Meet the ‘planterior designer’ reviving workers’ Zoom backgrounds with plant walls and greenery

Mah, who lives in Toronto, is the houseplant consultant and plant stylist behind Plant Mahmah, her one-woman-owned-and-operated LLC. But stay tuned—she says she’s hoping to make “planterior designer” a thing. 

Fortune spoke with her about her about how she went from environmental engineer to entrepreneur, how she’s built her business, and what she’s angling to do in the future.

This conversation has been lightly condensed for clarity.

What is a houseplant consultant/stylist?

I made the title up because there are many other plant interior landscapers out there, but I specifically work with houseplants. I’ve called myself all kinds of things before landing on this.

I do with plants what an interior designer does with furniture and space. I enter an office or a home and assess the lighting, the lifestyle, and aesthetic of the people who live there, and I recommend plants and decor pieces I think would fit with and thrive in their space. 

I don’t just see houseplants as decor pieces. They really are a living, breathing thing that helps us slow down and be more mindful. Also, they add greenery and purifying elements to our spaces. 

How do most people react when you tell them what you do?

Most of the time people just ask what it is. Most of my friends now know what I do and have been following my career for a while, but I know a lot of new people I meet will be like, “I’ve never heard of that, tell me everything.” The simplest term I use to explain it is, basically, I plantify people’s spaces and teach them how to take care of plants. 

What would you normally be doing at this time of the day?

It changes every day—and by time of year. Spring and summer are busy season, and the winter is slower, but I still find a lot of people running into plant problems. On a typical Wednesday, I’m either sourcing plants at local nurseries, looking for different types of pots and ceramics, or doing in-home plant consultations. 

It’s growing season right now, so everyone wants a nice, warm plant in their space. Many people, this time of year, are asking for repotting or are coming in for consults to diagnose what’s wrong with their plants. 

What’s your job background?

I studied to become an environmental engineer. But during my last year of school, I had a bad brain injury—my second serious concussion. A month after that, I lost one of my best friends to an accident. Dealing with two really traumatic events in a short period of time made me reassess whether engineering was the path for me. (Editor’s note: Mah ended up going into engineering after graduating, but continued to suffer from Post-Concussion Syndrome.)

Concussion symptoms vary from person to person, but I was getting headaches from any type of stimulus. Everything became such exacerbations of my symptoms. I really had to isolate myself from what I was doing. That led me to gardening and developing a plant hobby. I needed an activity that would allow me to slow down, work with my hands, and reconnect with nature. 

I remember vividly: It was dead of winter. I was looking for something to do with nature. I walked into my local greenhouse for the first time and felt transported into an oasis. I was connected with nature in such a peaceful and serene way. In my current position, I really try to incorporate plant therapy into what I do daily.

We can have such a symbiotic relationship with plants and greenery in our homes and offices. In my previous job, I was a water resources engineer. I had a lot to do with green roof development.

Eventually, I wanted to take Plant Mahmah to the next level, and I felt I couldn’t do it without quitting my engineering job, which I did February 2022. 

Do you have anyone helping you or working under you?

Because I’m a one-woman business right now, I do it all. I wear every hat under the sun. Not only am I the plant consultant, I’m also the content creator, social media manager, book manager, and I do all the administrative tasks. 

Would you consider hiring a team?

I think that’s the next step, whether that’s hiring other plant technicians or stylists or having on-staff bookkeepers or social media managers. There are tasks I know I don’t have to do myself anymore, and I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t have to do everything myself, and I’d like to outsource those things. 

Is plant styling the only way you make money?

For a lot of last year, my income came from paid partnerships with different plant or home decor brands like Home Depot. Shooting and creating content for different brands has been part of my job from the start as well. 

I’m not working any other part-time jobs, but I still pick up different social media campaigns to pay the bills. This year, I really have focused on going full-time with just plant styling. Most of my income has come from that, and some has come from sponsored posts on my Plant MahMah accounts. 

Lately, 90% of my income comes from plant-related jobs. Last year, it was more of a 60:40 split between that and content creation. I also sell some plant products on Etsy and my online shop, and I negotiate with my favorite plant product brands for higher commissions. 

I’m able to support myself. My first year, I only broke even. Now, in my second year, I’ve already made as much as I made all of last year, but I still haven’t replaced my engineer salary—yet. (Editor’s note: Documents provided to Fortune show Mah made nearly $40,000 last year, and $40,000 so far this year.)

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Managing and wearing all the hats. I’m really in the thick of it now.

As a 9-to-5 engineer, I had a set list of tasks to do and could call it quits at 5 p.m. Whereas, being an entrepreneur, I don’t have set hours, and I feel like I’m always working, and have to always be on. It’s been difficult to find that balance, especially because Plant Mahmah is such a personal brand, it’s hard to separate. 

What do you like best about your job? 

Interacting with the plants and greenery and being able to see how big an impact plants can have on spaces—and people’s lives. I check back in with clients periodically to see how their plants are settling in.

What are the typical education requirements for a job like this, if any? 

I’d recommend going to school for horticulture, botany, or environmental studies, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. There’s a low barrier to entry for the interior landscaping niche. 

What’s the life cycle of a client?

We start with a virtual plant consultation, usually over Zoom. I have clients all over the world, mostly in the U.S. For local customers, I can come in, source and style potted houseplants or start to assemble a plant wall. I give long-distance clients an intake form where I’ll ask how much time they want to spend caring for their plants, from “very hands off” to “helicopter parent.” That allows me to curate my plan of action for what we’re going to do together. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

My mission statement is really to bring the benefit of plants to everyone and make plants accessible to everyone, because I truly do believe plants are the gateway to healing. They’ve brought me so much joy, and I want to continue that on a larger scale. I’d like to expand beyond just doing local installations in Toronto; I want to bring plant therapy worldwide. I don’t know how, but I’ve got to dream big. 

I also want to continue growing Plant Mahmah’s revenue streams. I have the consultations and stylings, but I want to grow the plant wall product and my online workshops. That goes back to making plant care more accessible to everybody. 

I also would love to see Plant Mahmah styling in different spaces too. I’m used to styling for my Canadian climate, but I’d love to be able to style one day for a warmer region, like Florida.

Plants are a reflection of how much I care for myself. They’ve brought me a lot of joy, but also allowed me to pause, take a moment, and be mindful of how I’m feeling and where I’m at daily.