The Case for Indoor Plants
February 23, 2012 at 1:13 PM
By Samantha Grose, Designer, JP&CO: A residential construction firm delivering a personalized home, an enjoyable process, and a remarkable pace.
When it’s White Outside, Keep it Green Inside
(photo: apartmenttherapy.com)
When you can’t find the greenery you crave outside, it’s time to turn inward for your plant fix. Although maintaining an indoor plant (or twelve) can mean a little extra repotting and watering from time to time, I just wouldn’t survive the cold months without a boost of green life inside.
It’s obvious that indoor plants up the happiness factor as they contribute to our sense of well-being. One study even found that patients who face a garden view in their hospital rooms tend to recover more quickly than those facing a wall.
Not only do plants make us happier, but they also have the ability to make use healthier. Many plants have been attributed with benefiting everything from our nightly sleep to fighting colds, improving humidity, and reducing dust.
Some indoor plants actually help to purify air, such as philodendron, English ivy, spider plants, weeping figs, golden pothos, peace lilies, bamboo/reed palms, snake plants, red-edged dracaena, and more (theairquality.com).
Interested in something small and easy? Consider low-maintenance plants such as ivy, spider plants, cactus, or even an orchid (these may seem like a lot of work, but they can be shockingly easy).
Go For the Green Statement Piece
Maybe there’s a room in your house that has the right furniture and art, but is lacking a little je ne sais quoi. Consider using a fantastic plant as a statement piece that brings the space together such as the fruit-bearing plant above or one of the specimens below.
Check out this beautiful show-stopping fiddle-leaf fig tree (aka Ficus lyrata) as pictured in ELLE DECOR:
Or this playful, airy split-leaf philodendron (also in ELLE DECOR):
What plants do you love to use to accent your interior and freshen things up during the winter? Share your indoor plant insights!
Grose Samantha
Associate AIA, Allied ASID Designer for JP&CO.