Outdoor Entertaining

Morera was also attracted to cacti's resilience. "They thrive in the worlds harshest conditions, and not only do they thrive, they look completely bitchin' while they're at it!" he says. "I started collecting them…big time. I would say I had over 2,000 specimens in my personal collection at one time."

Some of the cacti species available at the shop include cleistocactus supernova, pediocactus knowltonii, and thrixanthocereus senilis. "What we try to do is carry uniquely beautiful cactus that are not commercially available to the public," Help LTD. says. "But we try not to carry plants that only a cactus head would flip over—we're trying to bring these beautiful plants to the public, not pull them further away."

Head to Cactus Store at 1505.5 Echo Park Ave in Los Angeles, California, to spy an expertly assembled collection of rare cacti. The store's manager, Johnny Morera, became interested in the plants after what he calls "a long love affair bonsai." "As a 10-year-old, Cuban-American of immigrant parents I was definitely an outcast in the Japanese L.A. bonsai scene," Morera says. "I showed up to seminar after seminar, and hung around a nursery more than I was attending grade school. Eventually that kind of perseverance—or annoyance—paid off and I was issued clearance to start studying under John Naka, the California bonasi legend. I got pretty far in the scene but, unfortunately, after skipping all of those classes, I got kicked out of high school. Then I got a job at a nursery where I was exposed to a lot of different plants and cacti. Cacti took my attention because they have many of the same sculptural qualities as bonsai and are at times as slow moving—and most are native!"

"A lot of nurseries sell cacti, but the difference in what we are doing is that we are not selling raw plant material delivered by a semi each morning," says the store's owner, Help LTD. "We hand pick every cactus that's in the shop from these crazy farms in the middle of nowhere near the border of Mexico and California. No one else is doing that—you aren't going to find these plants at a nursery."

Cactus Light by Studio Swine (2012) Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves scavanged and sandblasted waste wood and beer bottles to create this standup succulent lamp from the streets of Sao Paulo.

Reik added greenery to the space by suspending a tree branch to the wall. Miniature cacti in planters hang from the branch with fishing line. The hallway leading to the bedroom is adorned with antique mirrors, postcards, and personal photos.

Fernando & Humberto Campana, Mandacarú Formiga Ant Cactus, 2006, protype for Alessi © Estudio Campana, Photo: Fernando Laszlo

A cactus sits nicely in this fired-clay vessel from La Gardo Tackett.

The master bathroom has a bamboo screen and a Deauville tub by Victoria + Albert. A vintage enameled metal sign from the London Underground is framed by the screen and a cactus that sits atop an African stool.

Entry with cactus garden

A window in the office purposefully frames a large cactus, inviting the Sonoran desert landscape into the home.

A cactus garden planted in between the glazed wall in front of the stair and the brise-soleil connects the home to the landscape.

The Poul Henningsen pendant lights the stairwell. A cactus garden runs the length of the front yard and extends into the house.

The house draws its name, “Pleats,” from the corrugated metal that wraps the gabled volume, reminiscent of the pleated exterior of the Saguaro cactus.

Although cacti are associated with being low-maintenance plants, it is important to remember every cactus has different needs.

The corner is the family’s favorite gathering spot—“a contemporary cave for three,” says Serge. Luisa’s module, with its cactus-lined terrace, is visible through the glass wall.

The gabled entry features a patterned, wood rainscreen that evokes the forked ribs of the Saguaro cactus while the recessed entry is akin to a Saguaro boot, the holes in the giant cacti that many desert animals use as their homes.

When Sean first moved in, the enormous cactus at the far end was just outside the yard, so he had the wall rebuilt to include it in the patio.

In front, a patterned brick pathway leads through a cactus garden to the main entrance, which is marked by a low, horizontal facade with wooden accents and splashes of color. The orange-red overhang is inspired by a torii (a traditional gateway to a Japanese Shinto shrine).

Inspired by the color of Strawberry Hedgehog cactus thriving in the front yard of the house, the window wants to be an abstract flower drawing guests toward the front entrance. The wall lights are abstract luminarias of the southwest landscape.

Cactus Vase (2007) by Jiri Pelcl, estimated at $1,000-$1,500. Created in 2007 by Czech designer Jiri Pelcl, the Cactus vase merges the designer’s travel memories in Peru with the shape of lab glass tubes. Imagined as an abstract body of nature, this vase can also be used as a candlestick.

The homeowner of Via Media Residence needed a workspace that would stand separate from domestic life. Matt Fajkus Architecture added a freestanding structure that acts as both a studio and a pool house—and is strategically positioned to frame views of the pool, the hills, and the cactus-filled slope in the back.

The large cacti are Cereus Repandus or "Peruvian Apple Cactus." The small cactus in the black planter is an Opuntia Microdasys, also called a "Bunny Ear Cactus," and the small cactus in the while planter is an Opuntia Laevis, otherwise known as a "Smooth Prickly Pear Cactus."

Cactus coasters DIY : clemaroundthecorner.com/201...

Kitchen with Custom made Pantry Doors; Pantry using space under staircase, Tanzanian Decorative Woven Plates, Morroccan Taznakht Runner, Moroccan Cactus Rug

The couple planted a cactus and succulent garden

Cactus Hook A desert inspired, cactus shaped hook with colored screws for flowers. 5" high x 2.75" wide. Made in LA.

and cactus

Eclectic cactus collection

cactus garden

A cactus garden!

Entry and cactus

Doorways received new salvaged wood headers for added character and to let more light through. "The exterior of the home is traditional Spanish Revival, but the original interior lacked some of those traditional Spanish design elements," said Valencia. "Adding the headers helped to carry that Spanish style through the interior of the home and visually communicate the age of the house." The original hardwood flooring was restored throughout, and the cactus wallpaper is from Anewall on Etsy.

Ensuite bath with cactus garden