Tour the Paper Plant-Filled, Eclectic Home of a Brooklyn Artist and Author

Corrie Beth Hogg, expert crafter and author of Handmade Houseplants: Remarkably Realistic Plants You Can Make with Paper, is a self-described begonia lover, 9-to-5 artist and daily roamer of botanical gardens. Take a look inside her paper plant empire, a spacious Brooklyn apartment with little to no sunlight, stacked from corner to corner with gorgeous, lifelike, all-DIY houseplants.

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November 15, 2021

By: Rachael Jones

Show: HGTV Handmade

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Photo By: Stephanie Diani

Pure Imagination

Author and expert crafter Corrie Beth Hogg's favorite medium has extended its invasive reach from her day job to the interior walls, shelves and tables inside her Brooklyn home. And it all started with a simple sketch. "I've been making since I was a very young kid," Corrie says. "My grandmother taught me how to sew and make quilts, and I also used to make lots of drawings [and] portraits. On road trips, my brother and I would sit in the back seat and he would read The Hardy Boys and I would sit there with a yellow notepad and just draw and draw and draw. It’s always been my passion."

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

No Sunlight Needed

Years later, an apartment with very little natural light would inadvertently turn a childhood pastime into a full-time career in art and design. "This living room doesn’t get any direct sunlight, so I can’t have any houseplants in it," Corrie explains. "And I really wanted a fiddle leaf fig ... everybody you know was crazy about fiddle figs. So I made one from paper and it was an addictive process, and I just kept making more."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

First Attempt

A paper pitcher plant, ornamental yam and pilea share the space with one of Corrie's first large paper DIYs. And like any work of art, early drafts always provide a springboard for inspiration and growth. "This [is] a fiddle leaf fig and it's a little more cartoon-y," Corrie says. "But this is the beginning. The first few were a little more stylized, and then just by doing a bunch of them I started to see that they were becoming more realistic looking."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

The Perfect Medium

"Working with paper was something that I picked up from my day job," Corrie says. "One of the projects I had to do many years ago was make a life-size baby giraffe out of kraft paper — you know, the brown paper. I was like, 'Oh, this is a cool medium to make sculpture with!' And it had never occurred to me before because it’s inexpensive and it’s ubiquitous and it’s easy."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Artistic Liberties

When it comes to paper plant creations, Corrie leans into saturation and vibrancy. "This is a Shirazz Maple, which changes color throughout the season and then has a moment when it is pink," Corrie explains. "I don’t know if it’s quite this hot pink, but with paper you get to take little liberties."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

No-Water Decor

A paper oxalis is displayed inside a cloche on Corrie's coffee table beside some of her favorite reads. In her book, Handmade Houseplants: Remarkably Realistic Plants You Can Make with Paper, Corrie shares how to make a range of 30 popular DIY paper plants, from home decor to festive holiday decorations.

Buy The Book: Amazon, $10.49

Something About Begonias

An array of paper houseplants share a buffet in Corrie's living room, with a tall, anchoring show-stopper. "One of the most favorite paper plants that I’ve made is called a rex begonia vine," Corrie says. "You’ll see lots of begonias in the apartment." The rex begonia is known for its dynamic colors with green, red, silver, and even purple blooms, providing the perfect muse for any artist.

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

One Too Many Names

Corrie's handcrafted so many plants that sometimes the names all run together. "I have made dozens of these plants and I don’t always remember the exact name," Corrie says with a laugh, trying to recall a past project. "It takes me a minute sometimes. Then, it’s a thing where I’ve only ever read [the name] and I can’t pronounce it."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Garden Variety Genres

A paper pitcher plant and paper mache lamp share the stage with other inspirational works of art, like the portraits of country music artists by Martin Mazorra. "I’m such a fan of American music, from Old Dirty Bastard to Loretta Lynn," Corrie says. "So I fell in love with these [prints] because I love that era of country music — I have an entire set, I think there's five of them."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Table Tattoo

Corrie's bright white eat-in kitchen allows her colorful paper houseplants to really pop. Even the bold blue dining table features her favorite foliage. "I just really love the pattern on the [rex begonia] leaf and at some point, I painted the leaves on this table."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Trick Vase

"This [vase] is kind of fun, because I made it specifically so that if I wanted to do a real floral arrangement nothing will get ruined," Corrie says. The colorful vase, handmade by Corrie, is crafted from cardboard, newspaper, paper mache paste, masking tape and acrylic paints. And it even has room for a hidden cylinder inside for real plants with water. You can try this project at home by using the vase pattern from Corrie's Etsy shop.

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Pining for a Pilea

When she can't find a particular houseplant, Corrie simply makes her own from paper. "Some things I’ve made have been rare," Corrie explains. "Back in the day, you couldn’t find a pilea, it was kind of a precious, special thing. [This] was one of the early ones I started making from paper just so I could have it. But now, seven years later, they’re literally at the corner store grocery."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Paper Hearts

Not many can say they met their person while attempting a new DIY project. But Corrie experienced just that. "When Ryan and I first started dating, we decided to make cigar box guitars together," Corrie recalls with a smile. "[It's] probably my proudest thing, because it’s sentimental, and not just the object but the process of making it."

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Artist's Lair

All the paper mache magic happens in Corrie's favorite room: the home studio. The small space is jam-packed with paper plant-making materials, several desks, a mannequin bust model, floral wire, tape, colorful markers and lots of scrap cardboard. Every tool has a nook in this neatly organized crafting room.

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Craft Command Center

"I probably like my studio table the best," Corrie says. "There’s nothing fancy about it, but that’s where I sit and do my work and have ideas. And my bulletin board is always changing. I just randomly pin stuff up there, like my little crush corner [with] Johnny Cash and Hank Williams and Donald Glover and Memphis Minnie."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Not a Rex Begonia

But one thing always stays: a very good boy on the inspo board. "Some years ago I left New York and I went to work on an organic farm in California," Corrie says. "I spent a season there. And there was a dog called Rex, the best dog. At some point I made a little paper puppet of him and I wrote a little song about him."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Drawn to Life

A quick scan of Corrie's desk reveals a stack of hand-drawn sketches for future DIY projects. "Mother Nature is always giving us inspiration, so I think I’ll probably never run out of things to make with the paper plants."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Wall Paper Mache

It's no surprise her neutral bedroom retreat is a continued gallery of artwork, from the tabletop houseplants she DIYed to the special frame on the wall.

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Papered Preserves

"This is a picture of my mom that I really like from the '70s," Corrie shares. "She has just gotten a new bike. And on the back, in her beautiful handwriting, it says 'I tried to smile but the sun was in my eyes.'"

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Paper Trails

Even Corrie's bedroom light fixture features a touch of paper crafting. The lampshade is covered in a neutral, yellow and brown gingham print, all made with paper mache.

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Borrowed From the Botanical Garden

One of Corrie's favorite paper plants rests on her bedroom dresser: the Mojito elephant ear. "This one exists in a big urn at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden," she says. "This is an instance where I literally walked by the real thing and was like, 'Look at those splatters! Look how magical!' And I had to make it."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

New Floral Formats

A sweet potato vine, tapioca plant and little delicate mushrooms — all made from paper — are displayed on a bedroom table beside a very special brown and lime green-bordered solar eclipse plant, one that required a new method of creation for Corrie. "This one I made using a Silhouette Cameo machine, kind of like an old school printer," she says. "I made the files and then cut [them] out on a machine this time because [the plant] has a serrated edge. Then I used paint and gel pens."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Such a Tool

When she's not paper planting, Corrie also enjoys sewing unique patterns. A large, cushioned wrench pillow rests on a vibrant, rainbow colors armchair. To complete the tool box look, a matching hammer pillow takes up space on another chair.

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

Plants to Pants

"Over 2020 stay-at-home times, I really just buckled down and designed pants that fit me," Corrie says. "So many people know that buying pants, especially off the rack, is sometimes terrible — there’s always fit issues. So I came up with The Anjou Pants and put them on the internet and people like them. And now there’s a sewing pattern for people to make."

Watch the Video: Tour Corrie Beth Hogg's Home Full of Paper Houseplants

The Next Chapter

With a book on the shelf and templates for patterned pants keeping her busy, the next chapter will promise a lot more Corrie-made crafts. "I enjoy figuring things out, whether it’s pants or plants or whatever," Corrie says. "I really enjoy the process and once I’ve gone through that, I also find it enjoyable to back up and figure out a way to teach it to other people."

Learn More: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

Make Your Own Paper Plants

Curious about crafting paper flowers? Download a free template and follow Corrie's step-by-step guide to make a crimson glory vine that will add the perfect amount of fall to any seasonal tablescape.

Get the How-To + Buy The Book: No Sunlight Needed: These Vibrant Houseplants Are Actually Made From Paper

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