Indoor pot plants provide a delightful sense of calmness, freshness and illumination to your home and they are a perfect decorating feature to personalise any room of your family home.
With such an array of pot plants to choose from, both fresh and faux, how do you decide which plant will be perfect for your space? Dean Peatling, Interior Design Consultant, unpacks the popularity and panache of pot plant perfection.
Numbers, sizes and shapes
When positioning pot plants, having an odd number is best as it exudes a more casual elegance. And when grouping pot plants, go a variety of leaf shapes and sizes, creating a more enticing organic look.
And when it comes to the grouping of leaf colour rule – there is no rule! For a more symmetrical look, try and group together plants with the same hue and for a splash of variety and personality, choose foliage for an array of colours.
Dean recommends String of Pearls, Peperomia Rotundifolia, Alocasia Wentii, Palms (big or small)
Go potty with pots
The beauty of a plant is one thing, putting them in stunning pots and baskets takes the humble pot plant to a whole new level.
You may consider grouping pots with a similar colour palette featuring with different textures or patterns or you may want a more of an eclectic look and mix up colours. Its all about personal choice and it is also an ideal opportunity to inject colour into a space.
Hot on trend are stunning magenta pots peppered with some greys and you can never go passed wicker baskets to create a polished and sophisticated look.
Dean recommends Botanica Collective, Little Green Obsession, The Plant Society, Freedom
Bathroom botanicals
When choosing plants for bathrooms be careful of humidity and temperatures levels that hot steamy baths or showers can cause.
“Begonia is great for bathrooms as they require a daily dose of bathroom humidity and do really well in fluorescent lighting or give your bathroom the touch of a luxury spa by adding a beautiful orchid.” Dean adds.
“And make sure, bathroom plants have plenty of light, so hang or sit them near a window.”
For more information and interviews: Diane Falzon, 0430 596 699, diane@squareonepr.com.au
Dean recommends Begonia, Philodendrons, Peperomia
Go faux
Going faux with your pot plants does not mean it will look cheap and lacking in luster.
“Whether you dive into the tropics with a mix of heliconias, nestling into natives or you are crazy about cacti, the important thing to remember about choosing faux plants is to try and get the ones that look pretty authentic. All they then need is an occasional dusting!
“Cacti are great as they can look the most real, put real soil in the planter (this requires no maintenance just the occasional stir so it doesn’t look dusty!), big over flowing plants such as faux palms.”
Pot plant placements
You can use pot plants anywhere, depending on the size of plant, the species plus design, lay out of the room.
“Plants can fill up an unused corner or you may consider bringing some greenery to an entrance hallway by a feature green wall. A hanging fern can brighten up a laundry area or bathroom and greenery is beautiful in living and dining areas.” Dean adds.
Dean recommends palms, Fiddle Leaf, Marble Queen Totem, Alocasia Black Velvet
Dean's favourites
“I am currently resonating to the Swiss Cheese plant as it is easy to maintain and I adore the rich deep green foliage and their large beautiful leaves. For the bathroom, I am loving a Maidenhair Fern as it is so pretty and delicate. I also love the Sansevieria (Mother In Laws Tongue) for its sculptural and spiked leaves. It is also a pretty hardy plant so does not need a lot of TLC.”
Publisher Website: http://www.henley.com.au