How To Decorate With House Plants

Purchasing plants just because you like them is not wrong. However, if you’re interested in using plants as interior design, you could wish to choose plants that complement the style of your house.

Consider big plants like a fiddle leaf fig or rubber tree if you enjoy mid-century modern design. To finish the effect, combine them with planters that have tall legs.

If you enjoy the farmhouse style, seek for useful plants like aloe or herbs in recycled or vintage metal planters. Succulents, eucalyptus, and arrowhead vine are other excellent options.

Choose numerous little plants in a range of small pots if you prefer a more eclectic appearance. Mix it up with leaf and vine plants, blooming houseplants, cactus, and succulents for the most color and texture variety.

You can create a stunning, unified space that is full of life by treating plants just like any other piece of home décor.

How should indoor plants be displayed?

11 ways to display houseplants that take up less room

  • Mount floating shelves. Image from Pinterest.
  • Pick a planter that hangs on the wall.
  • Consider a trellis indoors.
  • A planter should be hung from the ceiling.
  • Make use of window sills.
  • Install a towel rack or rail.
  • Plants can be hung from copper tubing or a dowel.
  • Select a serving stand with three tiers.

How can I decorate my living room with plants?

A white living room can be given life and intrigue by layering plants. To create the impression of an indoor jungle, pick a variety of forms and shapes and arrange them at various heights, either on stands or hanging as part of a gallery wall.

Plants with pink or variegated foliage make excellent decor items because of their striking contrasts. They genuinely appear to have been painted,’ said Eli Manekin.

I always advise using white pots with straightforward forms because they don’t compete with your plant.

Which houseplants pair well with one another?

Best Plant Combinations for Homes

  • Calathea, Lime Pothos, and Episcia.
  • Arrowhead, Kalanchoe, and Peace Lily.
  • St.
  • Moth orchids, parlor palms, maidenhair ferns native to the South, and peperomia emerald ripples.
  • Flapjacks, agave “Spaghetti Strap,” and peperomia “Hope.”

What should I do with my indoor plants?

Many of us learn how to garden for the first time with houseplants. Potted plants, particularly in colder climates, add color, beauty, and fresh air indoors when chilly temperatures and wintry weather keep us inside. No matter where you reside, the advice below will help you make the most of potted plants in your house.

How Much Light?

How much light a plant will receive where it will be grown should be one of the first factors to be taken into account while choosing and cultivating it. The majority of houseplants require bright, indirect light, such that from an east-facing window. As long as the harsh sun’s rays don’t touch a plant’s leaves directly, especially in the summer, south and west windows also function nicely. African violets and other popular flowering plants need a little bit more light than ferns or ivy that are kept primarily for their leaves. Light offers the extra vitality that flowers need.

The Most Important Requirement: Water

The most crucial—and frequently most difficult—aspect of growing healthy houseplants is watering. Instead of drowning them to the point where their roots can’t breathe, err on the dry side. In the summer, use water more liberally. It’s time to water when the top 1/2 to 1 inch of the pot is dry. Water the plant thoroughly until the water drains out the drainage holes in the container’s bottom.

Don’t Forget Plant Food

Another crucial aspect in developing outstanding houseplants is feeding the plants. Your houseplants’ roots are restricted to a pot, preventing them from foraging for nutrients in the nearby soil. You have the choice. In general, giving your houseplants a weekly or biweekly dose of plant food made specifically for them, like Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food, will result in happy, healthy, long-lived plants that add color and life to your home. The summer is a crucial season to feed indoor plants because this is when they are actively growing and will benefit from the nutrients.

What is the ideal number of plants for a room?

Human life is dependent on plants. They can eliminate contaminants from the air we breathe and change the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen through photosynthesis.

Indoor plants help purge the air of cancer-causing volatile organic chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, according to a renowned NASA experiment that was published in 1989. (Those NASA researchers were looking for efficient techniques to purify the air in the environs of space stations.) Later studies have discovered that soil microorganisms in potted plants also contribute to the purification of indoor air.

Some scientists claim that indoor plants are efficient natural air purifiers based on this research. The quantity of leaf surface area determines the pace of air filtration, according to Bill Wolverton, a retired NASA research scientist who conducted that 1989 plant study. And the bigger and leafier the plant, the better.

According to Wolverton, it’s impossible to predict how many plants could be required to completely purge a room of its impurities in the absence of pricy testing. He does, however, typically advise at least two “excellent sized plants per 100 square feet of indoor space.” One of the best plants for eliminating airborne contaminants is the Boston fern, although it might be challenging to cultivate it inside, according to him. “The golden pothos is a well-liked and simple-to-grow plant, so that’s usually what I suggest.

While Wolverton has long been a strong supporter of indoor plants—he has written books on the subject and currently runs a consultancy business that promotes their use to purify contaminated air—other experts contend that the evidence supporting their ability to do so is far from clear-cut.

According to Luz Claudio, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, “There are no conclusive studies to indicate that keeping indoor plants can considerably boost the air quality in the home to benefit health in a meaningful way.

Claudio has examined the studies on the advantages of indoor plants on the quality of the air. She claims that under “laboratory circumstances,” there is no doubt about the ability of plants to remove volatile chemical pollutants from the air. However, there isn’t much solid scientific evidence to support the idea that adding a few plants to your house or office will help to filter the air there.

The majority of research projects to date, including the NASA study, placed indoor plants in restricted spaces to gauge their ability to purify the air. Stanley Kays, an emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, claims that those studies aren’t really relevant to what takes place in a home.

A 2009 study on the purifying properties of 28 various indoor plants was co-authored by Kays. While many of those plants were capable of purging the air of contaminants, the author claims that transitioning from an enclosed container to an open atmosphere drastically alters the dynamics.

How do you present plants beautifully?

Ideas for indoor plants can freshen the air, reduce stress levels, and improve the aesthetics of your home. Indoor plants also provide you a reason to have fun and be creative with your hands.

We can re-connect with nature by surrounding ourselves with indoor garden ideas and by taking care of our plants. Additionally, “Connection to the natural environment is more important than ever,” according to the Botanical Boys (opens in new tab). Today’s fast-paced, fragile environment requires us to occasionally calm down and take in the beauty of the natural world. It is the one factor keeping us alive.

Each and every one of us must make the time to interact with nature in some way, they continue, because doing so has a positive impact on our personal welfare.

All the advantages of plants can be easily experienced indoors. Whatever the size of your home, there is always room for a couple of leafy beauties. From miniature bonsais to grand palms and figs, they may liven up a mantlepiece, filter light from a window, or even serve to partition an open-concept living area. They may provide texture and contrast to even the most basic décor, make a boring set of shelves into a magnificent statement, or give a new coffee table or kitchen island a stylish flourish.

Continue reading to learn how these original ideas might help you improve your home’s decor.

How many plants should you put in your home?

Simply hanging plants, for example from the ceiling or in front of a window, is one of the best/easiest ways to add more plants to your home. The amazing range of ways you may personalize this concept is another thing I adore. Look at some of the ways these house tour participants hung plants in their homes to get ideas for where to hang, what to hang, and how to hang.

There are 14 windows, a hammock, a meditation loft, and a ton of plants in this 296 square foot small house, including this stunning display of leaves. This is not only a fantastic method to showcase plenty of plants in a tiny house without taking up a lot of floor space, but it also turns each plant into a living work of art.

The home of jewelry designer Bobbi of Bobbi Made This showcases color and forms in novel and entertaining ways, but there are also some fantastic ideas for exhibiting plants. She mixed simple hanging plants in front of the window with a tall, lush fiddle leaf, as well as a few adorable plants on the corner shelves, and I adore how she incorporated plants into her kitchen.

As seen in September’s cool house, placing these naturally curved, botanical hanging plants in front of a gorgeous accent wall covered in geometric wallpaper is a fantastic way to give contrast to the space.

In her stylish condo, Kristin Cedar created a complete plant wall that cost $300 to create and was quite simple to install. I made use of these enormous clothing racks that are typically found in shops. I used these brackets to fasten them to the walls. With this self-watering hanging wall planter, I employed a selection of climbing plants. The wall will eventually be completely green because I utilized a variety of plants that will swell and spread over time.

The 512-square-foot studio of this professional organizer has innovative storage solutions for the kitchen, bathroom, closets, and more, but Faith’s over-the-kitchen-island idea is what really excites me. For a one-of-a-kind display, she blends mementos she has gathered over the years in a lovely hanging mobile, intermingled with live plants.

This South Philly home has over 100 plants, including this fascinating plant that hangs over the bed and, due to its positioning, appears more like a living chandelier. It also has a pretty nice DIY fireplace and the sweetest heart-shaped window ever.

The hanging plant idea, which anyone with any size budget or available space may use, is also found in that same South Philadelphia home. It involves using one of those reasonably priced rods with containers suspended from it by hooks.

With good reason: You may take a few cherished pieces you really care about, merging them together into a composition that itself becomes art. Intentional displays of plants and art are a significant trend in simple décor. Get motivated by the one that was discovered in Whitney Mack’s bedroom in New Orleans.

When you can also use those growing herbs as a delicious display, like in this adorable home, it makes the delightful experience of cooking with fresh herbs from your own garden even sweeter.

This 350-square-foot studio apartment effectively used a garment rack as a room divider, but it also divided the space with plants so that it didn’t appear visually overwhelming, imposing, or blocky.

In her 550-square-foot Upper East Side studio apartment, Alli Hochberg came up with an intriguing room divider design. While visually dividing the room, a coat rack with plants inside lets in tons of light.

Melissa’s studio apartment in New York City is only 272 square feet, but she discovered a creative solution to add a ton of plants without obstructing the light by hanging them from an IKEA NIKKEBY clothes rack!

The most historic area in Philadelphia, Old City, is home to this loft-style apartment, which boasts a wealth of architectural details, including stunning brick walls. But I adore the way they emphasized the mantel area with plants.

Chelsea Coffey and Warren Creavalle have a stunning two-story apartment in Philadelphia, and they added a really creative touch by hanging plants under the stairway.

Should houseplants interact with one another?

Everyone is aware of the comforting and stress-relieving effects that human touch may have in addition to being heartwarming. What about, however, specifically with regard to houseplants.

Does a kind touch from another houseplant in a pot make it feel better about the world? Or may it have other effects that might potentially prevent it from growing?

We will provide you with the conclusive response to the question of “should my houseplants contact each other?” in our helpful post. Let’s begin with a brief overview.

Generally speaking, indoor plants shouldn’t contact. Since they can sense touch, according to scientific research, being touched by another plant can trigger a genetic defensive mechanism that slows growth.

Additionally, plants in the home that touch one other run the risk of developing a pest infestation.

Therefore, the quick answer is no, indoor plants shouldn’t contact. Let’s learn more about why your indoor plants prefer to live alone and whether there are any instances when grouping them together would be better for their wellbeing.

Let’s start by investigating whether plants can feel being touched in order to gain a better understanding of whether houseplants should touch one other.

Are indoor plants have to be near a window?

Houseplants are not only attractive and decorative but also provide many advantages for your home. Your indoor plants can boost your health, remove toxins from the air through air purification, and, if you have them in an office or classroom setting, they can help you concentrate better.

How can you maximize the potential of your plants? The positioning of your houseplants within the home is one of the secrets to keeping them healthy.

In general, plants can endure warmer or colder conditions, as well as short-term water surpluses or shortages. However, if you want the finest results from your plants, you must put them in an environment where they will have access to water, nutrients, and the proper climate to survive.

How then can you imitate their natural environment? In order to get the most success out of your houseplants, our guide will show you which plants to place where in your house.

Which rooms work best?

Your indoor plants all share the same trait. Each plant will require a different quantity of sunlight, but they all require it.

Place your indoor plants carefully; don’t just set them down. It doesn’t necessarily follow that a plant is best for your houseplant just because it matches the decor of a particular room in the home.

Consider the following: Which room in my home receives the greatest sunlight? What side are my windows facing? My heaters aren’t here. What is the inside temperature in my home on average?

With that, you can begin to determine which regions are ideal for placing your houseplants.

Types of plants

Your plants will need sunlight, as was already said. Some species will benefit from as much shade as possible, but others may require continuous partial or full shade.

Keep in mind that your plants do not require direct sunshine at all times of the day because this can burn the plant’s leaves and roots.

The majority of plants will thrive in a window that faces west, east, or south. Therefore, avoid placing too many plants in front of windows that face north.

Of course, some plants need full or partial shade for the most of the day.

For instance, flowering and foliage plants, including some fern and lily kinds, typically do well with both artificial light and little direct sunlight.

Therefore, if you position your foliage plant a few feet away from your South-facing window, it will be in the best possible position. Make sure your foliage plant is kept out of the midday sun or when there is direct sunshine in the room if your windows face west or east.

Large, thick, meaty leaves on plants have a tendency to thrive in the shade. These plants include, but are not limited to, jade, stonecrop, and zebra plant.

Plant care

Your indoor plants could require more maintenance than your garden. It’s always best to do a little study on your plants, whether it’s to find out how frequently to water them or what kind of environment they want.

Around 70F (20C) is a good temperature for most houseplants, however others only do well in colder climates. For instance, cyclamen like it between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 15 degrees Celsius), and Cineraria much cooler. You may need to maintain a steady temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit if you have a bonsai tree or other tropical indoor plants (20C).

When positioning your plants close to a heat source, exercise caution. The majority of home heating systems create an environment that is too dry for most potted plants. In the winter, central heating will produce a warm, arid environment. For indoor plants, this will be nearly inhospitable.

You can either periodically mist your plants with tiny water droplets or pack or group moss between the pot and its attractive container to create a microclimate around their leaves. The warning indicators will be seen when your leaves are completely dry or discolored and the soil appears to require watering.