Monday, January 11, 2016

Beverly Boulevard: Rolling Greens and Modernica

Back in the day, I spent as much time studying interior design as horticulture. While still a single lady my home was regularly reworked – new things brought in, style changes – anything was fair game. I had a friend once tell me she never visited the same place twice when coming to my home. Then I got married. While my husband largely leaves the interior choices up to me, it is is home too. Thus my free-wheeling design and acquisition skills have moved outside, to the garden – where I'm in charge. Why am I telling you this? Well it's a little back story on why I hadn't planned to visit the Modernica showroom while in Los Angeles. I wanted to, after all their designs are gorgeous – and they've been very generous with me (sending me containers not once, but twice). However with limited time to explore on my own a nursery called out to me even louder (after all, I am a plant addict). Sooooo imagine my glee when I discovered the Moderincia showroom was just down the street a bit from Rolling Greens. Happy me!!!

We start at the nursery, which used to be a tire shop...

But not anymore...

Although it seems rather obvious I will appease the purists who might take issue with my calling this a nursery. They don't raise the plants, they sell the plants...

Notice the clever way they built up an area for gravel. It's much more garden-like than a boring old parking lot.

Birdbath becomes planter...

Again...

And again...

I am a sucker for an outdoor courtyard.

This one was good, very good.

Grevillea fililoba

I've heard a few people trash-talking Rolling Greens. I think because they're as much about indoor decor as actual plants. Maybe even more so...however there is a place for both, don't you think? (I obviously do - see intro paragraph). These bins are full of fake plants. Kinda fun, kinda make me shudder.

Fake flowers too...

I would have bought one of these, if not for the fact we were flying home and I didn't want to worry about breakage.

Nice set-up!

Indoor plant area...

Love...

Love...

Bromeliads steal my heart every time.

Check these out...

The tiniest ornamental kale ever seen! Would have been fun for The OC&K Challenge...

Hmmm...kinda like the driftwood tree.

And all the galvanized metal...

Moving back outdoors and admiring some planted up containers.

Now it's time to stroll up the street, towards Modernica.

Fabulous street-side moat!

And I'm there...

This was one of those déjà vu moments. I recognize this scene, I've been here...but I've not been here. Ah, that's it! I shared this image from Modernica on Facebook during the Poinsettia Challenge...

Sigh...so much MCM beauty!

I want one of their Case Study planters in every size! Although not in white...they had a new colorway I loved, pebble, that I failed to get a shot of. And of course charcoal is a classic.

Be still my heart! Those planters and one of my all time favorite architectural photos by Julius Shulman.

I've never really found myself attracted to glass, I'm more of a pottery person (no doubt you already knew that). Seeing these all together though I couldn't help but be drawn in to study them.

On the left: The Brasilia Lounge...want! No I didn't sit down, are you kidding? I would have never gotten back up again and there was more L.A. to explore!

In fact on the way back to the car I passed this cute shop.

Tillandsia on the sidewalk! I wonder about theft?

Welcoming indeed.

And that's where this post ended.

But then the UPS man showed up at my door with a very interesting box...OMG!

My contact at Modernica, Ingrid, and I had exchanged emails after she saw I was in Los Angeles. I mentioned I'd stopped by the store and loved the new "pebble" colorway. I also commented on how cute the new desktop Case Study planter was. Guess what she sent me...

Thank you so much Ingrid and Modernica! I am over-the-moon excited about this little guy, and how handy that the annual Portland Nursery Houseplant Sale starts the end of this week...

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

24 comments:

  1. What a great outing you had! I can easily see your house furnished with pieces from Modernica :-).

    They Case Study containers are beautiful but if I left one empty like that, our black lab Sasha would think it's a new food bowl for her.

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    1. Funny you say that Gerhard, about the food bowl. Lila discovered it last night, just before dinner time, and she was sure there had to be something in there for her...if she just looked (and sniffed) hard enough.

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  2. You lucky lady! Ingrid and Modernica are very generous! Looking forward to seeing what you'll find to plant in your new treasure. I love looking at interior stuff as well. Design is design, right? As always, the gorgeous plants readily available and hardy in California have me salivating and I love the birdbaths planted with succulents. Artificial plants/flowers are so much better now than in the old days of the plastic flower or even the earlier silk things. My heart is warming to them.

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    1. Currently I'm leaning towards a Sansevieria I spotted at PDXN, one of the vaguely Agave-like ones. We shall see! And your right...good design is always fun to peruse, whether one is buying or not.

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  3. I think theft is always a problem with sidewalk planters, but perhaps many people don't realize those Tillandsias are just sitting there unrooted in the soil. Also, they're surrounded by some pretty prickly plants. These are two really fab places. I have no eye for design, but I can appreciate it and other people's talent for it when I see it. Thanks for sharing for photos.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed them Alison, and your remark ("sitting there unrooted") had me thinking maybe the Tillandsia were wired in place?

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  4. I find myself skipping over the plant photos a bit to get to the furniture and other interior goodies. Probably the time of year when I get a little burned out on plants, but maybe because that's where my mind is these days?

    Also, I've never seen an artificial cactus or other succulent in person, so I'm intrigued. They look quite lifelike in the photos -- do they hold up to scrutiny?

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    1. Indeed...you must certainly have furniture on the mind!

      Re: the fakes...yes, if you don't look too close, or touch them.

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  5. I'm not surprised you used to study interior design, with your impeccable taste and all! So lucky to get those planters! Beautiful vignettes on both sites, inspiring.

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    1. In the interest of full disclosure I should have said "dropped out of Interior Design school..."

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  6. I can see you with that driftwood tree! What a nice one/two hit of energy you got on that street. I am ok with fake plants and home stuff if the whole aesthetic is good and makes sense. Since I love galvanized metal and rust, I imagine I would have enjoyed it. I know what you mean about the single decorating life and the wedded version. My husband is completely involved and so we always have to agree. Now and then I override him but usually on smaller things. And usually he discovers he likes whatever it was I was pushing for. The garden is the same. It's a mutual project, though I get free reign on flowers for the most part.

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    1. It's a good thing we love them huh? Andrew's been doing a lot of talk about a certain "R" word lately (recliner). I'm more than a little worried.

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  7. That back story explains a lot about your design chops, which show up in everything you do. I'd a lot rather see fake plants than neglected plants: obviously so (kind of over-the-top) or realistic enough to pass for real. I'm thinking of fern bars where the hanging ferns look like they were last watered during the Eisenhower administration. Anthropologie often does fake in a spectacular way.

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    1. Yes...you do have a point there, neglected is never pretty. The last time I walked by the Pearl Anthopologie it looked like they were getting a big make over, I wonder what's in store?

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  8. Two crazy, wonderful places to visit. So much great stuff; so many great plants and planters. I was happy to see the driftwood on the stand with the Tillandsia on it. Reminds me of the Nepenthes blog. The Brasilia lounge-to die for, except in a great MCM color like teal or orange. Love it. And of course every building needs a moat!

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  9. Believe it or not, I've never been to Rolling Green's LA location - just the store in Culver City and I haven't even visited there since we moved further south 5 years ago. I clearly need to pay a visit!

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    1. How much do the two locations differ? Is one more outdoor focused?

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  10. So wonderful! I swear, I'm learning about more great nurseries, design stores and botanical gardens from your trip to LA then I do from living an hour away...

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    1. Glad to help, and you know I've got much more to share!

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  11. Aren't you the lucky one! Lots of good stuff, but I have to say the glass display is over the top fabulous.

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  12. Never been to LA, so enjoyed this particular specialized tour. The way the nurseries and store display their wares is very special. And I love those planter boxes.

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    1. Glad I could share a bit of LA with you. I think I could visit for 6 months and still only scratch the surface.

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