A Terrarium Jungle & Tabletop Greenhouse Make This European Home Truly Wild

It's common for people to bring the outside into their spaces using houseplants, but Karen (Ren) of @whoputalltheseplantshere has gone a step beyond to actually foster entire landscapes in her Erlangen, Germany, home. Here, Ren shares how she has packed an aquarium, organic table, and multiple terrariums into limited square footage and crafted a home that is alive in every sense of the word.

I've always felt very connected to nature. As a child, I used to collect cacti, but they all died, which made me feel like I didn't have a green thumb and disheartened me. In my first year of university, I moved in with a friend of mine who had a lot of plants. Her room was always so pretty because of all the greenery and she gifted me a cutting of her pothos plant, which I managed to keep alive! Finding my green thumb with her help was my "aha" moment.

Mostly it's watching all the growth around me. I can have a bad day but then seeing my favorite plant pushing out a new leaf makes me feel better. I love taking time to care for a plant and then watching it grow big. I'm also always inspired by my plants, and I like finding new ways to display them. 

To make it, I built a tray for the substrate and then placed the plants on a grid on top. It took some trial and error, but I made a little video on the process to help people who want to try it. Once built, it's very easy to care for. Since the substrate is hydroponic, I just refill the water reservoir every two months in winter and every month in summer. I add fertilizer while watering, too, and prune the plants if needed. But that is it!

For terrariums I want to look more full, I'll add plants in a variety of leaf sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. I love combining bushy plants with climbing/trailing plants to create the illusion of a small forest landscape. Aroids, ferns, and calathea are the best plants for terrariums in my experience. They really love the humidity!

I also try to not use too many different colors, or else the room might look too crowded. I keep the decor (except for plants, of course) minimal. Decentralized lighting also gives the illusion of more space.

In the morning and afternoon, it smells like coffee! I also love nature-scented candles. Every few hours when the ventilator in one of the terrariums is turned on, the living room starts smelling like fresh damp moss in a forest.

This might be a controversial answer...but for sure my weighted blanket! It's so comfortable and really helps with my stress and anxiety.

So now, my home is kind of my safe space. I've been struggling with depression and anxiety for a while now, and redecorating helps me take my mind off things and get a feeling of accomplishment. My plants calm me down and bring nature into my home, and displaying my art and creations within my own four walls helps me express myself!

For me, home is not one place. I've lived in different cities and countries, and all these places feel like home to me. Home is all the places that I miss when I'm not there. Home is people that I've grown to love. Home is a place in which I feel content.