Tour Weslie Pierre's Wesleaf Designs and Decor Plant Design Studio

One-of-a-Kind Houseplant Design

Weslie Etienne Pierre takes her houseplants seriously. She is an interior plant stylist and the owner of Wesleaf Design & Decor, a plant design studio in Needham, Massachusetts, that specializes in one-of-a-kind container plantings for homes, businesses and special events.

“We are not a plant shop,” she explains about the bright and airy studio filled with lush greenery in this Boston suburb. “We are truly a design studio where any plant that you purchase from us is truly hand designed by us.” And, she says, she never makes the same design twice.

Starting Small, Growing Fast

Credit the pandemic for planting the seeds of an idea that became Wesleaf. “I was kind of born into the life. My mom had plants, my grandmother had plants. I grew up with them. I didn’t really care for them much,” she says. “But when the pandemic hit, I literally thought the world was going to run out of food, so I taught myself how to garden and shared that experience on Instagram. One thing kind of led to another with people asking me to come decorate their houses. And then I was doing businesses and events, and it turned into this beautiful thing that is now Wesleaf.”

The company began as a three-month pop-up, “because that’s what we thought it would be, and all we thought we could afford.” The concept caught on with customers in Needham. “We are now going on our third year,” Weslie says.

A Welcoming Window

A studio tour could begin at the front window, where visitors and passersby enjoy a season-appropriate display. “My favorite part of the store is our display window,” Weslie says. “We change it seasonally. We like to feature some of our favorite plants in this space.” The window lets in “tons of light,” so it’s often the place to show some of the elegant plants that thrive in that environment.

Your Name in ... Moss

A special source of pride is the studio’s moss wall displaying the Wesleaf name. “This is a visual of some of the work that we do,” Weslie explains. “This moss wall was handmade by myself and my team. It is preserved moss. You often see these in the entryways of businesses, and it’s just a really beautiful way to accentuate your logo or your brand.” And the best part: “It requires no care.”

Going for Gold

The studio's overall aesthetic features a luxe, airy vibe — white with gold accents to complement the bright and deep greens of the plants on display. Golden yellow accents stand out front and center. “I was on the hunt for a golden kind of couch situation,” Weslie says, showing off a comfortable loveseat upholstered in deep mustard yellow. “I found this one, and then I found a similar piece for our window. I feel like it really brings the kind of goldish-mustard aesthetic that we like.”

Top Shelf Container Designs

A collection of “fan favorites” is displayed at the front of the store: her signature succulent designs, along with ZZ plants and other varieties that thrive in lower-light conditions. Clean-lined white shelves and glass shelves with gold-tone frames provide the backdrop for the decorative small containers and the more dramatic, large, glossy and spotless plants in decorative containers alongside them.

Long-Term Relationships

The clients that Weslie enjoys most at Wesleaf are “based on vibes,” she says. “I need to feel like it’s someone I could be friends with, be family with. Because it’s a very long-term relationship." Weslie includes her phone number on every plant-care card. "And I do get text messages from people saying ‘Is this all right?’, ‘What do I do?’ When you're buying the plant you’re kind of, like, buying me to go with it.”

Collaboration Completes the Picture

While Weslie enjoys getting to know her clients and their homes, much of Wesleaf’s design business is in collaboration with home and commercial interior designers. Jessica Schwartz, of Stanton Schwartz Design Group in Boston, is a frequent client. “I really love those projects for a lot of reasons,” she says. “You’re a small piece of a bigger pie.”

Customizing for Every Client

The studio on Great Plain Avenue in Needham is open only on Saturdays and Sundays, but work goes on “in the field” the rest of the week. “That may be booking a plant repotting for your home, so our team comes out and repots your plant,” she explains. “You may want a design installation for an event, and in that case we’ll bring them out to you as well.” There are dozens of ways people use the services of a plant stylist, she says, “And we customize it to every client.”

Teamwork Makes it Happen

The small staff (“I have a team of five or six grinding people,” Weslie says.) lend their individual talents to the designs, as well as to the legwork that the business requires. Team member Anette Angel is among those who contribute to the studio's success.

“My team is in the streets. They are all over New England. The plant world is endless, and we are there for every minute of it."

Quiet Time in the Studio

"We have weeks that are super busy, where we’re doing rental activities, we have pop-ups and all sorts of fun events going on,” Weslie says, “But I really love the opportunities when I can just come to the studio when things are kind of quiet, and I can just plant. It gives me time to reflect, to be grateful and think about all the amazing experiences I’ve had since starting this work as a plant stylist, all the amazing people I’ve met along the way.”

Enjoy DIY? Weslie Shows Us How

“When you come in, you pick up a one-of-a-kind piece of art,” Weslie says. To share that creative vibe, she gives HGTV a demonstration on how she puts together her signature piece, a colorful dish garden using a mixture of cacti and succulents in a wide, shallow bowl. "I started this business by creating succulent designs," Weslie explains. "It's what I'm known for. I love succulents because they require really minimal watering, so it’s a really fun way to spruce up your space without needing much attention or care.”

Succulent Growing Tips: How to Care for Succulents

Tools of the Houseplant Styling Trade

Weslie uses a variety of tools to manipulate the plants and soil as she builds her design: tiny scoops, spades, tongs and other implements that help place and position delicate plants into small spaces.

The instructions are simple: Begin by filling the bowl about halfway with a well-draining soil mix. “At Wesleaf we make our own soil mix,” she says. The mix contains organic soil, charcoal, orchid bark, perlite, and worm castings. “That helps the mix be nice and airy and not retain too much water,” she explains. “Succulents don’t like a lot of water.”

Begin the planting by taking the plants out of their plastic pots and gently squeezing the soil to loosen the roots. “That lets them know they have time to grow in their new spot.”

Succulent Growing Tips: How to Care for Succulents

Go With the Vibe

Begin placing the plants in the soil, settling them into shallow depressions. Weslie uses an appropriate tool to separate the roots a bit more and tuck the plants in closely. “There’s really no science or magic to where you place your plants,” Weslie explains. “I kind of just go with the vibe.” She suggests starting with the lower-growing succulents on the perimeter of the bowl, with cacti in the center “as a way to protect kids from sticking their hands in and getting hurt.”

Because all of the plants require the same amount of care, it doesn’t matter where you place them. "It’s more about what you want it to look like,” Weslie says. As you plant the bowl, you may need to move plants around to get the desired look of the overall shape and the different colors and textures.

DIY Succulent Planters: DIY Succulent and Cactus Projects You Just Have To Try

The Final, Colorful Touch: Dried Moss

After the plants are placed, Weslie suggests keeping them propped up and in place by tucking preserved or artificial moss into the spaces around the cacti and succulents. “The moss does not need any care, it just adds to the aesthetic, she says. “It makes it beautiful, it helps anchor the pieces in place, and adds general pizazz to the design.”

DIY Succulent Planters: DIY Succulent and Cactus Projects You Just Have To Try

Water For a Healthy Start

When the planting is finished, Weslie uses a 250ml squeeze bottle with a spout to water the soil, and suggests once-a-month watering to keep the dish garden alive and healthy. “This doesn’t have a drainage hole so we want to be mindful of the amount of water we put into the design,” she says. “When the plants start to get wrinkly, you’ll know it’s time to water.”

Succulents and cacti require a lot of light, so Weslie advises placing the dish garden in front of a south- or west-facing window.

Succulent Growing Tips: How to Care for Succulents

There's Nothing Else Like It

As always, the resulting dish garden is one of a kind. “I don’t make the same design twice,” Weslie says.

“It’s hard to explain my eye for design because I feel like I don’t know all the fancy words. I did not go to design school. But I know what looks good, I know what I like and I know how to create a vision that my clients love.”

DIY Succulent Planters: DIY Succulent and Cactus Projects You Just Have To Try

Success in Community

Weslie is grateful for what Wesleaf has become, for the clients and collaborators, and the team that fuels success.

"I have met some of the most amazing people on the face of this planet because of this business existing," she says. "The people who have chosen to be on this journey with me — everyone who works at Wesleaf — has full time careers and families outside of here. Gratitude is a big part of how I operate. I thank everyone who plays a part in making this journey happen."

Tour Weslie Pierre's Wesleaf Designs & Decor Plant Design Studio

Related To:

Shop This Look

One-of-a-Kind Houseplant Design

Starting Small, Growing Fast

A Welcoming Window

Your Name in ... Moss

Going for Gold

Top Shelf Container Designs

Long-Term Relationships

Collaboration Completes the Picture

Customizing for Every Client

Teamwork Makes it Happen

Quiet Time in the Studio

Enjoy DIY? Weslie Shows Us How

Tools of the Houseplant Styling Trade

Go With the Vibe

The Final, Colorful Touch: Dried Moss

Water For a Healthy Start

There's Nothing Else Like It

Success in Community

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