When you mix a creative eye with a green thumb, the beauty of nature is brought to life. Joy Leimanis, founder and designer at Spade & Pointer, has channeled her passion for plants into a collection of planters and succulent art for the home. Aptly named after her two loves – her gardening tools and her dogs (Pointers, of course) – Joy has created a business with Spade & Pointer where she can share the art of greenery with her fellow urbanites.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Joy Leimanis and I'm a Vancouver local with a passion for entertaining and beautiful things. I work as a project manager by day, greenery designer by night; I create potted succulent art to fulfill my need to be in touch with nature, and bring an approachable element of that to our urban lives. When I'm not at work I'm either in the garden, out exploring the city or hiking on one of local mountains.
How did you get started and what led you to where you are now?
Greenery has always been my passion. Throughout high school and university, I worked in garden centres and learned a lot from my time there. It also helps that my husband works in the landscape industry, so having a home filled with plants is normal for us. I've always loved creating beautiful planters and, just recently, with encouragement from friends and family, I turned this passion into something more.
Do you have any predictions for the future of your industry?
I think that succulents are going to continue to be huge in home décor because they are such an easy-to-care-for plant and they fit in well with the modern aesthetic. All you really need to keep them alive is a bright, south-facing window and a bit of water every few weeks. I also see people continuing to seek out handmade groupings that have been designed to work together – visually, they are an artistic addition to a space, but they also add a local, personalized element rather than just something picked up at the nursery.
What is your favourite creative website?
Succulents seem to still be on trend for weddings and, strangely enough, because of that fact I find a lot of inspiration from wedding websites like Green Wedding Shoes and Style Me Pretty. They are a great resource for plant colour combinations and inspiration for incorporating other materials like driftwood and precious stones.
Artistically, what is your favourite part of the city?
I always feel inspired after a trip to Granville Island. The bustle of the market, the colours and smells inspire me to create. I think it's seeing all the raw ingredients just waiting to be combined to become something more.
