What does mindfulness with plants look like? Justina Blakeney can show you the way
(Justina Blakeney) If you have a plant in your home in Los Angeles, you might owe Justina Blakeney ’01 (B.A., World Arts and Cultures) a shoutout.
The designer and author is known for her bohemian decorating sense, with a strong emphasis on plants as a living and ever-changing part of the home environment. Forever captivated by Californian living and the indoor-outdoor lifestyle in L.A., Blakeney pioneered and helped make the Los Angeles boho movement mainstream.
Blakeney is the founder of Jungalow, a project that began as a blog and a room full of plants. It’s since grown into a “jungalicious” ecosystem of products for purchase on the Jungalow website — including planters, boho-inspired bedspreads, wall decor and wallpaper — plus a line at Target and fodder for her 2021 book “Jungalow: Decorate Wild.”
If it can be plant centered, in Blakeney’s world, it is plant centered. At the heart of the bohemian identity and style is deep affinity and respect for the natural world that surrounds us. Jungalow’s designs favor the multiculturalism and the love for plants that have been part of its founder’s world her whole life.
“Plants just have been a central part of my own identity for a long time, and part of my decor sensibility,” Blakeney said. “I’m a maximalist, so I’ve always been drawn to spaces that are lush and layered and dense and storied; places that give you a vibe where you walk in and you’re like, ‘Yes, I feel this energy, I feel these colors, I feel these plants.’ Things that capture your imagination. And plants have just always been a big part of that.”
She can trace back her awe for plants to her childhood. Blakeney hails from the Bay Area, but spent long stretches of her life in Europe before moving to Los Angeles.
We caught up with Blakeney, perhaps the plant person in L.A., to talk about her life spent “enamored with plants.” — Siena Giljum, Oct. 19, 2021
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Los Angeles Times website.
HEADER IMAGE: Justina Blakeney (Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times; Getty Images)
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