Review: The Sill

THE SILL

Lower East Side | 84 Hester Street | The Sill

While The Sill’s website is remarkably easy to navigate, we would still come back to shop in person the next time we are feeling like giving our apartment a mini facelift.

THE SILL:

PRODUCT

If you’ve noticed a proliferation of house plants on Instagram lately, or visited a friend’s apartment and noticed that their plants were looking particularly Instagram-y, now you know why. The Sill is the DTC houseplant company responsible for cultivating and spreading this aesthetic. While many companies market their greenery to people with multiple rooms and backyards, The Sill makes the conscious decision to market their plants to people with shoebox sized apartments. The plants run in all sizes and are labeled with designations like “beginner friendly” and “low light”. These designations demystify the plant buying process for beginner and advanced plant owners alike. What’s great about The Sill is that its a one-stop-shop. You can purchase a plant according to your specifications (mini, low-light, low-water, for example) and complete the purchase with any of their planters and cute accessories. While The Sill may make it easy to purchase and care for plants, it’s not foolproof so make sure you actually do water it when you are supposed to...they can’t change nature, only help you master it.

PEOPLE

The staff is very on-brand and assumes that all clients who come into the store will be in that same mold. When a customer less familiar with the Instagram, millennial plant culture comes in the staff puts on a slightly pretentious air which can feel a bit alienating. Perhaps had we visited the Upper West Side location our experience would have been different as the general clientele probably skews a bit older. That being said the staff is incredibly knowledgeable about the plant selection and are able to help you find the best plant for your specifications.

PLACE

The Lower East Side location is tiny. Nearly every nook and cranny of the store is filled with some sort of plant or plant accessory. While the description may make it seem as though the store feels cluttered or overwhelming the overall effect is more greenhouse than junkhouse. You feel a bit like you just found an oasis in the middle of the desert (hello, dirty NYC streets.) The store also offers fun sounding workshops (i.e. “Succulents 101” and “DIY Terrarium”) although we struggle to understand where exactly all the attendees will be housed. 

VIBES

The Sills motto is plants make people happy. While the store might be small, we left feeling happier than when we walked in and excited to go home and display our new Instagram-ready plants. While The Sill’s website is remarkably easy to navigate, we would still come back to shop in person the next time we are feeling like giving our apartment a mini facelift. Every apartment needs a little TLC before it’s Instagram debut.