Santa Barbara Business Specializes in Living Art 

During her morning swim, Terra Basche effortlessly sliced her arms through the water as she anticipated a flip-turn at the end of the pool. While turning, she instantly felt her nose fill with water. An awkward feeling for most people, but not for Basche; she didn’t mind it. In fact, she embraced it — the sensation brought her back to her roots. 

Growing up in O’ahu, Hawai’i, Basche spent her childhood swimming in the ocean and frolicking in the forest, living an unstructured life alongside her parents, who were both teachers. She believes that her upbringing in O’ahu naturally inspired her to create Lush Elements — a living art and design company that creates a variety of plant installations for a diverse clientele. Basche, the CEO and lead designer of Lush Elements, said that bringing the outdoors into the indoors is her mission. “People really need plants. It’s our innate nature to live with plants,” she said.

Lush Elements wants to replace blank areas and surfaces with plants, from restaurants to offices to residential spaces. “My goal has been reached if you feel like you’re in an indoor space, but you’re surrounded by amazing outdoor things; you just feel better,” said Basche.

Basche started her work with plants in 2006 when she created Terra Malia Designs, a design company focused on floral designs and decor. At the time, she worked part-time and dedicated most of her energy to being a mom. In 2017, she rebranded her business to become Lush Elements and solely focused on plants and plant installations. “It’s really fun being the plant lady,” she said.

Numerous studies have found that plants have various positive effects on individuals, particularly within indoor environments where the presence of nature is typically neglected. Some benefits of plants include sound absorption, improvement of air quality, climate enhancement, and improved well-being. Akin to how plants remind Basche of her roots in O‘ahu, they bring me back to my upbringing on Dos Pueblos Ranch — surrounded by nature every day. But whether you’ve grown up surrounded by plants or not, the positive emotions we feel when around them are universal.

Basche and I met at the new headquarters of Community Environmental Council (CEC) — a nonprofit in Downtown Santa Barbara dedicated to addressing issues of climate change — where she created three Lush Elements installations. As I emerge through the glass door, my eyes dart to the green wall. My pupils swell in awe at the sight and undeniable positive feeling as I zero in on the focal point of the room — a sizable moss installation by Lush Elements, featuring the illuminated CEC logo at its center, that sits prominently on the first wall.

The wall is primarily made of preserved moss. An interesting feature of this installation are the dried dandelion flowers that Basche foraged herself while biking in the valley and positioned on top of the moss to appear as if the flowers were delicately blown onto the piece. “I like anything in a piece that creates movement,” she said.

In the upstairs space of CEC, Basche created an ombre moss wall with the help of her 15-year-old daughter, Solei. The moss starts at a light, muted color and transforms into a dark forest green. Looking at the piece, it almost feels like you’re staring at a lush forest from above. “It’s a little reminiscent of topography,” Basche said.

Lush does both living and non-living plant installations. Their services include Lush Air, Lush Living, Lush Patios, Lush Walls, Lush Plants, and Lush edibles (tower gardens). Through an appointment with the team, Lush Elements can work with you to establish which plants and designs will work best with the desired space. Living walls thrive in spaces with better access to sunlight, whereas preserved Lush Walls work well in dimly lit spaces. Basche may be the driver behind the business, but she doesn’t work alone — some installations require routine maintenance and upkeep. Sheryl Glenwinkel is her lead plant technician, alongside Ali Perry, who is also a plant technician, and the social media manager Sara King.

Lush Elements mostly designs installations for the Santa Barbara area but recently did some work for the Netflix offices in Los Angeles. Basche also hopes to create sponsored pieces to bring Lush into every community possible. “For those of you who know the immense benefit of having plants in one’s environment, we invite you to consider sponsoring biophilic projects in our community through Lush Elements pieces for your favorite nonprofit, school, or other entity in need,” she later wrote to me in an email.

While Basche would love it if one or both of her daughters took over the business one day, she doesn’t want to force them into it. “I don’t want to put any pressure on the girls, but it could be an option,” she said. When I asked Basche how she maintains such a calm demeanor and stress-free lifestyle, she said it’s probably because she is doing what she loves. “I always tell my girls, ‘Just don’t stress out about what you want to do when you grow up. Just do what you’re really passionate about, and then the money will come,’” she said. 

When I asked her about her goals for the business, she emphasized growth and said, “I would love to see it grow and more in ways that are beyond even my wildest dreams.” To educate people about the benefits of plants is one thing, but to make a space come alive is what Lush Elements is all about. “It’s not about the business; it’s not about me; it’s about all the talents and everybody I’ve pulled in,” she said. “It’s about the lives we change every day.” 

See lushelements.com.