When you know how to arrange indoor plants, you can emphasize your experience at home. As Paul Simon once said, there are angels in the architecture. What better way to accentuate the existing beauty of your home than with plants that literally breath life into your environment. Here are some of my top tips to turn your humble abode into a curated art installation.
Inspiration from Instagram
Nowadays, Instagram has become the barometer of cool. Careers are built solely on this platform, and the fame and fortunes that follow are only a few photos away. A handful of thoughtfully arranged plants could simply add some life to your lifestyle photography. Instagrammers, such as @houseplantclub, have created communities that share photos of beautifully arranged plants along with tips on how to achieve their biological success. Use this for inspiration for your botanic art.
To increase Feng Shui
Oriental culture places a lot of importance upon the location and arrangement of plants. Whether you subscribe to Asian ideology or not, practicing a little bit of Feng Shui couldn’t hurt. If you choose the right plant in the right place there may be a whole range of benefits from increased health to happiness and even wealth. A good example is Dracaena trifasciata, also known as Mother-in-laws-tongue. This perennial plant has the ability to purify air and easily withstand drought conditions. No wonder it is known in Chinese culture to be a protective influence in your house. Place this protector in your bedroom for maximum supernatural potential.
To create curtains
Arrange tall plants next to the window to filter and absorb direct sunlight. Plants, such as a Begonia ‘Angel Wing, are perfect due to their tropical nature. The delicate flowers that grow from their long canes will disperse the incoming light like a hazy day in the jungle.
To demand attention
Natural curves that draw attention to different areas and features of your room can be like recruiting a world class conductor to lead a school band. The results are instant and effective. The geometric unfurling of voluptuous blooms are the perfect complement for a shapeless room.
To bring attention to a photo or painting hung high on the wall, use plants that are elongated and grow upwards. Like an organic and subtle arrow, they will draw focus upwards to features at eye-level. The perfect plant for this application is multi-purpose. Meet Aloe Vera. Not only will it stand tall and pointy but snap one of those spines off and you have raw unprocessed face moisturizer.
A Feature Piece
If you have an empty corner in your room, why not use an accent plant to fill that negative space. Plants that have interesting characteristics such as the Dieffenbachia are perfect as a stand-alone plant. Present them at a prominent height either on a stool or in a tall planter to really grab someone’s gaze.
For Cascades of Greenery
For villa aesthetics, use plants with flowing leaves in hanging planters to exude a more relaxed and carefree aura. Marble Pathos is one of most popular and recognisable, and are suitable to grow in apartments. Try hanging it from a feature fireplace or from shelves.
Open up the Experience
For open areas, use large plants that have a presence. If it is a reception area of your house or business then use a plant (or planter) that is striking and cannot be ignored. Think about the effect that you want. Colorful plants will allude to creativity and soft elegant plants like the Dreamer Lily will show your dreamier side. When guests enter, what do you want them to think about you?
Colorscapes
A little sprinkle of green near muted colors can be striking and refreshing. Whereas bright contrasting colors will make your home feel exciting and uplifting. Use free color matching guides such as https://coolors.co/ to curate your next organic art installation.
Office Greenery
Bright and luscious plants are appreciated anywhere. But, placing them in your office can give you the much needed serenity to push you past any creative barriers you may encounter. Rubber plants are a suitable candidate that even NASA recommends. Boasting the ability to purify harmful toxins in the air, we are likely to see them in the office of astronauts in the near future.
Botanic Tables
Miniature plants such as Bonsai trees are perfect in spaces on tables and shelves that are bare and unoccupied. Requiring little upkeep, they can punch well above their weight in terms of aesthetics.
The Rule of Three
Math is all around us and we are preprogrammed to enjoy things in threes. When arranging plants, two is an odd number. So if your plant looks lonely, then make sure they have a couple of friends. One trick to increase appeal is to vary the height of the plants to create layers of depth.
To Make a Room Look Bigger
A tall plant near a low chair highlights the size of your room. Arranging plants at all levels maximises this effect and by going far and wide with your arrangement you can stretch the dimensional space at your disposal. Think corners, nooks, crannies, go way up high, or down low. Spread your botanical wings wide and reclaim those empty spaces.
However you arrange your plants, make sure they are happy and healthy. A dying and dehydrated plant is likely to dampen the mood. Part of the fun of arranging plants is the experiment. Our moods are always changing and the landscape of your home can be configured to reflect this. Luckily, Jay Scotts offer a range of planters that are exclusively made from fiberglass and therefore are light and easy to move. The result, you can arrange your plants on a whim in any number of different combinations.