There are countless benefits to adding plants to your home. They give you something living to take care of & improve air quality. Adding the right plant to your space can also improve your mood & the aesthetic of your interior scheme.
It is important to keep the plant’s biological needs in mind when deciding, but there is a plant for virtually every space. Read on to learn how to match plants with your interior scheme without sacrificing the integrity of your home.
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Choose Plants That Fit the Space You Have.
When matching plants with your interior scheme you should look at things like space & colour to help you choose a specific plant. The first thing I would consider is how much free space you have & where that free space is.
While any space can accommodate floor plants you want to make sure that they fit your ceiling height & furniture. A general rule for floor plants is:
- 2-3 feet in low ceiling areas like apartments
- 6-7 feet in residential spaces
- 8+ feet in lofts or with cathedral ceilings
Hanging plants can help add vertical appeal to a room without taking up floor space, so they are a brilliant choice for smaller floor plans or corners.
Look for opportunities to use existing structures like window sills, empty shelves, & tablespaces to add plants. Building off of furniture that is already in your home brings everything together.
Adding Colour to Your Scheme.
While plants are a great decor choice because they do not go out of style & greenery matches everything you do have colourful options to match your interior or add vibrancy. When you are using colour in your interior scheme, you should use colour theory to develop the look.
Flowering plants like orchids & begonias can break up the texture of a room with a pop of colour. Other colourful additions include:
- Birds of paradise
- Anthurium
- Christmas cactus
- Cyclamen
- Gerbera daisies
If flowers do not appeal to you, there are plenty of plants with leaves that boast colourful variations. An interesting leaf pattern like the large white veins on alocasias can provide a contrast from the greenery without being too far off the mark.
If you still desire colour without the petals, there are plenty of household plants with colourful leaves, such as:
- Prayer plants
- Chinese evergreen
- Coleus
- Croton
- Fittonia
Adding any colour plant can also help brighten up a dark space, so they are a fantastic choice for corners & nooks.
Tying Plants & Furniture Together.
While putting effort into choosing the right plant for your space definitely pays off, you can make your job easier by putting more work into the accessories.
Things like pots, plant stands, & pot covers are more effective at tying the room together than adding greenery. Adding a plant means adding greenery to the room (unless you opt for a more colourful variety), so your best chance at fitting a specific scheme is being intentional in your choice of accessories.
You should make sure that the pots you choose fit the theme of your room, both in colour & style. For example, using seagrass planter baskets can tie all your plants together while also tapping into the natural style of the room.
Using a plant stand helps use more vertical space. While they are a great choice if you dislike clutter on the ground, a plant stand is also helpful if you have a cluster of plants in an area of the room. By ensuring the plants are at varying heights they do not fight for attention.
Any accessory should first meet the basic needs of the plant, but after that, they should fit these aspects of the room:
- Style
- Colour scheme
- Mood
If finding the perfect plant is becoming a daunting task, then make your job easier by choosing a plant that appeals to you & then matching its accessories to your interior scheme.
Matching Plants by Room.
While the interior scheme of a room varies from person to person, there are basic elements of each room that plants can serve. Each room varies aesthetically & spatially, so you will want to find plants that match the personality of the room.
Choosing the right plants for each room ensures that the plants resonate in the space.
Living Room
Living rooms tend to have more open space than other rooms, so floor plants like birds of paradise or fiddle leaf fig fit well.
In the living room, you want to ensure that the plant is sturdy enough to weather any activity in the home (especially if you have pets or small children). If you need to keep plants up & out of the way consider adding plants to shelves. Plants that drape like ferns or ivy add greenery without risking destruction.
Dining Room
The dining room is another great area for floor plants, but make sure they are out of the way of sliding chairs & potential walkways.
Decorating the dining room table is also one of the easiest ways to decorate for holidays. Choose plants & accessories that fit the colour & mood of the room, then spread them as a centrepiece of the dining room table.
Even in the absence of a holiday, adding fresh cuts to the dining room table keeps the area looking vibrant & renewed. Just make sure you change them out often.
Bedroom
Bedrooms best utilize low light plants like ruffle fern, but if your bedroom has adequate light, you can accommodate bamboo plants & even aloe vera. All of these options are great at improving air quality, which can help while you sleep.
On top of colour & style, you should consider the scent of a plant. Something like an indoor citrus tree can easily be too distracting & vibrant to allow you to sleep at night. Choose something scent-free or even plants with calming aromas, like lavender or jasmine.
Bathroom
Adding greenery to the bathroom makes sense because of the humidity, but make sure you choose the right plants. Ferns are great for hanging, & air plants take up little space on shelves.
You can even add plants to the inside of your shower for a more invigorating experience. Something like eucalyptus can clear up congestion, or it can just clear your mind after a long day.
Kitchen
The best choice for a kitchen? Herbs.
There are plenty of ways to add herbs to the kitchen depending on the style of your space.
For a sleek, modern kitchen choose solid coloured planters & line them up on the windowsill. If you have a bohemian scheme, you can use macrame pot holders to hang your herbs up throughout the space.
Make sure you avoid plants that could have any toxic effects, instead of going for food-safe plants like:
- Thyme
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Aloe vera
On top of the aesthetic appeal of the plants, having fresh herbs readily available will be a game-changer for your cooking skills.
Office
An office space may be overlooked, but adding plants will give it a more inviting feel. Try to keep any additions minimal, meaning no intricate shapes or loud colours.
Depending on how well-lit your office space is, consider adding succulents. They come in a variety of species, so you can be sure to find one that fits your scheme. Succulents also boast a geometric design, which blends well with the overarching industrious scheme of office space.
Choosing Plants When You Do Not Have a Green Thumb.
You do not need to be a botanist to add greenery to your space. If you often forget to water your plants or are allergic to many plants, there are still options for adding plants to your interior scheme.
Fake plants are great because they bypass the biological needs of real plants. You want a Croton in a dark corner but found out that they require direct sunlight to stay bold & vibrant. Using a fake plant can add the visual appeal you envision without murdering the plant in the process.
You can also use bouquets or other fresh cuts to add a pop of colour without committing to a plant. They do not last long, so this is not a great option if you need a permanent piece of decor, but if you want to change things up, you will have plenty of options.
Sources:
http://theglitterguide.com/2019/08/20/how-to-style-your-houseplants-like-a-professional-interior-designer/
https://decoholic.org/match-the-right-plant-with-the-right-room-&-bring-your-home-to-life/
https://blog.modsy.com/home-design-tips-guides/tips-guides/how-to-arrange-indoor-plants/
https://www.thespruce.com/ways-to-decorate-with-plants-4049334
https://gardenerspath.com/plants/houseplants/colorful-winter/
Wrapping it All Up.
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