No matter what stage of decorating your room is in, accessories are an important way of making your space feel homey and inviting. If you flip through our catalog or browse your favorite home decor magazines, youll notice that in every shot, weve decorated with houseplants, a flower arrangement, or greenery. Its an important trick in photostyling that we like to incorporate into our rooms because it perks them up. Below we make a case for why you should bring them into your spaces and our best tips for incorporating them seamlessly.
1. Mix Fresh and Faux Houseplants
Decorating with houseplants can feel intimidating if you dont have a green thumb, but there are tons of ways to add in fresh plants without having to brush up your horticulture.
Long-lasting and Hard-to-Kill Plants
If youre feeling nervous, dip your toe in slowly and start with plants that are hardy with a long shelf life. Orchids, succulents, and houseplants like philodendron are all great options and are easy to find at the grocery store or hardware store. We like to dress them up in pretty containers and cachepots that link your plant to your decor style.
Faux Trees & Branches
Faux plants have come a long way and look incredibly realistic these days. We love our Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree for its height and vibrant green color, and no one will ever known it isnt real!
Branches are another way to decorate with plants, and their height and gnarly shape makes a dramatic statement, perfect for a centerpiece or entryway.
How to Arrange Faux Botanicals the Stylish Way
Moss in Every Shape and Size
The varieties of moss and ways to use it are endless, and we love working into arrangements and planters. Fill a bowl with moss balls or add a sheet of moss at the base of a faux plant.
Live Goods
Of course houseplants arent the only way to bring live goods into your room. A bowl of fruit can be an impactful addition to a dining room table or kitchen island. Lemons and apples are a classic look, but we love to use squash and gourds in the fall, pomegranates in the winter, and exotic fruits in the summer. Think seasonally and shop your grocerys produce section for unexpected additions!
2. They Add Color
Theres something about chartreuse and kelly green that can liven up any space and flatter any color palette.
Green complements so many other colors, so it works seamlessly no matter what palette you choose in your home. We like to decorate with houseplants in areas of the room that need a little brightening, like corners. Stand back and look objectively about which parts of your room might feel dead, and bring them alive with something green!
3. Interesting Shapes and Textures
Its important to bring contrast into a room with a variety and shapes and textures and houseplants and greenery are an easy way to do that. Do you have a round table with a round chandelier? Bring in a spiky succulent onto your table. Is everything in your room smooth and polished? Think about adding a chalky, texture planter with a leafy fern.
When youre decorating with houseplants, use them as an opportunity to fill a gap in your room and youll make your space come alive.
4. Add Height and Scale
Every room needs something tall and a big fiddle leaf fig is a great way to bring height to a room. Another great trick? Use a pair of hanging planters hung from the ceiling? Itll fill a dark corner and draw the eye up!
Are you having difficulty with scale? A house plant is a great way to camouflage scale issues! Make a small side table feel larger, a console feel wider, or a bookshelf taller.
5. Consider Containers
What container you put your houseplant in can be as impactful as the plant itself. We like to use planters and pots with unique shapes and textures to complement the shape of the plant, contrast the other elements in the room, and to create a focal point.
As a general rule, your plant itself should be about equal to the height of your planter and no more than twice the height. The width of the plant should be about twice the width of the container.
Terrariums are a pretty way to bring plants into your home and to give them a longer life. We love how self sufficient they are and the way their shapes feel both modern and classic.
Looking for more styling and accessory inspiration?
- How to Arrange Faux Botanicals the Stylish Way
- How to Style Your Kitchen Wall Shelves
- 5 Common Decorating Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Our Complete Styling Guide to Bookshelves, Consoles, and Coffee Tables
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