Houseplant-Happy Home in Philadelphia
See how these first-time homeowners created a lush green retreat
The plant-filled Philadelphia home that Adrienne Bruce shares with fiance Matthew Shannon is exactly the calming escape she needs after a hectic day at the hospital as a surgical resident. Framed artwork and cozy pillows are in abundance, and each room features a minimum of one potted plant, adding a fresh touch to the couple’s space.
The couple moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2016 after meeting in Washington, D.C., while Bruce was in medical school. She had just matched into a seven-year general surgery residency program at the University of Pennsylvania. “We knew this would be a move for a long haul and decided that buying a home in a budding real estate market such as Philadelphia would be in our best interests,” she says.
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Find a local interior designer
Houseplants are a major component of the couple’s decor. “A large portion of how our style as a household has evolved has been shaped by adopting houseplants as a hobby,” Bruce says. “This was something that came about during my first year in the house, and I haven’t turned back since. We now have over 60 houseplants and I really do think they shape the style of our home. I shifted our style from more of a modern farmhouse feel to what you see today, a mixture of organic and modern with an emphasis on natural colors and materials.”
Seen here is a fiddleleaf fig in the living room. Other smaller potted plants decorate the mantel and add freshness to the corner. The couple had the mantel added to the stone-covered accent wall, which includes an electric fireplace.
Seen here is a fiddleleaf fig in the living room. Other smaller potted plants decorate the mantel and add freshness to the corner. The couple had the mantel added to the stone-covered accent wall, which includes an electric fireplace.
“Our house is a very traditional row home floor plan in that you enter through the living room and there is an open floor plan spanning through the dining room and into the kitchen,” Bruce says. “We have two bedrooms upstairs, a master in the front and a second bedroom in the back, and our single bathroom.” The home also includes a finished basement with a second bathroom downstairs.
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Hire a local general contractor
The living room is currently Bruce’s favorite space in the house. “The beautiful patina leather on our sofa mixes with the mixed fabrics on our pillows and just screams cozy,” she says.
Blue is used as an accent color throughout the home. “There is something about this color plus the plants that just makes me feel calm,” Bruce says. “My favorite spot is sitting on our couch, with the sun shining through our giant window, and looking out into the space and all of the houseplants. I love taking in the different greens of the leaves mixed with the different woods in our home. The effect is just so natural.”
Happy Houseplants, Happy People
Blue is used as an accent color throughout the home. “There is something about this color plus the plants that just makes me feel calm,” Bruce says. “My favorite spot is sitting on our couch, with the sun shining through our giant window, and looking out into the space and all of the houseplants. I love taking in the different greens of the leaves mixed with the different woods in our home. The effect is just so natural.”
Happy Houseplants, Happy People
Bruce first experimented with her decorating style before settling on a look that felt right. “I have had a tumultuous relationship with style over the past few years, and am finally coming into my own, something that I truly am proud of,” she says. “Instead of focusing on clutter and trying to adapt what I thought my style was to the house, I began to focus on a few things that I loved and build a new style from there.”
She loves to draw design inspiration from home tours on Houzz. “A lot of my ideas stem from real people and their homes that I find on Houzz. The house tours that I enjoy the most are the ones that feature homes that speak for those within the home and are cozy. That is what I hope that people get when they look at our home — this is a place where people live and enjoy coming home to.”
Shop for indoor pots and planters
She loves to draw design inspiration from home tours on Houzz. “A lot of my ideas stem from real people and their homes that I find on Houzz. The house tours that I enjoy the most are the ones that feature homes that speak for those within the home and are cozy. That is what I hope that people get when they look at our home — this is a place where people live and enjoy coming home to.”
Shop for indoor pots and planters
“I’m a sucker for natural woods,” Bruce says. The entryway features a wooden console, comfy bench and a gallery wall of collected prints.
When the couple bought the home, the walls were a flat, pale beige that made the entire interior feel drab. They hired a painter to add a fresh coat of white throughout the home.
When the couple bought the home, the walls were a flat, pale beige that made the entire interior feel drab. They hired a painter to add a fresh coat of white throughout the home.
“When I’m not on call on the weekends, I would say a normal Saturday or Sunday morning involves having coffee together at the table, with or without breakfast,” Bruce says. “In the mornings, our large, southern-facing front windows have this amazing light that makes the space come alive. Enjoying a cup of coffee while watching the light shift across the plants and the colors of the living area is just perfect, in my opinion.”
It took a bit of work for the space to appear as it does today. The couple replaced the existing aged bronze ceiling fans in the dining room with a Sputnik-style chandelier.
On weekends, the couple also enjoy visiting the Rittenhouse Farmers Market to buy flowers for the house.
It took a bit of work for the space to appear as it does today. The couple replaced the existing aged bronze ceiling fans in the dining room with a Sputnik-style chandelier.
On weekends, the couple also enjoy visiting the Rittenhouse Farmers Market to buy flowers for the house.
A leaning ladder shelf displays favorite books, abstract art and thoughtfully arranged trinkets and houseplants.
This corner features a small, round bar cart on wheels, a mix of hanging plants and a planter with philodendron.
Photo Flip: Bar Cart Bonanza
Photo Flip: Bar Cart Bonanza
“The biggest limitation in our home, in my opinion, is the lack of good natural lighting in the back portion of the house,” Bruce says. “We are north- and south-facing.” The southern windows get substantial light, but the back rooms — including the kitchen, dining room, guest room and bathroom — don’t.
“I have a houseplant hobby, so this has caused difficulty in planning what is grown where in our house; also, I think that natural lighting is the key to everything being more cheery,” Bruce says. “Our kitchen is small, without good lighting and with dark cabinets, and we painted the walls a bright dark blue to help bring life to it.”
How to Bring Dark Blue Into Your Kitchen
“I have a houseplant hobby, so this has caused difficulty in planning what is grown where in our house; also, I think that natural lighting is the key to everything being more cheery,” Bruce says. “Our kitchen is small, without good lighting and with dark cabinets, and we painted the walls a bright dark blue to help bring life to it.”
How to Bring Dark Blue Into Your Kitchen
A potted Sansevieria in the kitchen adds a fresh touch to meal prep.
The guest bedroom, which includes a queen bed, doubles as a home office for Bruce. Her husband works from home and uses the finished basement as his office.
“We decided to get a desk for the guest room and to help build a corner within that space so that I could have a place to decompress and shut the door when I want to do work. I’m so happy we did that,” Bruce says.
“We decided to get a desk for the guest room and to help build a corner within that space so that I could have a place to decompress and shut the door when I want to do work. I’m so happy we did that,” Bruce says.
The master bedroom includes a variety of houseplants and a mix of natural textures, an earthy color palette and metallic accents.
This corner of the couple’s bedroom includes a comfortable and cozy spot to relax.
Simple dresser styling keeps favorite items within easy reach without cluttering up the small space.
Engagement photos are displayed in this corner of the bedroom, where twining vines from a pothos plant add a playful touch.
“I made the gallery wall on a whim one day and I’m so glad that I did,” Bruce says. “I wasn’t sure how the effect of floor-to-ceiling frames would look in the space, but I took a chance and ended up loving it. The effect is that much better given the hanging pothos from the wall; this is one of my original plants who started as a 4-inch pipsqueak. He now is so leggy and stretches across three walls. He epitomizes the feeling of nature being brought inside that I wanted for our bedroom.”
“I made the gallery wall on a whim one day and I’m so glad that I did,” Bruce says. “I wasn’t sure how the effect of floor-to-ceiling frames would look in the space, but I took a chance and ended up loving it. The effect is that much better given the hanging pothos from the wall; this is one of my original plants who started as a 4-inch pipsqueak. He now is so leggy and stretches across three walls. He epitomizes the feeling of nature being brought inside that I wanted for our bedroom.”
The patio was originally just a plain concrete slab. “Matt is a hero and overhauled our patio walls so that we weren’t constantly looking at a cinder block wall,” Bruce says. “He stained a fence to cover the sides of our patio since the alley behind the house is very unpleasant.” He covered the cinder block wall with a stone facade and added string lights.
“All of this completely transformed the space,” Bruce says. “Since then, we have also hung a trellis that I am trying to train vining plants to grow onto.”
“All of this completely transformed the space,” Bruce says. “Since then, we have also hung a trellis that I am trying to train vining plants to grow onto.”
Small terra-cotta pots hold plants on the patio fence.
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See more of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
See other home tours
Find an interior designer
Shop for home products
Who lives here: Adrienne Bruce, Matthew Shannon and their black Labrador mix, Harper
Location: Philadelphia
Size: About 1,600 square feet (149 square meters) including a finished basement; two bedrooms, two bathrooms