The Design Files: The plant-filled home of Plant Mama's Jenna Holmes

Who: Jenna Holmes, of Plant Mama and housemates

Where: Richmond, Victoria

What: A plant-filled rambling rental home

More often than not, the most special and memorable homes we live in aren’t the “perfect” magazine-worthy homes we often aspire to. The homes that really leave an imprint on our memories are the ramshackle beach shacks, the rented share houses, and of course, the homes we grew up in.

The rented Richmond home of Jenna Holmes is a testament to just how strongly connected you can feel to a home, even when it’s only temporary.

This rambling Victorian house has been Holmes’ home for less than a year, and she’ll soon be moving on again, as the home is earmarked for demolition. Such is the nature of share-house living.

Holmes is a plant whisperer. Via her business, Plant Mama, she sources, supplies and maintains an array of lush indoor plants for various businesses and residences throughout Melbourne. It’s no surprise her home is the ultimate indoor jungle, with more than 40 plants inside.

“The plant family really makes this place a home,” she says.

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The house itself has many stories to tell. In the 1950s, it was owned by Croatian/Australian photographer Mark Strizic, whose father Zdenko Strizic, a professor of architecture at Melbourne University, renovated the back of the house, adding a charming greenhouse, which is now Holmes’ plant studio. Later, Australian author Barry Oakley lived here.

Architect Gregory Burgess bought the home in 1978, and made further design updates, adding the recycled jarrah kitchen, and an upstairs loft bedroom. It was Burgess’ family home for 40 years, before changing hands again three years ago. And just last year, Jenna moved in.

“I wasn’t looking for a house, nor did I need to move from where I was,” she says.

“I was late-night scrolling real estate listings, saw the house and knew I had to live there.”

Despite having been in the house for less than a year, it hasn’t taken long for Holmes to fall in love with her intensely creative and many-layered environs.

“It has warmth in its presence; it’s a nice space to be in,” she says.

“I also love the history in the house and the ideas that have been born in it. The neighbour told me when I moved in that Greg Burgess created some of Australia’s most beautiful buildings while working here, and that there is creative juice flowing through the walls. I feel, also as a creative, I have made my best work while living in this house.”

The Design Files guide to an interiors growth spurt

If the trend towards smaller homes and apartments with limited outdoor space has you craving a reconnection with nature, try these tips.

• Start small and start easy. Holmes suggests starting with a fast-growing, easy-care plant such as Monstera deliciosa, Epipremnum aureum (Devil’s ivy) or HeartLeaf Philodendron.
• The key to keeping plants happy and healthy is observation. Consider every plant individually and monitor how they are doing daily.
• And, remember, a plant only needs three things to be happy: water, light and air.