New vertical garden rises at Raphael restaurant in Studio City

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Looking to make Raphael in Studio City ‘more private and lush,’ the owners of the Ventura Boulevard restaurant recently added a green wall composed of succulents, herbs and other plants.

The wall looks great (I nearly caused an accident when I spotted it) with an abundance of blue and green flora, much of it pulled from the garden of co-owner Terry Raphael.

‘She is a self-professed hippie and is really motivated to do green things,’ co-owner and manager Alon Raphael said of his mother.

The restaurant used pocket panels designed by San Francisco-based Plants on Walls. The felt-like panels are made from 100% recycled plastic water bottle fiber, which is mounted to a plastic backing. They range from $33 for a mini six-pocket model (8 inches wide, 2 feet tall) to $195 for a full-size 24-pocket model (32 inches wide and 4 feet tall).

‘We took a simple turn on something really obvious and kept it affordable,’ said Plants on Walls co-owner Chris Bribach, a graduate of the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Alon Raphael says his restaurant wants to grow heirloom tomatoes in the pockets someday. ‘We look at it as an addition to our kitchen,’ he said.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits: Christina House/For The Times

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