A Storied Aesthetic: A Peek Inside Writer Oscar Raymundo’s Plant-Filled Home
Oscar, his partner Denys, and a beautiful Ficus Audrey in their colorful Mission district apartment.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, writer Oscar Raymundo took advantage of a rare dip in San Francisco’s real estate market to upgrade to a bigger, brighter pad. The result? A budding green thumb, of course.
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Living in a house full of plants wasn’t always Oscar’s story. Like many San Francisco residents, he and his partner Denys had been hustling to make the most of an increasingly impossible city for over 10 years. Factors like small spaces and limited light left little to be imagined in terms of living greenery.
But also like many San Francisco residents, they took advantage of a truly unprecedented lull in the city’s real estate market during the pandemic to upgrade to a bigger, brighter spot to call home.
And with both working from home, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
From left to right: a Kentia Palm, Silver Evergreen, and Dracena Lisa + Kentia Palm.
A writer and producer at Instagram, Oscar’s day to day involves everything from crafting content about internet cat personalities to finding creative ways to showcase movers and shakers across different communities.
He and Denys had never expected to be spending so much time at home, reveling in the company of their mischievous cat, Tokyo. After a few months of making their one bedroom apartment work, they realized there was no better time than the present to consider a move. With so many San Francisco residents leaving the city to work remotely elsewhere, the opportunity for an upgrade was ripe.
A sprightly Dragon Tree enjoys Oscar’s attention.
“My plant care secret? Have conversations with them.”
Cue in an adorably charming Edwardian walk-up, flooded with light and spacious enough to house not only a home office for each but a guest-room-meets-gym, a dining-meets-meeting room, and a chef’s kitchen that would leave any urbanite envious.
Though Oscar has called the Mission home for over a decade, it wasn’t until moving to this apartment that he really began to nest— and collect houseplants. With all that space and light, how could he not? His collection includes everything from an impressive Ficus Audrey and lush Kentia Palm to small cacti that, as he believes, should keep the curious Tokyo at bay.
He credits his green thumb to his grandmother, who believes the ultimate secret to keeping plants happy is speaking to them. He says, “It’s hard to find things in common with a 90 year old. But the plant thing– we can talk about that. Her secret is to have conversations with them.” And he blames his cat Tokyo for the occasional casualty.
His plants look fabulous, so maybe there’s something to it. As far as the cat is concerned, he hasn’t found a solution yet.
Photos by Margaret Austin
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