This Hotel Has the Wildest Plant Design—Here’s How to Get the Look at Home

Situated right on the Embarcadero waterfront overlooking the Bay Bridge, 1 Hotel San Francisco is much more than simply a convenient spot for travelers to situate themselves in the City. The property is truly a case study in soothing biophillic design, which aims to connect people with the natural world, with practically every area of the hotel being adorned with live native greenery. The 1 Hotel isn’t alone in its maximalist use of plants in hospitality spaces these days; the zeitgeist is growing everywhere from gyms like Heimat, to restaurants such as Lavo, and even retail spaces including The Lost Bookstore. Seeing this trend taking root, I’ve wondered, “Who is it that’s taking care of these plants anyway?” It’s apparent that the job couldn’t just be staff doing side work. There had to be experts involved.

Enter Foliate, a plant service company that oversees hospitality spaces’ plant maintenance and care with on-site visits at least twice a week. The Bay Area-based business sees to it that all of the live plants at 1 Hotel—and there are a lot of them—are taken care of. So we asked them for advice on how to bring life into your own space in unexpected ways. Here are their tips.

Thomas J. Story

Dabble in Dried

RC Inc. worked in tandem with the in-house design team to create the preserved, real plant installation hanging in Terrene, the hotel’s restaurant, along with the moss installation behind the front desk, as well as the moss details on every floor. The dried ferns and moss make it so that the elegant earthy fixtures never need to be watered, but still provide a feeling of life to the dining room.

Thomas J. Story

Mix in Moss

RC Inc. put together unique atriums using preserved moss, stone, and wood, bringing pieces of nature indoors that require very little maintenance. The salvaged wood pieces are also covered in moss, which is not only pretty to look at, but can also rid the air of toxic volatile organic components, also known as VOCs.

Thomas J. Story

Lean into Low Light

There are lots of areas of the hotel that aren’t in direct sunlight but which still have plenty of greenery and life. “All plants require light, it’s that some plants like less versus more,” says the team at Foliate. “We use plants like Dracaenas in the darker areas.” And if you’re thinking about moving plants to remedy a lack of light, they warn against it. “Rotating plants temporarily doesn’t work.”

Thomas J. Story

Try Shrooms

Another quirky element at the 1 Hotel are the mirrors located in the elevator area, a space that is notorious for not having great lighting. To add life to this typically drab space, they added draping dried ferns, moss, and dried chanterelle mushrooms. This could work really well in an entryway space, or even the right bathroom scenario. Looking for some inspiration on drying ferns and flowers? Check out our story on Full Belly Farm here.

Thomas J. Story

Go High

Hanging plants in unique vessels really adds dimension to a space. “When hanging plants, you need to make sure the plants are draping downwards so you can add volume to the space,” says the company. Pothos are the obvious on-trend choice, but you can also look into more unexpected options like Hoya carnosa and bird’s nest fern.

Thomas J. Story

Style with Shapes

Throughout the various workspaces and restaurants at the hotel, you’ll find mixing and matching of plant species and vessels to create variety and dimension. Want some inspo on creating plants that cohabitate well in planters together? Check out Lana Williams’s gorgeous step-by-step plant recipes for creating lush outdoor planters here.

Thomas J. Story

Practice Good Potting

It may be tempting to transplant and repot your plants, but the Foliate team says that using drip trays and original pots makes watering easier: “All plants require liners so they don’t leak. This also protects the plant’s longevity.”

Thomas J. Story

Avoid Overwatering

Because we all want to take care of our plant babies the best we can, there’s a real tendency to overwater. There are countless apps and gadgets on the market, but the real test is seeing when the soil is thirsty. “There are no gadgets, gizmos, or tricks. Plants require a weekly schedule,” says the Foliate team. Get to know the amount of water they need depending on light and plant conditions.”