Ask interior designers about plants and they’ll tell you this – the question isn’t whether you should use plants in interior design, it’s how you do it successfully. And if you don’t care so much for what home decorators say, just check this with your doctor or your psychologist.
Not only do plants fulfill decorative functions and complete any interior with their vibrant, lively ways, but by doing so they also freshen up the air you breathe and help you stay focused, productive and positive. For more detail on this, make sure you read our post on 6 essential health benefits of indoor plants.
Looking after indoor plants
The trouble is that many people are well aware of the beneficial qualities of plants but still choose against owning them, thinking they just can’t be bothered with yet another tedious chore in their busy lives. Looking after plants, however, really isn’t rocket science; even if you don’t consider yourself particularly green-thumbed, you can learn the ABCs of plant care in next to no time.
Start by reading up a bit on your chosen plant, and by all means make sure it features among plants that are likely to thrive indoors in the first place. Get a flower pot with adequate drainage, and fill it with soil that works for your plant. From this stage onwards, your primary task will be providing your green friend with adequate amounts of two resources – light and water. But just like above, rely on trustworthy information rather than your own guesswork.
For more practical tips, tricks and more, take a look at our post outlining the basics of indoor plant care.
Adding greenery to your décor
So let’s assume you don’t skip any of the major steps in your plant care routine, and your plants do really well – grow healthy and grateful to their owner. In terms of interior design, you’re only just getting started!
How do you make the most of plants at home? How do you add them to your décor so that you end up taking full advantage of their unparalleled potential to beautify interiors? Here are a few time-saving tricks and design trends to get you off on the right footing.
1. Know your room
Take a good look around your room and determine its main strengths and weaknesses. Which parts of it are in need of a living decorative piece and which, on the contrary, could do with some additional space?
2. Commit to one style
More than anything else, your room needs a clear idea – a dominant theme to give the interior that classy, coherent look. That will set things up nicely for plants, the best possible capper to a finely balanced interior design.
3. Use a plant as a hero piece
No room feels complete these days without a well-chosen centerpiece, so why not put your favorite plant in the limelight? That doesn’t necessary mean the very middle of the room; there’s nothing wrong with a leafy focal point in the corner.
4. Don’t clutter the place
Make sure your plants don’t compete for attention with a plethora of redundant objects – whether intended for everyday use or as decoration. If this comment strikes a chord with you, then read our overview of minimalism in interior design.
5. Remember size matters
Large plants work great as a statement, especially with clean, sparse designs. Small plants, on the other hand, are best used in most other interiors where overcrowding isn’t an issue. Mixing sizes only brings good results when it’s done on purpose.
6. Put a plant in an empty corner
No idea what to do with that empty corner in your room, where there isn’t enough room for another bulky piece of furniture? Put a plant in it and the room will come together nicely, just remember to go with a larger plant to fill the visual void.
7. Choose easy plants
Stay away from finicky plants if you’d rather avoid painful gardening mistakes. There are plenty of plants available in the market that are both exceedingly pretty and easy to look after; here is a dozen of our favorite easy care indoor plants.
Indoor gardening done right
Long story short, using plants in interior design overlaps to a great extent with the basic principles of composition such as shape, proportion and harmony – but just to keep things realistic, it’s certainly a good idea to opt for a few effort-saving solutions here and there. Speaking of which, take a look at these common interior design mistakes (as well as some advice on how to avoid them).
Ready to try your hand at indoor gardening? Browse our unique collection of high-quality planters – made from fiberglass, with a range of cutting-edge styles, shapes and finishes.