Sustainable interior design and decorating focus on creating beautiful, functional spaces while minimizing environmental impact. The humble house plant has emerged as a truly “green” option that is quickly becoming an essential part of sustainable interior design. We will pick up from our last post Transitioning your Plants Indoors for Winter, and explore the benefits, care and design tips to help you introduce a little greenery to your home.
Plants Impact Well-being. Really?
Including plants in your home and workspace offers benefits far beyond aesthetics. The positive impact plants have on our health and well-being is well documented. The activity of indoor gardening can be extremely beneficial. A study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that “interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress - subjects felt more comfortable, soothed, and natural” after nurturing plants. Results from a study of Horticultural Therapy(HT) found HT effective in reducing stress and anxiety, with participants reporting increased mental well-being, engagement, and a sense of meaningful accomplishment.
Can Colour Really do all That?
Going “Green” is more than just a catch phrase! Colour has been known to have a powerful psychological impact on people’s behavior and decisions. Green is a colour that evokes emotions – a sense of peace, rest, and new growth; the perfect colour for incorporating serenity and life to our homes and workspaces.
Breath Easy!
Plants breath life and beauty into our spaces, improving air quality through absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. It is reported that some plants absorb harmful chemicals and toxins, helping to purify the air we breathe. An early NASA study conducted in the 1980s concluded that the roots and soil of houseplants significantly reduced airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although there have been studies that support these findings, others have questioned them. This Environmental Health Perspectives article provides more information on the benefits of house plants and improved air quality, and their recommended Top 10 House Plant Air Cleaners.
House Plants and Your Décor – Design Tips
Decorating with plants is an eco-friendly option that can help limit your impact on the environment and beautify your space. Whether you choose to keep it simple or incorporate a variety of plants, you have a wide range of options to choose from that are easy to care for, and offer many options in terms of colour, texture, size, and shape.
A variety of plant sizes, textures, and colours will create a varied and visually pleasing space. Wooden shelving or bookcases are perfect for smaller plants like succulents or cacti mixed in with other eco-friendly design elements such as reused glass jars or terracotta pots.
Whether you prefer a trailing Ivy or a big leafy Palm, including plants can change the entire look and feel of your home or office. You may even decide to go big and bold growing a living wall that brings the outdoors in. Living walls are beautiful and offer other benefits as well, more on living walls next time!
Incorporate Sustainable Planters and Decorative Elements
To create beautiful spaces that are both sustainable and stylish, choose organic, non-toxic, and repurposed materials for potted plants and other decorative elements. Depending on your style, you may want to add a pop of colour with oversized ceramic pots, a metal bucket for a relaxed cottage vibe, or simple wooden bowls for a natural look. With so many options to choose from, it won’t be hard to find the perfect mix of plants and pots to suit your style and potting skills!
Yes! There are Easy to Care for Plants
So, you’re ready to enliven your home or office with greenery! Whether you have a green thumb or are just a sprout, there’s a wide range of low-maintenance plants to choose from. Let’s look at a few of the plants that require minimal care but offer big style.
The Succulent requires minimal watering and thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. They also look great and have fabulous shapes.
The Spider Plant prefers bright, indirect light and thrive when kept evenly moist.
The Snake Plant: Don’t let the name scare you! These plants have tall, stylish leaves and are happy in low light with minimal watering.
The Aloe Vera plant has thick, pointy leaves, likes indirect light, and should be allowed to dry out between watering.
The Rubber Plant has large, glossy leaves. They prefer bright, indirect light and do well when kept evenly moist.
Should you prefer blooms, the Peace Lily is minimal maintenance and produces beautiful white flowers. They prefer medium to low light and should also be kept evenly moist. To help you get started, here are some other lists of easy going plants and how to care for them from Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful .
Including house plants in your sustainable design creates a harmonious living space that benefits both you and the environment.
Christine
Christine Brown
Hello@bobbiebroon.ca
Images thanks to the following artists:
Photo by Avelino Calvar Martinez from Burst
Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash