Exploring a lush plant-filled warehouse loft conversion | Garden Design | Gardening Australia

Josh visits a couple who have transformed their home into a lush, plant-filled inner-city loft. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
Josh visits a couple in East Perth who have transformed their three-story concrete loft into a paradise of plantings. Unfazed by massive brick walls and courtyard payment, Drew Thomas and Nicole Sangregory saw this warehouse conversion as a chance to get creative. Nicole says, “we saw just an amazing space and possibility for as many plants as we could think of. Drew's vision really made that possible for us.” With no previous gardening experience, their loft is now filled floor to ceiling with greenery. Drew says, “you just start with one feature and allow that to transform. Then you continue adding other features and effects... it's just trial and error."

Greening the walls are ivy, syzygium, and magnolias, and framing the windows are trailing ipomoea, dichondra and spider plants. A mix of shade-tolerant grasses and colourful understory plants dress the floor with every inch curated, and all of this is the result of learning by doing. Their shared design process is a balance of Nicole’s eye for the look and feel of the space and Drew’s mind for functionality. “Drew is really good at the physical things,” says Nicole, “the vision, how we need to care for the plants... It comes together I think really nicely.” While courtyard environments often get too much or not enough of the natural elements, Drew says, “we've had to set up different areas of the courtyard and different zones and watering frequencies.” Without wind, plants can grow leggy, and to combat the harsh sun radiating off the walls, they’ve installed an overhead electrical awning for protection.

Once they maxed out the courtyard, they continued the garden upstairs. Indoor garden beds were installed with timber framework and gentle concrete slopes to drain water. Drew lined them with non-toxic pond sealer then gravel and weed matting. A free-draining and lightweight soil medium was an important consideration for the home structure. Drew says, “it’s a pretty precise composition of growing medium, probably six or seven different products in that one.”

The beds are jam packed with philodendrons, anthuriums, monstera, yuccas and umbrella plants positioned to receive natural light. Drew says, “we've tried to control as many variables as possible. During summer, a lot of the light is obviously overhead, they’re not getting enough light to stimulate that really filled out lush look,” so they installed adjustable artificial lights to provide uniform growth year-round. Nicole says, “we have put together a lot of different systems to help us manage it quite well... Drew's done the construction of all the garden beds in a way that keeps it easier to maintain.” Automated humidifiers and irrigation systems are controlled via phone apps, which help the subtropical plants thrive, and maintenance routine manageable.

Drew and Nicole have put a huge amount of work into this garden and it's giving so much back. Nicole says, “being surrounded by an indoor garden when I work is so spectacular... you can look away and you get to see all this natural beauty. It's kind of resetting and peaceful, it’s lovely.” Drew shares, “gardening has just completely revolutionised my life... It re-centers me, it grounds me... it's a source of peace and contentment that provides meaning as well. The plants obviously require me and our love... it's a give and take kind of thing between me and the plants.”

Nicole and Drew’s impressive vision and work ethic demonstrates what's possible in a relatively small space, in a short amount of time. It’s a space that’s already providing improved well-being and quality of life, and that’s something truly special.
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