Now that’s what I call farm-to-table!
What I also love about the lights is that they’re slim enough not to be distracting and provide warmth that’s not the dreaded overhead light (sorry, hot take, I know!). The lighting strips create a cozy ambiance in Ze’s kitchen and are a tool that promotes successfully-growing plants. I’m so convinced that I’m planning to order a pack for my apartment.
This isn’t the only gorgeous room in Ze’s apartment. To see more, visit the full House Tour.