January 7, 2022

Decorating with Houseplants

FRESH GREENERY FOR EVERY ROOM

DECORATING WITH HOUSEPLANTS

Decorating with live houseplants is easy and beneficial. It rewards us with a more oxygen-rich environment that, in turn, leads to increased productivity, decreased stress, more restful sleep, and many more good feelings. What’s more, every living or working space has the potential to support a houseplant’s needs. It’s simply a matter of knowing the plant’s lighting requirements and soil moisture needs, and then placing it appropriately. When decorating, consider displaying plants at different levels, from floor to ceiling, and also in unexpected places. Peruse the following tips to expand your “green” family and transform your rooms into a healthy, living oasis.

living room

Start small with one space in one room

The living room tends to be a natural beginning spot. Try placing a tall floor plant as a focal point in one corner, like an Areca Palm. Once you slowly become accustomed to its care, add a couple more plants of different shapes or sizes, such as a rounded Monstera and a variegated Chinese Evergreen. Grouping plants in odd numbers makes the display appear natural and oasis-like. 

Next, add plants to side tables, console units, and shelving. Vertical displays are useful to soften long, empty wall space. In direct sun and bright light areas of a room, succulents and cacti take up little surface area and are best neglected, water wise. A grouping of broad and fine leaf ferns near a comfy seating area with medium indirect light provides increased humidity that benefits both the plants, humans, and pets nearby. Coffee tables are the perfect place to show off a proud plant parent’s collection. In this case, Chinese Evergreens (Aglaonema spp.) in assorted colors, sizes, and pretty pottery flourish in medium light in the middle of the room. To gain more vertical interest, place easy-care Air Plants in sconces, on driftwood, and on shelves with exposure to bright to medium indirect light, and intermittently spray mist them. Houseplants in hanging baskets or macrame holders can brighten the higher corners of a room and are always in style. Think Spider Plant, Pothos, Ferns, and Ivies.

Pictured on the round table, left to right: Chinese Evergreens ‘Golden Madonna’, ‘Spring Snow’ (white pot), ‘Maria’ (tallest at back), ‘Pink Dalmatian’ (coral pot) and ‘Silver Bay’ (far right)
Fern 'Palmifera'
Cacti
air plant
Pteris 'Albo' fern in macrame hanger
acer palm, Chinese Evergreen (White Pot), Manstera (Black Pot)
Grape Leaf Ivy

dining areas

In dining areas, consider arranging living plants instead of cut flowers in vases. Why? Because they live longer and are less scented! Bonsai are a perfect size for the dinner table or side table in bright to medium light, short enough to never block a dining companion’s view!

bathroom

liven up an otherwise sterile room

Houseplants also have the capability to freshen rooms and absorb odors! Calathea (a.k.a. Prayer Plants) make great bathroom companions. ‘Makoyana’ hanging from the shower curtain rod is an unexpected pop of color to ‘lancifolia’ basking in the artificial light on the counter. Calathea appreciate the extra humidity and any excess water from the sink or shower, and they help to liven up an otherwise sterile room.

Pictured on the countertop, left to right: Calathea ornata (front), Neanthebella Palm  (back), Maidenhair Fern (front), Calathea lancifolia (back). Mirror: Stromanthe, Calathea makoyana (hanging)

behind the scenes

getting an inside look

While the Petitti team was busy decorating with all the fabulous houseplants seen in this article, Noelle took a moment to give tips on video. Watch to see how you, too, can dress your home up, down, and all around, using houseplants!

bedroom

create a cozy green space

Many houseplants still transpire at night, supplying essential oxygen while you are comfortably asleep. Place them on nightstands, dressers, shelves, and corners. Look for bold foliage plants to make you feel surrounded in a tropical paradise, like Alocasia (Elephant Ears). They prefer part shade to medium indirect light indoors, plus evenly moist soil.

Pictured across the bedroom, left to right: Alocasia lauterbachiana, ‘Polly’, ‘Black Velvet’, ‘Maharani’, ‘Frydek’, ‘Regal Shield’ (on the floor) & ‘Tiny Dancer’ (on the bench)

keeping them happy & healthy

Houseplant Hacks

  • All houseplants, except succulents, enjoy humidity. Scroll below to see how you can display them in groups and place their pots on top of a tray filled with pebbles and water. 
  • Fertilize houseplants during the spring-fall growing season, according to the packaging. African Violets and Orchids are the exception, and can be fertilized “weakly, weekly”. 
  • Keep sticky traps and insecticidal soap, Neem oil, or houseplant spray on hand, in case pest issues develop. 
  • Because drainage is key with all plants, it’s best to grow your houseplants in pottery with drainage holes and separate/attached saucers. A pot with no drainage hole is considered decorative, not functional. In that case, place the plant in its plastic grower pot into the decorative container, removing the plant-and-grower pot combo to water. Let it
    drain before placing it back in the decorative pot. 

bringing it all together

We enjoy experimenting with houseplants as home decoration as much as you do, and we hope these tips and photos give you some ideas and inspiration. Now it’s time to walk through your own home or office with fresh eyes and an open mind, and decide what your first step will be. We welcome you to browse our indoor plants & pottery online, then visit a Petitti’s near you to experience our full selection.

SHOP HOUSEPLANTS

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