Making Plant Kween’s Crown Heights Apartment Bloom

Christopher Griffin, who is known as Plant Kween to their Instagram followers and is the author of You Grow, Gurl!, had been living in a sun-filled Crown Heights rental for four years. “I craved a sanctuary that would not only allow me to wake up with the sunrise,” they say, “but also provide the perfect lighting to nurture and expand my indoor garden.” Their 200 plants were thriving but the otherwise unembellished one-bedroom didn’t express much of Griffin’s personal taste.

At the urging of their friend the designer Calvin Hrezik, Griffin allowed Hrezik to give the space a makeover. As it happens, Farrow and Ball had a new wallpaper and paint collaboration with fashion designer Christopher John Rogers, which they wanted to showcase in Griffin’s apartment.

“It was a unique opportunity,” Hrezik says, “to finally transform their white-walled space into something as opulent as they are.” The brand initially asked Griffin to use the wallpaper on a single wall, but it ended up overtaking the entire apartment.

The design process took eight months with one request from Griffin: “Everything we brought into the home had to be bold,” Hrezik says. “As a colorful maximalist, I welcomed the challenge — usually it’s the designer begging the client to be bolder!”

Since 2016, Griffin has built their following through posts about the “simple joys that come with being a plant parent” and tips on proper plant care. Their vast collection includes Chinese evergreen, succulents, and peace lilies. “Every one of these kweens has a personality of their own,” they say.

Griffin’s passion for plants goes back to their grandmother. “You’d ride down the street in Southwest Philadelphia and easily spot her house,” Griffin says, “because her yard was always lush, green, and in bloom. There is no debate, dahling, her garden was the best garden on the block.”

By the age of 6, they were accompanying their grandmother to nurseries in the area. “I became fascinated by the idea,” Griffin says, “that we could take a small piece of the jungle home with us and watch it grow.”

Griffin’s place is now the perfect place to grow their business, too. “We made sure that every corner was a perfect backdrop for their Plant Kween posts,” says Hrezik.

The vintage 1984 Chrome Framed Chiclet chair is from Betsu Studio. The side table is from All Modern, and the vintage metallic Op Art print is from Furnish Green.
Photo: Pheobe Cheong

“Christopher likes to have minimal lighting at night,” says Hrezik, who chose Hay’s Neon LED Tube light in a modest yellow. The paint color, Raw Tomatillo, is Farrow and Ball X Christopher John Rogers. The tubular coffee table is an estate-sale find. The Swan throw pillow is from Jungalow, and the abstract painting is from Dobbin Street Vintage Co-op.
Photo: Pheobe Cheong

The Tea Flower Tea paint is by Farrow and Ball X Christopher John Rogers. The Ophelia curtains are from Target.
Photo: Pheobe Cheong

The Dot 5901 wallpaper is Farrow and Ball x Christopher John Rogers. The Mason bed is from Crate and Barrel. The orange mushroom lamp and bamboo wall fan are from Feng Sway, and the nightstand and area rug are from Ikea.
Photo: Pheobe Cheong

The vintage Live Edge Wood industrial bench in the bedroom is from Kaiyo.
Photo: Pheobe Cheong