LABOFEM

Labofem is a plant shop owned by Istanbul-based plant enthusiast Fem Güçlütürk. After being a partner at a PR company, now she sells at her shop a selection of plants and pots, which are either designed by local artists or hand-picked from flea markets. Güçlütürk house in the Beşiktaş district is an enchanting place where a botanical garden and antique store meets modern architecture. She hosts about 450 pots at home and lets people visit it so they get a glimpse of what it’s like to live alongside so many plants. When people say they can’t live with too many plants at home, Güçlütürk laughs and says that they should just look at her place – if she can do it, they can do it too.

Güçlütürk’s enthusiasm for plants started when she bought a house with a terrace. The ceramic artist who lived there previously had a beautiful collection of ceramic pots and a balcony full of plants that she couldn’t take with her. After she moved out, Güçlütürk became the owner of an orphanage of plants.

She started studying and got 2 diplomas, one from the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh for Gardening and one from Gardening and ACS Distance Education for Cacti and Succulents. Nowadays, she owns over one thousand pots and plants, reads about them before she falls asleep and wakes up at 5 am to water them. “I sell one, and I buy three,” she says laughing.

Güçlütürk’s atelier is an old motorcycle garage turned into a space that operates as a workshop, greenhouse and store. The temperature and humidity are adjusted to the natural habitat plants and the space is full of tiny pots. She specializes in all sorts of indoor plants and studies the rest with great curiosity. Additionally, she makes the suitable soil mix herself and presents each plant in a beautiful one-of-a-kind pot. Every of her plants comes with a tiny “passport” with a description of the plant and instructions for care.

If you are in Istanbul, don’t miss it!

All Rights Reserved to Ana Santl

(via ignant)