There are lots of reasons to add house plants to your home. Plants pump oxygen into the atmosphere. They also regulate humidity, which is beneficial for your health. Some studies have even shown that house plants can improve sound levels, reduce stress, and help you concentrate.
Along with the health benefits, the experts at leading interior design house Neptune, believe that plants add life to any decorating scheme.
Adding greenery will bring lightness and freshness to a room with warm colours such as neutrals, whites, or yellows, and give extra zing to rooms with cooler palettes such as blues or greys.
You can also use plants to enhance a room’s scale.
In a large airy room, for instance, tall, slender, stems and a large potted plant or tree will enhance high ceilings, while also making a wide, open space feel less empty.
Plants that like sunlight will often be put next to windows but this does more than help them grow.
By framing the views from the garden or the outdoors, window-based plants help to give the feeling of bringing the outdoors in. They also filter harsh sunshine and can provide a bit of extra privacy if you like to keep your windows bare.
An attractive pot of the right size will not just look good, it will help your plant stay healthy as well. Just remember to match the scale of the pot to the height and spread of the plant, and make allowances for fast-growing greenery.
Another option to consider are baskets. Neptune’s Somerton baskets are great for bigger plants. Shorter plants with good ground cover, look lovely in wide, shallow, vessels like Neptune’s Sorrel terracotta pot while taller ceramic pots suit slimmer plants, and so on.
With plants that trail, like ivy, think about using smaller pots and placing them up high, such as on a mantelpiece or bookshelf. You can also use hanging planters in front of a window or to brighten up a dull corner.
In a large, bright, living or dining room, a bamboo palm or similar has a striking shape, while a rubber plant is good for darker or cooler living rooms. Even better, it needs very little care, which makes it ideal for the less green-fingered.
Spider plants are another good low-maintenance option. They will quickly produce lots of smaller shoots, which can be re-potted around your home, and their spiky leaves look good just about anywhere.
