Whether you’re faking it with faux flowers or trying your hand at caring for a terrarium, it’s all about bringing the outside back indoors and embracing botanicals. We sat down with Emma Sibley, co-founder of London Terrariums, to talk about all things botanical, her love of terrariums and the one thing she can’t live without.
A Tinyjohn Terrarium Workshop
What inspired you to set up your own business?
Starting London Terrariums was a really organic process, it started out of a love of gardening but not having a garden to do it in when living in London. Making terrariums was just an interest and hobby that spiralled into something so much more, before I knew it we were holding London Terrariums workshops and planning tore installs and one thing led to another!
Emma Sibley
Tell us a bit about the art of making a terrarium and why you love them.
Making terrariums is so addictive, you will find once you have made one you want to make more and more, experimenting with a variety of plants and mosses and finding different vessels to use. With each terrarium comes a new challenge as well; we have to make individual homemade tools to suit each job, which is one of my favourite things about LT! It is also a really relaxing and therapeutic activity, when teaching the workshops I love watching everyone become completely closed off and enthralled by their own miniature garden!
How would you describe your personal interior style?
My personal interior style is very green! My studio is full of so many plants including a huge banana tree that I have just rescued from a friend. I like to think I am quite minimal with what I own and my style but in hindsight I would actually say I am a bit of a hoarder and have things everywhere!
Emma’s studio in London
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If I could travel anywhere else in the world I would go back to Japan, I visited it a few years ago and its the one place that as soon as I came back from it was still at the top of my list. The culture there is just amazing, everybody is so kind and courteous, the plant game is also very strong. Obviously the Bonsai is very popular but then there is also an activity that people take part in called Moss Watching, it is literally people just traveling in groups to mossy areas of the countryside and they take time out of their day to watch and appreciate the moss – amazing!
Finally, what is the one thing you can’t live without?
My mum bought me a discount little plant from Wilkinson’s when I first moved into my home at university, I have named it twig because quite often it does just look like a twig! But I love it and when it does get some leaves on it they are so green and i am so surprised it is still alive, I will take the twig everywhere I move to!
A filled Demijohn terrarium
We regularly host events in our Bayswater store with London Terrariums, head to our events page for the latest. Click here to find about more about London Terrariums.