We talked to the founder of the popular Instagram page @ikeagreenhousecabinet about why it was started, and to plant parents who DIYed IKEA cabinets into warm homes for their humidity-loving plants. @ikeagreenhousecabinet features nothing but IKEA cabinets that were converted into greenhouses for tropical plants. Robin Schouten curates DIYed cabinets from all over the world. A plant collector herself, Schouten founded the page after falling in love with a few examples when searching for her own plant storage/display solutions. Why: Inspo and how-to info to convert IKEA cabinets into greenhouses Launched: April 2020 (#ikeagreenhousecabinet launched in December 2019) Founder: Robin Schouten Followers: ~170K “When I was looking online for a glass greenhouse for my humidity loving plants by the end of 2018/early 2019, I found a few people who converted IKEA Detolf, Fabrikör and Milsbo display cabinets into greenhouses and I absolutely fell in love with the idea and aesthetics," she said. “IKEA greenhouse cabinets are very versatile and can be as cheap and simple, or expensive and complex as you want,” Schouten said. “This all depends on your budget, DIY skills, commitment and which kinds of plants are being kept inside of them.” Schouten’s arrangement is styled just perfectly with a statement floor, bookshelves, and like colors that let the plants shine. What’s in her greenhouse: She uses two mini fans in her cabinets to increase air flow. She also uses grow lights as her cabinets are in an area of her house that doesn’t get much light. “The average humidity inside both cabinets is 80% without the use of a humidifier, which I only turn on when the levels drop below 70%, and with most parts of the doors being sealed with weatherstrips,” she said. Erin Bishop’s bright Vancouver apartment and her equally beautiful plant cabinet are an ideal combo for those with tropical plants. “I realized I needed a greenhouse to give suitable conditions for some of the plants in my collection, and so I chose to convert an IKEA cabinet so that I could marry the needs of my plants with our aesthetic preferences for our home,” she said. What’s in her greenhouse: “I retrofitted the Milsbo with wire shelves which allows for better airflow than the glass shelves it comes with, as well as three panels of grow lights, weather stripping, a small fan for air movement, a water tray to boost humidity (once weather stripped, even a small humidifier was too much), and of course a hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity. She keeps mostly aroids like anthuriums, philodendrons, and alocasias in her cabinet. Total cost: Around $500, including the Milsbo unit itself. “It’s a more expensive endeavour than just buying a grow tent, but the Milsbo allows me to see and enjoy my plants and it looks great in the apartment, and works with the feel of the rest of the decor,” Bishop said. Cami from @Camiplants got extremely creative and converted a Fabrikor into a huge terrarium. What’s in her terrarium: “I had to seal it and waterproof it so it wouldn’t leak everywhere when I watered the plants. I also installed a fibreglass wall at the bottom so I would be allowed to open it and close it,” Cami said. She then cut out a piece at the top so the light could shine in. Brilliant! Vinny of @Vinny.aroids said “it’s been so great to see how the IKEA Greenhouse community took over. It’s insane to think that just over a year ago I’ve posted the first tutorial on how to build them! Needless to say that all the credits should go to Robin from @ikeagreenhousecabinet who built this community out of thin air!” His greenhouse plants: “I grow tropical plants, all Aroids, within the greenhouse. I prioritize putting velvety plants inside, mostly Anthuriums and some Philodendrons,” Vinny said. “Why? Because the greenhouse does a good job in simulating the environment in which some of these plants grow in. It is fairly stable unlike a room for instance, that throughout the year sees humidity, light and temperature changes.”
