Indoor plants are a great addition to any space. Not only do they look great, but being surrounded by greenery really can make a big difference to how you feel. Countless studies have shown that having indoor plants nearby lowers feelings of stress and anxiety, alleviating depression and boosting your overall mood. They also help your home to be a cleaner, healthier space by improving air quality and increasing oxygen levels. All these signs point towards houseplants as one of the easiest ways to make your space feel comfortable and happy.
If you’re thinking about entering into the world of houseplants but doubt your ability to style them successfully in your home, we’ve pulled together an expert guide to introduce the great outdoors to your favourite indoor spaces.
How to decorate your living room with plants
Grove coffee table | Grove small bookcase | Brighton sofa
For most of us, the living room is where we spend the most time doing exactly what it says on the tin. Because of this, it’s important that it feels as homely as possible. Adding a houseplant or two can help to enhance your living room by adding a touch of life and colour without making permanent changes to furniture or decor. Plus, they’re a great way to add interest to bookcases, sideboards or console tables.
If your living room struggles with natural light, you’ll want to make sure to position your plants as close to the window as possible – you may otherwise end up with lifeless additions that make your space look even less vibrant than it did before. In rooms that are lacking in natural light, low maintenance plants are a safer option. Options such as cacti don’t need watering so often and can flourish in lower light levels if looked after properly.
Alternatively, look for smaller to more moderately sized plants that fit nicely on your windowsill but try to avoid obstructing the window or cluttering the surfaces around it, as this can make the whole room look darker.
If you’re lucky enough to have a living room that is flooded with natural light, you’ll have much more freedom when it comes to positioning your plants. Taller, more vivacious plants, such as a corn plant (Dracaena fragrans), are a brilliant way to fill in the corners of a room. Slot them into an unused alcove or place them next to your sofa to take in the green goodness even when it comes to snuggling up in front of the television.
You could also think about using little plants or matching sets of succulents as a centrepiece for your coffee table, adding a touch of style to the focal point of the living room.
How to decorate your bedroom with plants
Original Rustic bed | Original Rustic bedside tables | @natali3w3bb
Plants can be a nice finishing touch to the bedroom. However, bedrooms do tend to be tight on space and surfaces, so you may need to get creative when it comes to adding greenery. Stick to a minimalist approach for that extra cosy feel without overwhelming the room.
You might like to think about suspending plants in hanging baskets to fill in any empty corners of the room without taking up precious floor space. Trailing plants such as spider plants, English Ivy or Burro’s Tail are the best picks for this approach, as their tendency to drape down from their pots looks perfectly elegant. You can find all sorts of attractive hanging plant baskets, from handmade macrame to structured wire, to add a contemporary edge that suits your own personal style.
Does your bed have a wider headboard? Try using it as a shelf for smaller pots, or making space on your bedside table for a little bit of green. Plants that flower can bring a pop of colour to the bedroom, particularly if you match the flower colour with the colour scheme you’ve already chosen for the room.
Decorating with plants in the office
Brooklyn desk | @topologyinteriors
Many more of us are working from home these days, so transforming your home office to be somewhere you actually want to spend time has become more of a priority. As well as being mood-boosters, plants have also been shown to increase creativity and productivity, making the home office their ideal location. A small plant placed on your desk is the ideal place to start, and succulents or compact cacti can be perfect for the job.
If you’ve got a larger space to work with, plant stands are a very elegant choice. You can now buy some beautifully designed and very modern-looking plant stands which bring a touch of class to a room, making them the perfect backdrop for all those video conferences and business Zoom calls. Lifting the plant pot away from the floor can also add the illusion of increased floor space, helping the room to look and feel bigger.
Decorating with large plants
Parquet sideboard | @insidenumber.3
If you’re working with a fairly spacious room, you can pretty much go to town with the bigger plants and feature them front and centre in your space.
Floor plants are great for filling any empty corners; these include the fiddle-leaf fig tree, rubber fig, Kentia Palm or Monstera Deliciosa, otherwise known as the Swiss cheese plant. These striking specimens add interest to any space, but can also make the room feel less cold and empty with a splash of colour, particularly in larger spaces.
How to decorate a small room with plants
Brooklyn small bookcase | @athomewith_mrsm
If your room is fairly small, you probably don’t want to completely fill it by introducing large plants to the space. Whether you live in a small flat with limited space or you’re looking to add some foliage to the smaller rooms of your home such as the bathroom, there are ways to add stunning plant displays without taking up too much space.
How about potting up a terrarium? These little glass houses are the perfect pot for smaller plants to make their home. You can use a mixture of compost and decorative stones as a base, then choose smaller things such as succulents or cacti to plant up. You could also have a go with bonsai plants, an iconic shape full of character. They can be incredibly colourful but, fair warning, they do need quite a bit of TLC. You can arrange your chosen plants on any free surface to draw attention to a certain area of your room, but keep in mind that they’ll most likely be happiest near a source of natural light.
Having plants around the home is a brilliant way to enhance your living space, however large or small it may be. We can all benefit from a bit more greenery in the domestic sphere, so think about the space you have, the colours you want and how high maintenance you want your plants to be.
For more tips on choosing different varieties of plants for your home, read our guide to indoor plants, and don’t forget to make sure that you choose non-toxic varieties if you have pets or young children.
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