Interior design or home décor is all about altering the inside of the concrete structures we live in and call them home. If you sit back and think, it is astonishing at how much of the outside we want to bring inside through large windows, wood and stone finishes, and posters of far off places and floral accents that are little reminders of the beauty of the outside that we crave. Of all of our endeavours to include nature in our living environment the most rewarding is bringing plants within our homes.
We have a natural affinity to nature that has been scientifically termed as biophilia - an innate affinity of human beings with the natural world. No well-designed space, personal or commercial, can be devoid of live plants and still achieve that balance that we seek in welcoming spaces. One should never underestimate the impact a live plant has on a space, there is an instant transformation. It immediately becomes more welcoming, bright, lively and there is a certain generosity that seeps in, the room puts you at ease.
Plants can be included in our homes in many ways and there is a plant suited for every home and every corner. There is no room or corners that a plant cannot uplift and all they need in return is a little bit of light, water, and love.
Let’s start at the doorways, one of the most neglected spaces in the urban setup. Most of us either rent or buy flats and have no say in lobby design or how the main door looks, but you can always make your entryway standout by adding plants by the door. Add plants that grow erect and show variegations to save space as well as create interest in your home. If your doorway receives sun or bright indirect light go with stunning tropical plants like ferns or calatheas and for darker spaces go for dracaenas, ZZs or bromeliads. Another great idea to add some visual appeal and fun to your entryway is to add hanging planters alongside the doorway with other hanging knick-knacks.
Beyond the doorway, plants can do so much for a home. They can break monotony, add life to corners, create nooks that are a personal oasis, glam up your décor and improve the overall air and sound quality of a home. Add tall arching plants next to your seating spaces for a canopy like effect and let the climbers loose on your window grills for both privacy and cleaner air. Plants can also function as room dividers and break up large spaces or create intimate corners with plant clusters around a reading chair – books, plants, coffee, what more can one need?
While floor plants have their own cult following, it’s the plants on shelves and tabletops that are the cherry on top. Add stunning sansevierias or syngonium to side tables or worktables, trailing plants to shelves, or succulents to windowsills and breathe life into them. Kitchens are great places to grow herbs, either on counter tops or in window planters. Make your own succulent arrangements or terrariums or repurpose those loved and chipped mugs and bowls into small planters. There is no space in a home that cannot have a plant – see an empty corner add a plant is a great decor mantra.
They don’t just up your décor game and turn four walls into welcoming spaces, they improve the space. Plants are stress busters; their mere presence improves mental health – a must for the life we lead today. They reduce sound pollution and better the air quality by absorbing a majority of the pollutants and producing clean air. From my personal experience they also regulate the room temperature and make the space more soothing.
We need plants, the world surely needs more plants and every one of them counts. Let’s make space for nature within our homes and turn this world greener one home at a time.