GUEST BLOG: Decorating with Houseplants

Dear friends: Please enjoy this guest blog post from South Seattle-based interior designer Michele Bayle, who owns Bayle & Co. Interiors and is one of the many local contractors that can help make your house a home. Find her at michele@bayleandco.com or www.bayledesignstudio.com. Enjoy!

by Michele Bayle

Accessories are important to a room and houseplants are considered one of them. Have you noticed lately how popular having plants has become? Almost every decor magazine and Instagram photo has a plant. I love how a plant just makes the space feel more like home and adds such a nice pop of green. Below are some tips on bringing plants and or green into the home.

Is it okay to mix fresh and faux houseplants?
YES! Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t have a green thumb and every plant you have ever had dies, there are many ways to add fresh plants without having to go take a horticulture class. Keep reading for more ideas on becoming a green thumb.

Long-lasting and Hard-to-Kill Plants
Here are some ideas for long lasting/hardy house plants; succulents, orchids, ferns, philodendron, orchids and air plants. Check with your local florist or plant store and they can guide you to what will work for you. Start with just a couple and as you ease yourself into plant ownership and care you can add more.

Faux Branches & Trees
I have been fooled by some of the faux plants available these days they look so realistic! One of my personal favorites is the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree, it gives such a beautiful large green leaf and height for softening corners of a room. At times on my dining room table you will find various glass vessels stuffed with faux branches in bright but natural hues of green. It always makes my table look put together and ready for guests.

Is moss a thing?
Yes! I love moss in the my natural environment, why not bring it indoors? There are many varieties and colors to choose from and so many different ways to use it. I like to use them as filler in some of my plants, I also have some faux ones in shapes of rocks that I will place on the dining room table with other foliage centerpiece elements.

What about terrariums?
Terrariums come in so many sizes and shapes and really are a pretty way to bring plants into your home in addition they give them a longer life. This style or display of plants is very self sufficient and can go with many different decor styles.

And if I don’t want to have plants what other options do I have?
A houseplant is not the only way to bring life into a room. Try adding a bowl of fruit; apples, lemons and limes are a classic look. I have even found these in the faux and again they look so real. These vibrant shows of color look great in the kitchen or dining room table. I love to use squash and gourds in the fall, pomegranates in the winter, and exotic fruits in the summer. Think seasonally and shop your grocery’s produce section for unexpected additions!

What if I don’t have the color green in my decor?
Green complements so many other colors, so it works naturally and seamlessly no matter what palette you choose in your home. There’s something about bright and kelly green that liven up any space and flatter any color palette. I like to decorate with houseplants in areas of the room that need a little brightening, like corners. Don’t forget to add a little touch of plants in the bathroom or at the end of the hallway. Be sure and stand back and look objectively about which parts of your room might feel dead, and bring them alive with something green!

Adding plants adds interesting shapes and textures
Bringing contrast into a room with a variety of shapes and textures gives the room balance. Houseplants and greenery are an easy way to do that. If you have a round table with a round chandelier? Bring in a spiky succulent onto your table for a nice balance of shape, don’t forget scale here, a really small plant in the middle of a large table will feel off.

When you’re decorating with houseplants, use them as an opportunity to fill a gap in your room and you’ll make your space come alive. I think every room needs something tall and big or hang a couple together from the ceiling filling and softening that dark square corner of the room

What about the containers
Containers can be harder for me to select than the plant, probably because I am so finicky. I like simplistic and clean lines for my plants but don’t be afraid to use unique shapes, colors and textures to highlight your new friend. Contrast is good but if you have multiple plants in one room I would stay with a theme of no more than 2 colors.

As a general rule, your plant itself should be about equal to the height of your planter and no more than twice the height. The width of the plant should be about twice the width of the container.

Need assistance in selection of your plants I am here to help. I also offer designer for a day packages to give your home a fresh new look using your own furnishings. michele@bayleandco.com or 206.676.2624.