Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Make Your Own Terrarium With Geo-Fleur @ West Elm London


So, I'm a plant killer - that's a fact. John presented me with a lovely Peace Lily on my first day of graduate studies at York and within a week, it had drooping, brown leaves and a rash of white insects that made me shriek with horror and throw it across the room after I inspected it a little too closely.

But you know what kind of plant can't be killed (or at least, not very easily)? Cacti. And succulents. Because they're desert-dwellers (duh), they hardly need any watering!

When we moved to Walthamstow, I discovered Geo-Fleur's gorgeous "urban garden" and homeware shop in Wood Street's Indoor Market, where John and I bought this beautiful bespoke terrarium and planter.

Then, I found out that Sophie, Geo-Fleur's founder, runs regular terrarium-making workshops at one of my favorite interior stores, West Elm. When she invited me to come along last week, I couldn't wait!

First, I chose my selection of cacti:


I loved this little trio as soon as I saw it across the room: not too spiky and very, very cute.

Then, after a short demonstration from Sophie (who made it look SO deceptively easy!) we got our hands dirty.



Under Sophie's watchful eye, we bent over our terraria (seriously, I looked up the plural - "terrariums" is acceptable too) in silent concentration. I think we were all very grateful for her professional opinion when things went a bit pear-shaped i.e. when I accidentally tore like, three or four fleshy leaves off my impossibly small succulent and wanted to cry. Or when I wasn't sure about my arrangement: "That's gorgeous!" Sophie said in reply when I asked what she thought.

I loved sneaking glances at other attendees' handiwork and (unsurprisingly) got terrarium envy almost immediately! Everyone offered each other support though, with the girl on my left saying encouragingly, "That looks super stable to me!" and the one to my right exclaiming, "Your's looks amazing!" as I skeptically planted my loose cacti into place. I found it to be super therapeutic, pressing down the soil and adjusting it so that my cacti would be firmly rooted and stable (there's a life metaphor in there somewhere!).

This repurposed fishbowl was one of my favorites from the evening:



Did you know? Terrariums were super trendy in the Victorian Era, when people didn't have room for outdoor gardens and decided to bring the "outside in" instead. I had no idea, until Sophie told us (afterward, I totally Wiki'd it on my way home to find out more).

Before long, I had my finished product:



And I was like a proud parent.

In the run-up to Christmas, Sophie will be holding Christmas air plant wreath workshops (plants that only need air to survive ... plus the occasional quick bath!) and more terrarium making workshops at West Elm on Tottenham Court Road. She also teaches kokedama (a Japanese moss-ball type version of bonsai) workshops at Town Hall Hotel in East London. Any of these workshops would make the ultimate Christmas or birthday present! 

Visit Geo-Fleur at No. 6, Wood Street Indoor Market, 102a Wood Street, London, E17 3HX or shop online here. Find Geo-Fleur on Instagram here and Twitter here. Special thanks to Sophie for hosting me at this fabulous terrarium workshop - all prickly opinions are my own!
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23 comments

  1. What a lovely idea for a gift! This has your name all over it, Jaime I love it! Seems like a really lovely way to spend an afternoon; I totally agree, there is something so therapeutic about working with soil, or dough!

    Lauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries

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    1. Aw, thanks, Lauren! Yes, I love it. It was such a fun workshop too! And you're right: working with soil or pounding out dough is super therapeutic! That's why I love baking so much as well.

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  2. That is so pretty! Ha, I have a low track record on houseplants also - this definitely looks like the way forward! Or maybe I could replant K's unwieldy cacti into more trendy glass & gold containers...!

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    1. Haha, you totally should, Mini! He'd love that I'm sure ... :)

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  3. I've had my eye on their products (forgot the plural of terrarium...) since you posted that instagram photo. Going on the christmas list I think!

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    1. They have some really lovely geometric planters, Hannah! I'm a fan. Great idea for Christmas presents.

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  4. This looks like such a fun class! Your terrarium is so cute!

    http://thecourtneydiaries.com

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    1. Thank you, Courtney! I had such a great time. It was fun to see everyone else's designs too and how they planted their cacti! I basically just shoved them in where they had room to go ... oops!

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  5. I love love love your terrarium Jaime! I've been quite obsessed with succulents since receiving one for my birthday this year. What a lovely gift idea and what a fun class to attend!

    Honey x The Girl Next Shore

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    1. Aw, thank you, love!!! Arent' they the best? Think I might start giving them as gifts - what a great idea! xx

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  6. I'm just glad I'm not the only plant killer among us... this is super cute!

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    1. Super plant killer, RIGHT HERE. In fact, as I type this, I worry about the non-cacti I've got at home ...

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  7. It looks lovely! What a pretty terrarium. I've been wanting to attend one of their workshops ever since I discovered Geo-Fleur. Why do I live SO FAR FROM LONDON? :)

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    1. Thank you, Charlotte!! You'll just have to schedule a trip down here sometime to take one of these workshops! I bet you would really like the kokedama class.

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  8. I'm so sad the next courses are all booked up - must keep an eye out for the new year!

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    1. Oh no! I know they are super popular, but sometimes spaces free up ... sign up to the Geo Fleur newsletter to keep updated (it's not sent that often and there is some really pretty imagery!) xx

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  9. This is actually so cool! A great project, and a great idea. Also, I'm a bit of a plant killer myself. I try really hard for weeks on end, and then every now and then I'll just leave the poor thing go for a few weeks to fend for itself :/

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    1. Thank you, Sarah Elizabeth! I'd highly suggest going for cacti if you're a plant killer like me ... so far, so good! Haha! :)

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  10. These are so gorgeous! And thank you for introducing me to Geo Fleur – I recently purchased one of their hanging plants for a dear friend, and she loved it. Such a great find!

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    1. That's amazing, Robin! So much love for Geo-Fleur. You would love her little shop in Wood Street Indoor Market - perhaps you can stop by during your trip!

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  11. This is such an amazing and creative idea! I love what you've created! :)

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  12. You can never have too many succulents, right? Love your new blog look!

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