5 Reasons to Design With Houseplants
Live plants are important home accessories and — sometimes they can even
become key design elements on their own. Next time you see an unused
corner or empty shelf in your home, consider bringing in a plant to fill
the space. Five reasons why:
Plants can serve as functional design elements. Many homes in today's suburban neighborhoods have great rooms. While most homeowners love the idea of a great room, it can also be a curse; it's hard to know where one functional space ends and the next one begins. Large indoor shrubs or trees are the perfect solution. Use them as room dividers or to flank an area to create a more restricted passage.
By using a plant for this purpose you infuse life into the space and avoid making the divider feel too heavy. If you're daring, place a potted tree in the middle of large open area to create a soft room divider. The sheer size and shape of this potted tree adds a real punch to this interior.
Plants soften architectural elements. Natural materials provide textures that are difficult to recreate. Sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing. Here a structured planting of reeds plays an important role in softening the stone wall and wood columns. This concept might be used around large windows or on either side of a front door. Wherever the location, the softness of the planting keeps the hard surfaces from overwhelming the space and making it feel cold.
Plants fill a corner with life. Portland designer Garrison Hullinger is a dear friend of mine and is great at using plants in his interiors. For those corners in your home that don't seem right for a piece of furniture, consider a large plant to fill the space. By placing this plant in the corner behind the chair, the room feels intimate without being crowded by extra furniture. This type of arrangement works best when the location is out of high-traffic areas.
Originally published in Houzz.
Plants can serve as functional design elements. Many homes in today's suburban neighborhoods have great rooms. While most homeowners love the idea of a great room, it can also be a curse; it's hard to know where one functional space ends and the next one begins. Large indoor shrubs or trees are the perfect solution. Use them as room dividers or to flank an area to create a more restricted passage.
By using a plant for this purpose you infuse life into the space and avoid making the divider feel too heavy. If you're daring, place a potted tree in the middle of large open area to create a soft room divider. The sheer size and shape of this potted tree adds a real punch to this interior.
Plants soften architectural elements. Natural materials provide textures that are difficult to recreate. Sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing. Here a structured planting of reeds plays an important role in softening the stone wall and wood columns. This concept might be used around large windows or on either side of a front door. Wherever the location, the softness of the planting keeps the hard surfaces from overwhelming the space and making it feel cold.
Plants fill a corner with life. Portland designer Garrison Hullinger is a dear friend of mine and is great at using plants in his interiors. For those corners in your home that don't seem right for a piece of furniture, consider a large plant to fill the space. By placing this plant in the corner behind the chair, the room feels intimate without being crowded by extra furniture. This type of arrangement works best when the location is out of high-traffic areas.
Originally published in Houzz.
