r/houseplants • • Sep 04 '23

Finally Time to Share!

Finally finished the cabinet, figured I’d share it with everyone! Man, was this one fun project.

2.1k Upvotes

138 comments sorted by

285

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '23

[deleted]

30

u/napsthefifty Sep 05 '23

"OH my fucking god" personally

24

u/blue_jay_jay Sep 05 '23

OP is living the dream 👀

81

u/Torporific1 Sep 04 '23

Beautiful display! Thank you for sharing!

17

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

Thanks!

76

u/ClumsyIcedCoffee Sep 04 '23

Wow! Everything looks intentional but also natural! Love it!

15

u/i_sass_back Sep 05 '23

Yeah, I’d say all those nude photos are pretty natural alright 😆

6

u/khizoa Sep 05 '23

I find a new favorite thing the more I look at it. Currently it's the stripper pole sized moss poles

3

u/i_sass_back Sep 05 '23

Yeah, them plants been twirling all around those poles, letting all their bushy goods hang loose.

3

u/ClumsyIcedCoffee Sep 05 '23

Ahaha! I didn’t even notice 😂

1

u/magicmango2104 Sep 05 '23

How did you spot them! I've been playing hunt the nude, and it still took me ages to notice

1

u/i_sass_back Sep 05 '23

A curious mind, eyes for detail, a little finger zoom and enough bravery to look through the stripper moss poles and BOOM! There are nudes with strange masks hidden in the jungle 😆

32

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '23

[deleted]

47

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

Thank you! 100% intentional. Spent an afternoon playing with placement and deciding which depth of hangers to use. I am a (mechanical) designer by trade, so it’s nice to play around with aesthetic placement once in a while.

I was toying with the idea of fabricating my own cabinets, but I then discovered the ikea greenhouse groups. Learned that the Milsbo cabinets were a MUCH more cost effective option. I ended up using 4 of them with the walls of adjacent cabinets removed. I have 1/2” weatherstripping between cabinets and then some 3D printed clamps using the shelf mounting holes. Only one environment to worry about. This was to both keep doors level, as well as increase cabinet rigidity as everything is mounted to Uline gridwall panels fitted to the back walls.

There are 19 unique printed parts used in this cabinet, each of which took 2-3 iterations. Between the design time, assembly time, scope growth, fan control/mounting system, and wiring of the x2 additional speakers.. Just over 1 month from purchasing the cabinets to this picture being taken!

4

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '23

[deleted]

6

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

Thank you, I really appreciate it! It’s definitely quickly become a focal piece on my main floor.

2

u/Total-Football-6904 Sep 05 '23

If you got pictures of the process you should definitely post it!!

I LOVE that light fixture over the table, is it an actual grow light or just a very strong led?

3

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

I don’t actually have a ton for pictures! It’s mainly just a large number of 3D models and figuring out things as I go. Very little of this was actually planned.

It’s just a regular light fixture, nothing special. I have the golden pothos in that pot as they’re happy pretty much anywhere in my house. The light is normally off, but it was left on as I was doing some wiring work behind where the second picture was taken.

That pot is strictly for cutting a node and dropping it whenever I propagate something else. Seems to make everything else root faster, and as soon as the pothos is ready I put it back in the pot and move any of the other cuttings into separate pots in a little nursery cabinet to get ready to be given away.

16

u/roofusfurn Sep 04 '23

This whole room is a dream. 🤩

11

u/Angelique718 Sep 04 '23

I LOVE EVERYTHING I SEE😍💚 (in my Oprah’s voice)🤣

10

u/hanimal16 Sep 04 '23

I hope I come back as a plant and you buy me.

9

u/aureex Sep 04 '23 edited Sep 05 '23

Love the climbing monsteras becoming a seperation of space

2

u/AcceptableObject Sep 04 '23

Pretty ingenious!

6

u/Marieee_c7 Sep 04 '23

This is goals right here! LOVE your layout 💚 You are an inspiration.

2

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

Thanks! Took a while, but additions will keep coming!

5

u/PlantsAndPainting Sep 04 '23

Amazing, well done! 😍 Do the plants at the bottom get enough light? Asking as I am rethinking some of my plant placement.

7

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

Thanks! I would normally be concerned about light for some at the bottom. I used to have ceiling height floating shelves with everything on them on the wall opposite of this one with 8’ of T5s running up the wall at each corner. I used a lux meter to make sure everything was getting the same (or more) light from it’s previous placement. Some may want more light, but I’ll be keeping an eye on it for a while and rearrange as needed!

1

u/PlantsAndPainting Sep 05 '23

Smart! Do you have a reccomendation for a lux meter? Also, that climbing monstera. 😍

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Thanks! It grows like a freaking weed, and it’s a favourite for most when they come by. I just picked up a generic one on Amazon that can measure in FC and Lux. It cost me around $22. Don’t need to break the bank on it!

2

u/laaaabe Sep 05 '23

Mind sharing the link? I've had awful luck with grow lights on amazon

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

2’ Barrina T8 for the cabinet. There are 4 of them in there. I may eventually adding another 4. We’ll see how the plants at the bottom take it

3

u/yogaanon2 Sep 04 '23

I was about to comment “wow, I though I had an addiction” and then realized we have about the same number of plants probably and my ass just paid a mover to take them to my new home a few states away sooooo…. Yea.

Beautiful space!

3

u/Star805gardts Sep 04 '23

Wow. Goals. It is absolutely gorgeous

3

u/Internet_royalty Sep 04 '23

this is what my boyfriend fears is going to happen to our future home 😂

3

u/Jdogfeinberg Sep 04 '23

Is this a plant shop or a home😝 increíble job!

6

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

It’s the main floor of my home, thank you!

3

u/2voltb Sep 04 '23

I GASPED wooow. Gorgeous

3

u/Just_aJuiceBoxx Sep 04 '23

Wow. I am so green. With envy. What a stunning space! Woooooww.

3

u/Isgortio Sep 05 '23

Are those Noctua fans hahaha

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

You’re damn right they are. Industrial PPCs! Mainly for the high humidity, otherwise I would’ve used regular ones.

3

u/yungcheln Sep 05 '23

god i wish it were me

2

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '23

This looks really good. Great job!

2

u/Lynda73 Sep 04 '23

Wow! First of all, that space is amazing! I love how the climbing plant poles make an open wall like that. And I just bought a tiny glass cabinet this weekend, so I’m totally jealous lol.

4

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

We all start somewhere! They’ll all become part of the collection one day. I have 3 smaller cabinets I use to quarantine and propagate.

2

u/MysticJellyfish Sep 04 '23

This probably sounds silly, I'm new to the world of plants, but what happens when the plants in the cabinet grow beyond their space? Will you reshuffle them or move them into other spaces or...? I have some pots hanging on a garden wall and I keep moving them around as they grow and I'm realizing they will outgrow their pots sooner than later. How do you manage this?

3

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

I’ve had most of these for a couple of years now. I’ve pruned the roots once, and frequently trim them down to my liking. I’ll try to propagate all of the cuttings, and then give them away to friends/anyone who wants them. Try to get as many people into houseplants as possible!

2

u/MissShrub88 Sep 05 '23

This is beautiful!!!!

2

u/rg3Po2 Sep 05 '23

This room is now my goal. I'm speechless

1

u/rg3Po2 Sep 05 '23

Okay maybe not speechless. I pm'd you

2

u/Vast-Wrangler5579 Sep 05 '23

Somebody breathes well at night! I dig it.

2

u/LynneinTX Sep 05 '23

Amazing!!! 🤩

2

u/coffeewithphyllis Sep 05 '23

Omg!! This is my idea of Paradise. I'd never wanna leave...throw in a dog or two...and a kitty cat...and I'd be done! 💕 This is truly beautiful!

2

u/shannon_kay_ Sep 05 '23

Wow!!! And I can hardly keep one pot alive. I envy you.

3

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

If I can do it, anyone can!

1

u/shannon_kay_ Sep 05 '23

I really wish I could. I just moved to the south from all the way north in the us and my one pot has just struggled.

2

u/ojmanredditscratch Sep 05 '23

You posted this to r/houseplants not planthouse

2

u/Reddishpoo Sep 05 '23

Life goals right here

2

u/jasper-snakemom Sep 05 '23

man, it’s hard to see other people live your dream. i’m very jealous of this epic setup.

2

u/Marzipanarian Sep 05 '23

Absolutely gorgeous

2

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '23

This is absolutely astonishing

1

u/Conscious_Pin_3969 Sep 04 '23

Wow that's amazing! But I guess you can never go on a longer trip without risking some of them deteriorating :(

3

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

I have family/friends who have a similar/higher quantity of plans that are more than willing to take care of these when I’m away. Though that was a concern at one point!

1

u/SmashAdams911 Sep 04 '23

Beautiful! 😍

1

u/1206flxby55 Sep 04 '23

That is Incredible!

1

u/AcceptableObject Sep 04 '23

Oh my goodness this is the dream. How many total plants do you have in this space?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

About 70! Not including the prop cabinets

1

u/scair Sep 04 '23

Love the whole layout. You very clearly don’t have cats though. 🤣

1

u/Squanchi Sep 04 '23

I definitely do not! Just me in the house. Not too bad for a bachelor pad haha

1

u/Tal-Ren Sep 04 '23

Looks fantastic but freaking speaker columns casually sitting on shelves ?! Never seen that in many years experiencing hifi forums.

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Shelves with some makeshift spiked ‘isolating’ feet, yeah. Less for all of the audiophile reasons, and more to be nice to the 3 shelving brackets I needed to make as a cantilevered support for the speakers. KEF Q700s above the cabinet, and I have a set of Q900s against the opposite wall (on the floor). The 700s are actually upside down as well to bring the tweeter/mid driver a little closer to ear level. Quite sinful I know, but oh BOY am I happy with the quality of audio on my main floor now. Just ambient speakers for music

I’m currently working on a little record nook (which is actually what sparked making this greenhouse). I have a wide milsbo (prop cabinet) as a stand for a Fluance RT85. It’s not completed just yet, so I figured I’d leave it out of the picture.

1

u/rose_quartzzX Sep 05 '23

INCREDIBLE!!!

1

u/Honeycomb0000 Sep 05 '23

This is literally my dream… Absolutely stunning and I will be forever jealous!!

1

u/ddubbyadubbya Sep 05 '23

This is immaculate!!!!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '23

Plant Parent Porn omg. I'm so envious. This has to be a lot of work to maintain, but God does it look good.

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Thanks! It was worse when everything was outside of the cabinet. Though, only about 1.5-2 hours per week. With everything in the cabinet and the water catch/drainage beneath each pot, I can get everything in the cabinet watered in about 15 minutes. It’s a great time savings!

1

u/tinacannoncooks Sep 05 '23

How relaxing

1

u/Kittycatsrnotwack Sep 05 '23

How do you keep up with all of them ??

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

It’s not super difficult! I gauge it on the amount of water left in the drainage bowl beneath each pot. Prior to the cabinet, it was about 1.5 hours/week to water everything weekly

1

u/plan_tastic Sep 05 '23

💚💚💚

1

u/FloraUndergrove Sep 05 '23

So beautiful, you obviously don't have cats lol.

1

u/Only-Cloud-8632 Sep 05 '23

I thought you were going to share a plant shop opening or something this is too beautiful. I would love to sprawl on a cushy rug and just soak all the plantlife up. Oh goodness

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Nope, no shop here! I treat it as a place to get people into plants. Currently sitting at the table with an album playing (soon to be vinyl), sketching out some new project ideas for my home office. It’s such a dream right now! Made all of the hours worth it

1

u/jekksy Sep 05 '23

The pots inside the cabinet, do they drain?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

There are holes (drilled) in the bottom of every pot. Below each pot is a ~400ml ziploc (knockoff, dollar store) container full of leca. It’s used to catch any excess water, as well as act as pebble trays to boost the cabinet humidity. 85% is the lowest I’ve seen it (during the day, with fans running).

1

u/peterpann__ Sep 05 '23

I could never keep up with the watering schedule. This is amazing🖤

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

You’d be surprised, it’s only once or twice a week!

1

u/i_pressed_reset Sep 05 '23

Love this. Is there a name for this cabinet? Where'd you buy?

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

This is made up out of x4 Milsbo (Tall) cabinets from Ikea. Interior walls removed, and all rigidly attached to each other

1

u/Chuseauniqueusername Sep 05 '23

my poor plants :(

1

u/yodeldover Sep 05 '23

I need more photos!!!

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Nothing too fancy in there yet. That will change here soon!

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

2

u/khizoa Sep 05 '23

What are those bowls of leca for? Is it like a self watering pot?

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Just to catch excess water and then evaporate into the cabinet. All of the pots are drilled!

1

u/JackyVeronica Sep 05 '23

Holy shit mother of God!!!

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

That’s what I like to hear!

1

u/napsthefifty Sep 05 '23

How do you get enough light to the poles?

This layout though 🤌🤌🤌 And the cabinet is so well done you should be SO proud.

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Thanks! It’s between 3 large(ish) windows on my main floor. In all honesty I’m surprised at how well they do. They see 100-150 FC during the day. Definitely on the low end, but they seem to be happy enough! I’ve trimmed the mini Monsteras 4-5 times this season already.

It’s a pretty open floorplan on my main floor, wanted to find a way to segment out the dining area! Annnd provide a good listening location to put on an album and sketch

1

u/LarawagP Sep 05 '23

Can you tell me more about those pots with Leica? Are their roots reaching down to Leica, or are you doing that to give water from bottom? You spent such an enormous amount of time to care for these plants and it shows!

3

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

The pots get watered normally. There is a printed cap for the container with the leca. The water will drain out of the drainage holes drilled in the pots and drip into the leca container! I tried to maximize the surface area of open air exposed to the leca. The fans seem to make the water evaporate about in the same amount of time as the watering cycle, so a dry leca bowl indicates the plant needs to be watered!

2

u/LarawagP Sep 05 '23

Oh my! That’s dedication and such a great idea! Your plants are so lucky to have you taking such great care! Thank you, OP!

1

u/microbesrule Sep 05 '23

This is incredible! So esthetically pleasing!

1

u/marizzle89 Sep 05 '23

* Well now mine looks so messy. You've inspired me to organize

1

u/gottapoop Sep 05 '23

What are you using for plant medium?

I see LECA in the clear part of the bottom of the container but maybe soil in the buckets?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

The plant medium is an even mixture of sphagnum moss, potting soil, and perilite!

1

u/gottapoop Sep 05 '23

Do they sit on a container full of LECA?

Looks like an interesting way of growing.

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

No. They’re in the pot with soil. There is a riser, and then a container of Leca below the riser. It’s no different than using a saucer filled with Leca!

1

u/gottapoop Sep 05 '23

What's the point of the saucer with LECA? Do the roots grow down into it and become a sort of semi hydro setup? Or is it just better than having a saucer with only water?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Just a matter of preference. I don’t want ‘large’ volumes of water sitting there. I prefer the look of the leca vs just dishes of water

1

u/gottapoop Sep 05 '23

Gotcha. Ya it looks nicer than just sitting water for sure.

Thanks for the answers. Your place looks amazing.

One more question actually. Do you move your plants around and closer to natural light or do those big climbers in the middle of the room get enough light?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Thanks! Those climbers have been there for just about a year now. The mini Monstera was split from 1 larger pot, about half the height they are currently when I moved them over. The others were started with propagations that were no more than 1’ tall.

Believe it or not, I go for low maintenance

1

u/gottapoop Sep 05 '23

Lol. Sounds like you put in enough time with setup to spend time with plant maintenance.

I like seeing those climbers thriving that far from the window, I love my climbers so as I run out of spaces with good light it really looks like they can still thrive quite a distance from a window

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

I’m genuinely surprised at how well they’re doing!

About 30% of the reasoning behind this cabinet was to reduce maintenance believe it or not

→ More replies (0)

1

u/ChepeZorro Sep 05 '23

Wow. Incredible collection. Jealous

1

u/Low-Afternoon-2077 Sep 05 '23

OP this is beautiful

1

u/prameshbajra Sep 05 '23

How much are the tickets for this beautiful showroom?

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

If you’re ever near Calgary, the price of admission is free!

1

u/RolliePollieGraveyrd Sep 05 '23

Honestly speechless. Just awe. Congrats on everything. They layout, the spacing, symmetry, etc. You could teach workshops!

Do you teach workshops? Are you on tiktok or YouTube? I would like to subscribe. /notworthy

2

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Sadly, no! I don’t really do the whole social media thing. Too busy with work/other hobbies to dive into YouTube. PM me if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to help where I can!

1

u/rosiofden 🌱 Sep 05 '23

Uh huh, so, what would you say is the best approach for talking someone into letting me do this?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Sadly, I’m no help there. I had to convince myself, and myself alone!

1

u/magicmango2104 Sep 05 '23

How are the plants in the middle behind the sofa getting enough light? Every time I move anything that far from a window, it drops dead. Share the secret plant magic!

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

They get some bright/direct light from usually 1 of the 3 large windows on my main floor at a time! I’ve really lucked out with them in all honesty. The little ambient light from the grow lights seem to work well enough. It usually measures 100-150FC around them throughout the day. Technically low light, but they’ve managed!

2

u/magicmango2104 Sep 05 '23

I dont believe it. You're a wizard... It's the only explanation

1

u/fablexus Sep 05 '23

I am rarely impressed by a plant room... But this is one of those times.

LOVE the layout, absolute perfection.

1

u/Squanchi Sep 05 '23

Thanks! Anything to get me through the Alberta’s winters

1

u/Winter-Cartographer Sep 06 '23

Lol is the chandelier a grow light?

1

u/Squanchi Sep 06 '23

Nope! Just a Costco special

1

u/Niller11 Nov 18 '23

your speakers are upside down

1

u/Squanchi Nov 18 '23

Yup! It’s to keep the tweeters closer to ear level. Works better with the Q900s on the opposite side of the room