Mama Petula plant concept store in Paris

Happy Valentine's Day! No hearts or roses here today, but big heaps of green love!
Yesterday I was invited by Caroline to the opening of her (long-awaited) plant concept store Mama Petula in Paris. Last summer she was given the opportunity to rent a small house on the site of a former hospital in the 14th arrondissement. In the past months she showed peeks of all the hard work on her Instagram, and l'Instant Parisien featured her on their website while she hunted for old furniture and objects in the abandoned hospital. Some of these old medical accessories are now used as fun plant pots and decoration of her new concept store. But there's nothing like seeing a new creative endeavor with your own eyes. And I loved it! Of course I made a lot of photos to show you what this new green gem looks like. Here we go:

The little maison has a few different rooms that are rather bright and white, despite the gloomy rainy weather yesterday. There are lots of quirky details everywhere, like a 1€ vending machine with tiny plant cuttings, a baby succulent nursery, vintage pharmacy bottles, plants pots in all kinds of shapes and beautiful plant hangers. And of course: a lot of plants. Not the kind of plants you can easily find at IKEA or your local garden center, but some more home-y ones, like the super popular Pilea peperomioides, also known as the pancake plant or Chinese money plant.

What I loved about Mama Petula, is that it's not crowded with plants. Sure there are a lot of plants you can choose from, but there's room to actually appreciate the details of the plants. Caroline told me that she's currently experimenting with all different kinds of plants, because la petite maison has a particular kind of light and it's rather warm and dry here. It shows she truly cares about her plants, she wants to make sure they are happy and healthy in her shop and doesn't just "sell plants" because they are hip & trendy.

The #jungleanimals wall paper on the left, was custom made by Mues Design. And Mama Petula also sells unique botanical artwork by Asha Hope, a talented illustrator living between Paris, Toulouse and Switzerland.

So if you are looking to get yourself an Oxalis, a Pilea or a polkadot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya), you know where to go:

You can also find these bigger leafy plants, like the Philodendron or the Fiddle leaf fig at Mama Petula:

Mama Petula isn't only a place where you can buy plants and plant accesories, Caroline and her team can also help you if you're having plant troubles and sick planty patients (see: it's still a bit of a hospital!). And as of February 20th there will also be workshops for children (age 4+) at Mama Petula. Subscribe to the newsletter to be informed about all the details.

My favorite room in the house, was in the back: the light was gorgeous and you could still get a glimpse of bygone days.

All kinds of cuttings growings new roots in their glass bottles:

By the way, the site of former Saint Vincent de Paul hospital, is very interesting to visit as well. Lots of creatives and artisans are using the different buildings as their workshop, gallery or boutique. There's a ceramist atelier that I loved, and a thrift store with not-so-Parisian price tags. Also, there's a bar and salle de fête where you can relax and have a drink. It's nice and buzzing!

Below, a fun French touch to the Kokedama: the moss balls were stuck in some old wine bottles and attached to the ceiling. Makes for an interesting spin on the more traditional hanging planters, right?!

Mama Petula Décoration végétale /// 82, Avenue Denfert-Rochereau /// 75014 Paris /// +33 (0)6 17 76 15 09
Open saturday and sunday: 14:00 – 20:00 (but check Mama Petula on Instagram to get latest updates on opening hours!)
(enter the site at Les Grands Voisins, walk 50 metres straight, then Mama Petula is on the left)