Urban Jungle Bloggers: Cosy & Green Bedroom

November is reaching its end and it has been a real cliché here - lots of grey and foggy days, cold and wet. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to stay in bed all day and just not go out. Probably this was the idea about our November topic for Urban Jungle Bloggers: Creating a cosy bedroom with green plants to make those dull, grey November days bearable seemed like a nice task. For me it was literally a last minute task: I was running from work to grab the last bit of gloomy November daylight to make a super quick styling and shoot the pictures.

I have shared images of my bedroom a few times already and I always have plants there. This time I have shuffled my plants a little bit and changed the selection: I have moved the monstera plant next to the bed, I have added my aloe vera plant, my purple succulent, my white fluffy cactus and my latest addition, an offshoot of a plant called purple heart that I received from my Urban Jungle Bloggers partner in crime, Judith. Additionally I have added a cutting of a succulent on my Kimidori stool (I actually nicked that cutting in a Greek restaurant) and I hung an air plant above my bed. 

Colour wise I love mustardy hues this time of the year. I have added a brand new bedspread from Urbanara in a soft and tactile waffle structure, paired it with a few blue cushions - that's it. I matched it with my yellow desk lamp, a mustard hued kitchen towel and I served myself a cup of green tea in my new, handmade Japanese mug also from Urbanara. Add a great new magazine (The Happy Reader) and voilà - after the shooting I jumped into bed and had a good read and finished my tea.

Since we're approaching the festive season I am continuing my Santa mission today too: I have teamed up with Urbanara to offer you the same bedspread in the wonderful mustard colour too. All you have to do to join the giveaway is leave a comment under this blogpost. The giveaway will be open until Sunday, November 30, 2014, midnight CET. It is open to all European readers.

Here's to a calm and happy weekend in our cosy and green bedroom!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our website and Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

This blog post has been brought to you in collaboration with Urbanara

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: Green Windowsill

April is the month to get my windowsill green! Even though it was a pretty typical April up to now with literally everything - sun, rain, snow, mild weather, cold weather - it is still a good moment to add some greens to the windowsill. And the moment could not be better: A few weeks ago I got myself a little greenhouse and I couldn't wait to build it up and fill it with green life!

I only have two windowsills in my apartment but they are deep enough to place my new greenhouse. I was pondering what to place into the greenhouse and to be frank, I am still changing and exchanging its content. You can see that I added some cacti, then I added my new little mouse planter with succulents. But one component will remain inside: My recently planted herbs. I bought some little herb pots with soil and seeds and planted a pot of parsley, lemon balm and oregano. I was a bit suspicious when I bought those little pre-packed pots but now after just a few days I can see the first seeds sprout. I am optimistic again! 

Buying the little greenhouse was a great decision by the way. I really like its simple and unpretentious look. Depending on the weather and light conditions, I either keep it entirely closed or open one roof wing for ventilation. With the approaching hotter season I plan to add more plants in it and create a little thriving green chamber - let's see how it will work out.

I must say that adding more green to my windowsill was a fabulous idea - especially since I am living in a small downtown apartment without a balcony. The green windowsill is a little dash of nature that seems to sit right at the connecting point between the indoors and outdoors. The only thing I realized after taking all these pics? I so need to clean my windows - but that is an entirely different story. 

How about you - do you have a green windowsill or balcony? If so, join us Urban Jungle Bloggers - you can sign up HERE!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: Spring Inspired Styling

The March issue of our monthly 'Urban Jungle Bloggers' series features the theme 'spring or Easter styling with plants'. I must admit I was a bit challenged mostly because I won't be at home in Munich for Easter so I am not planning on any Easter themed decoration. Next challenge: I usually don't do any spring decoration at home, I mean apart from the random bunch of fresh blooms. But the topic was set so I had to adjust and invent. And I had to it quickly on a Sunday morning. I got up and before I had breakfast the idea came to me: Let's do a happy spring table setting.

The props were to be found in my home. A few basics and decorative kitchen accessories, a few colour pops in my favorite hues blue and yellow and of course some of my houseplants. I think that cacti and small sized succulents are excellent elements for a tabletop styling - so I was all ready to go and give it a try.

Given the limited time frame and scope of props I only had a one shot trial. I added a linen tablecloth in an earthy hue, grey plates, simple cutlery, fine blue and white napkins that I brought back from Stockholm, glasses, an olive oil carafe, a water carafe, my yellow Muuto pepper mill, a few blue and yellow candles and candleholders, some stems of fresh blooms, and my plants - voilà, a quick spring inspired tabletop styling theme with some of my favorite houseplants.

I have not outdone myself this time, but I was fine with the outcome. Plus after the styling and photographing I had a finely set table to enjoy my leisurely Sunday breakfast - all alone!

Enough from my part, I am off to check out what the others have created for this month's 'Urban Jungle Bloggers' topic.

Oh and don't forget: Houseplants will make your home a healthier and happier place!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: My Gardening Secret

Hello urban jungle friends and green lovers! A new month has started and we are slightly gliding from mild and sunny autumn days into more gloomy and cooler winter days. November is a period not only of meteorological shifts, it also means a considerable change for your plants at home. Even more so if you have cacti and succulents at home like I do. So I will focus in this month's post on cacti and succulents and share 'my gardening secret' with you. Although I don't think it's a secret at all, but maybe it might be handy for green newbies and those of you considering the addition of cacti and succulents in your home.

Cacti and succulents are perfect green companions for small apartments and for busy urban folks. They require a minimum of care and still thrive and prosper happily. During the sunnier periods of spring and summer you can place your cacti and succulents on sunny places, windowsills, balconies, gardens. You water them depending on the weather every other week and fertilize them to make sure they get all the botanical nutrition they need. But when winter season comes upon us, your green friends will slide into botanical hibernation. This means you have to care even less for them, but you need to consider a few simple points for the perfect plant hibernation.

Small scale dwellers will need to find a nook in their homes that is less exposed to daylight and thus ideally a tad cooler. If you have no extra room or space like an unheated stairways, basement, an unheated extra room, try of find a corner of your apartment with the least sunlight exposure and try not to overheat the room (it's anyway not so good to live in overheated apartments for that matter). Group your cacti and succulents together and leave them there. Stop fertilizing them as of October/November until warmer spring days arrive in March. Stop watering them too. If they remain in a heated space, water them only rarely to avoid complete dehydration. But be stingy with water. They don't really need a lot. 

Even though your cacti and succulents will go into hibernation over winter, look after them from time to time. And love them no less than in spring and summer. They will reward you with fleshy, vibrant greens and probably a few blooms coming spring. Happy urban gardening!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series by 3 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog), Jocelyn (The Little Room of Style) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board. Want to join? Use #urbanjungle on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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