Decorating with Houseplants
Lesson 1: Foliage Friends: better living through houseplants
Easy Decor
Using Houseplants like they do in the Magazines
Since some plants exhibit bold, dramatic lines and others are delicate, lush or feminine, it's not much of a stretch to consider houseplants as yet another design element in expressing your personal style.
Since every plant suggests a mood, take a good look at your own home and decide what kind of foliage would enhance each room's scheme.
Do you want hanging, draping plants to wrap around staircases or spill from the shelving? Spider Plant, Ferns, Swedish or English Ivy, Pothos and Heartleafed Philodendron will grow and grow and quickly fill the need.
Tall, stately trees? Then think Dracaena, Corn Plant, Yucca and Schefflera. These look especially handsome as specimen plants in an area all to themselves. Adding uplighting or downlighting brings out the drama and beauty of these decorative wonders.
Are you more interested in pastel flowering beauties (African Violets) or bold, bright color statements (Geraniums)? Either will brighten a corner or add a splash of color in a foliage grouping.
Small leaves, like those adorning Baby's Breath, make a far diferent statement than the huge, structured foliage of Monstera. You will want to match the leaf size to your decorating tastes - those huge Monstera leaves will look unbecoming next to a display of delicate bone china tea cups...whereas a glowingly healthy spill of Baby's Breath will only enhance your display. A grouping of Ivy will bring out the charm of your country antiques. And those huge Monstera leaves echo the boldness of any modern style. Use your inner eye to "see" whether the plants you've chosen add or detract from your sense of style.
Types of Plant Displays
Specimen Plants look best standing alone, set in a place of honor. For example, flowering houseplants or colorful foliage spruce up a corner table or countertop and make a bright focal point. Plants like the Orchid or Bromiliad always make a spiky, modern statement. A bonsai, or Cypress-filled water garden, adds a flavor of the Orient. You won't want to lose the impact of these statements by hiding such plants in a jungly setting.
Architectural Plants take up lots of vertical space. Distinctive and attractive, these plants look great set right on the floor.
Climbing and Hanging Plants are showy and can cover large areas needing a bright accent of some sort.
Some plants do look best when grouped together to create a lush, jungly effect. A nice grouping can be very eye-pleasing, and plants do enjoy the extra humidity created from being next to each other. Pothos, Peace Lily and Anthurium are innocuous enough to mesh with any plant grouping, for example.
What is your personal decorating style? Some themed schemes to get you thinking...
Print out this page and use the design themes as a worksheet. Using the textbook, or any houseplant guide, select plants you think complement the styles below.
- Contemporary/Modern
- Country Cottage
- Southwestern/Santa Fe
- Industrial/Office
- Pioneer
- California Bungalow
- Victorian
- French Provincial
- Shabby Chic
- World Village
- South Seas/Polynesian
- Asian/Oriental
- African Safari
- Seashore Villa
- Mediterranean or Tuscany
- Williamsburg
- Eclectic
- Chippendale
Think about what kinds of plants would accentuate each style. What is your style like? Close your eyes and imagine what plants would match your furniture and accessories. Then flip through your plant book once more to make a list of what plants belong in what rooms.
What kind of plant displays would help you perfect your desired look? A large, multi-tiered grouping, a single stately specimen, or a few airy plants hanging in strategic locations?
For more ideas and information on Interior Design, browse through the excellent Suite101 topic, Interior Decorating for Beginners, with dozens of free articles written by Barbara Nicholson Bell.
Or check out her course on the topic:
Featured Course: Interior Decorating 101 |
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