As I walked on a pebbled pathway that was made to meander to the main door, a parallel lush green landscape guided my way. A breath of fresh air swept my soul and I was more than excited to enter Harit’s new home in the city.
What came next was even more exhilarating. Beyond his greeting smile stood a tastefully done up home that made me take a deep breath. Who says home decor is all about elegant furniture, earthy claddings, or classy artefacts? Each and every nook and cranny was alive and vibrant with the essence of nature. Exclusive pot arrangements, trickling waterfalls, vertical gardens and hanging creepers nestled into this human habitat virtually creating an indoor garden. Indeed, green touch can transform an ordinary interior into a stunning one.
So What Creates the Magic?
It is interesting to note that while most of the interiors are dead materials, plants are living elements that infuse positive energy as well as brighten up your space. Nature brings with it an endless variety of colours, textures, shapes, and forms to experiment with. Urban architecture that is otherwise sharp-edged and geometrical softens with an organic touch. From a design perspective, plants can either be used sparingly like any other accessory or could be as prominent as a design element or even design theme. So whether you want to pep up your existing home or planning a new one, let us explore how and where plants can bring out the best in your interiors.
The Green Focus
A focal point is an area of interest or emphasis within a composition that holds the viewer’s eye. The contrast of size, colour, form or a unique theme arrangement of plants can become such a center of attraction. A tall tree or bold ornamentals like Monstera landscaped under a skylight may surely hold your gaze. A huge vase of Anthuriums on the coffee table can be another centre of attraction.
Screen it with Plants
Every functional space requires a screen or partition sometimes for privacy, navigation, or even division. Rather than creating these in conventional materials of glass, metal, or wood, live screens with plants add life and softness to the barrier. There can be endless styles, forms, structures with a variety of plants to screen off a section in different degrees of opacity. From a simple row of boxed Sansevieria to interesting combinations in innovative structures can create a spectacular effect. Evergreen foliage like golden Pothos, Ferns, Peace Lilies, Syngonium can be easy choices for the purpose
The Living Backdrop
If you just don’t have enough floor space for your plant craze or looking for a background in your spacious lobby, a living wall is a perfect answer to both. Heavenly green abundance simply framed in metal or wood can enhance the most boring interiors. You may also try interlocking greens in interesting structures or may go for artistic compositions with plants. For scale and non-portable nature, the evaluation of light and ventilation conditions is more critical here than other setups. So it’s important to select your plants judiciously.
Fill a Corner
Corners behind a sofa or bedside can be really dull and unavoidable but can get a magical makeover by just adding a set of palms or rubber in complimenting planters of different levels. Go for sober ceramic, antique wooden, or pick up some classy metal ones. Alternately a corner anywhere can become a miniature landscape to one’s imagination or an interesting combination of garden accessories or metal and wooden stands.
Line the Corridors
Walking through is bliss when plants lead the way. Any pathway or corridor leading to a room or doorway creates a possibility for plants to be lined up on one or both sides generally using similar plants navigating the way. Dense landscapes to individual pots may provide both, a sense of aesthetics as well as direction. On the other hand, create an assortment of different varieties and levels may be a pleasant welcome at an entry.
Green up the Stairs
The shape, style, or position of a staircase in itself is a powerful element in building design. The simplest way to add green here can be planters along with the steps or on the sidewall. A landscape under the staircase creates numerous possibilities of hard and soft garden combinations. And for those who are ambitiously green may create a green wall along the side grill to dress up the stairs. If you are lucky to have a staircase facing a wall, go ahead, it’s a great idea to create some green art frames with adorable succulents or regular foliage plants
Also Read :Indoor Plants that Act as Air-Purifiers
Table-Top Gardens
A tabletop arrangement is a statement. These are generally an alternate to expensive artifacts and are probably the most specially curated pieces. These need to be tastefully done as they are appreciated from a closer connect. Big and small, here or there, select the most exclusive pots and experiment with the most artistic potting styles for the purpose. From elaborate tray gardens, Bonsai, terrariums, plant bouquets to soothing water arrangements, there are simply no limits on your creative choices. You may add platters or stands to uplift, figurines to complement, and accessories like stones and pebbles to add interest.
Hanging Heavens
When you struggle for space to include enough plants in your home then simply look up! That’s where our prayers are always answered. Hah! I mean hang them from the top. What you hang, how you hang, and where you hang will determine the ultimate look you create. Hang from the ceiling, hang from the window; hang baskets or kokedomas, use macrame hangers or you may even create unique hang ideas in wood or metal. One does not really need to go extravagant. Metal chains to ropes may come handy. Regular ones like ivy or philodendron hangers can create a green heaven while hanging air plants can be divine yet easy.
Window Dressings
Grow fresh fragrances and flavours of herbs on the kitchen window or relax next to the trailing Ivy from the bedroom bay. A window sill is always an excellent place from a creative as well as a functional angle to add plants in any home or office. It’s a great visual and conditional connection with the outdoors. Perhaps the best light and ventilation in any space always peeps in from a window. Depending on the light factor you may choose outdoor or indoor of a window to give a garden look to your space.
Niche on the other hand is like a close window which may be incidental or intentional for attention. A small niche could be decorated with regular foliage to exclusive bonsai depending upon the surroundings.
Green Shelving
Wall shelves are a regular characteristic in almost all interiors and are the most spontaneous spot for plants or any other decorative elements. A row of shelves with multiple pots create a systematic green décor as impressive as a store display. The Uniform arrangement of similar or varied pots looks great. Breaking the consistency with books or a timepiece may be a good idea.
Obviously that’s not all. There can be many more styles and possibilities to create spectacular indoor gardens. There is no limit to the creativity of the human mind. So go ahead and explore your space to innovate new ways of green beauty. Play with colour, go bold with size, create contrast, innovate with form, and shape with the beautiful botanical world. Regardless of our choices, a green touch in designing living spaces goes beyond aesthetics.
The Healing Effect
Accommodating plants in interior design is not just about creating interest but also about a positive effect on those living therein. By raising oxygen levels and lowering down the toxins in the air, plants around us assure a healthier environment in today’s urban living conditions. They are undoubtedly a promise of good health and happiness.
Being wrapped in a green cover not only refreshes the mind and rejuvenates the soul but also improves our cognitive abilities and performance. House plants are proven to improve concentration, reduce stress, elevate your mood, help loneliness, and fight depression. ‘Love of life’ or Biophilia that is a natural tendency to affiliate with other life forms to be happy and productive is widely recognized. Living with nature comes naturally to us and hence modern design and architecture should foster a regular human connection with nature by integrating natural elements in a built-up environment.
Feature Image Source: Studio GreenStreet
Images Source: Google & Pixabay
