Greenhouse Effect

Eco-friendly doesn't have to mean ugly. Add organic panache to home and garden with a trip to Ink & Peat.

By Jill Spitznass

Photo: Stuart Mullenberg

Spring Awakening: In warm weather, Zsori keeps the boutique’s oversize glass windows open.

After opening her home- and floral-design store last July, Ink & Peat owner Pam Zsori quickly got used to customers doing impulsive things like wrapping themselves in a fluffy mohair throw, spritzing their necks with a hand-mixed perfume, or indulging in a second sample of gourmet dark chocolate. But when a woman enthusiastically hugged a concrete garden deer, Zsori knew her business was on the right track. “My goal was to create an experience for people,” she says. “That’s just the sort of emotional connection I’m looking for.”

At Ink & Peat, that link is a natural one: an organic theme runs throughout the N Williams Avenue boutique. On a long table made of reclaimed lumber, for example, palm-size succulents in glazed ceramic pots mingle with letterpress stationery by Portland’s Egg Press and colorful hand-printed textiles by Elizabeth Benz. Vintage elements, such as cement garden urns, glass laboratory beakers, and ’40s Indian enamelware, are also part of the store’s eccentric mix.

In the back of the light-filled space, Zsori creates her signature floral arrangements, combining traditional blooms with quirky elements like fuzzy Scabiosa pods, unripe blackberries, and lady apples. And although an enthralled customer has yet to bite into one of her bouquets, it’s undoubtedly just a matter of time.