Yes, I know that large plants added to your interior décor can help with natural air purification by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. I know they can play a role in your overall health. This is nothing new, we have known it for a looooong time. AND WE LOVE WE THEM FOR IT! Now that that is out of the way, this is not an article about being green. This blog post is about the aesthetic value a large plant can bring to an interior space.
A large plant will add beautiful green colors and natural décor accents to home interiors. Sometime when you look around a room you can tell a large splash of green is needed.....a little something other than furnishings. That is your eye telling you "a large green plant would do nicely here"! And your eye would be right.
The return of interiors decorated with large plants has been popular in the last few years but nothing like they are predicted to be in 2022. So get ready.....develop that green thumb and learn what plants are trendy and how to take care of them. Then you can bravely walk into a florist or greenhouse and say "that's the one"! I have gathered some images of beautiful classic and sophisticated interiors decorated with large plants for you to enjoy. I will let another blogger take on the cluttered messy plant look. Plus I have added some plant care info as well.
Large plants make a statement in a room and I like to think of them as living statues. Plus they bring plenty of advantages with them such as becoming a physical way of connecting with nature inside your home. But even if you haven’t had the greatest luck in the past with interior plants there are a number of very hearty large house plants for you to try.
Throughout history we have wanted greenery in our environments. We are all aware of Louis XIV and others constructing orangeries for their plant collection.
Axel Vervoordt
Conservatories and sun rooms full of large tropical plants became the trend of the day as large plants were now more available thanks to industrialization and advanced shipping and trade routes.
Cultivating plants became a hobby and large plants began to fill even middle class homes which were now warmer because of central heating from coal or iron furnaces.
Bunny Williams
Nothing says French house plants like Topiary. If you have two large Topiary plants, place them on the sides of the largest piece of furniture or doors if you prefer a symmetrical style. Place one in a corner if you are going for asymmetry. You can also use a few small plants
in your room for added visual interest.
Topiary makes a wonderful statement in you home's entry.
gq-magazine.co.uk
Also if you want a French style interior, there is nothing better than a citrus tree added to your space. Remember the orangeries of Versailles! These large plants never fail to energize a room but they require a lot of light and love to be misted with water on a regular basis. Let the soil dry completely between waterings and provide them with a great deal of sunlight and your interior will rival that of the Sun King's!
A couple of citrus trees on both sides of a sofa helps to fill in a space and replace buying furniture.
Citrus trees look fabulous when use with rustic elements associated with French Provincial style interiors.
Fiddle Leaf Figs are popular large plants for interior spaces. Known for it's large beautiful foliage this plant does have a bad reputation for being hard to care for but, if you know what you're doing, you can really bring some life into your room with one of these wonderful plants. They require indirect light and likes the soil to be kept consistently and evenly moist with a brief drying out period between waterings. Water it thoroughly whenever the top 2” of soil have dried.
A large floor plant could be the missing ingredient that completes the room. Many times something green is needed.
Large plants are perfect if you want to emphasize a certain part of your interior without crowding the space with furniture.
A large plant like this Fiddle Leaf Fig can anchor (pull together) a room, so placing one in a corner can help define the space.
Think about the placement and direction of your windows when choosing houseplants for your home. Many popular houseplants prefer indirect light from windows reminiscent of tropical forest floors where light is filtered through the trees.
A large or visually heavy plant can steal the attention. Make sure you have other items of interest that will also grab the eye.
Tory Burch
When you are dealing with a busy pattern in your interior, too many plants will cause your eye to have no place to rest. Only one plant is needed if you are dealing with this type interior. Your eye can find a resting place in this large Fiddle Leaf Fig.
via Pinterest
Living with large plants is a win-win deal. You take care of them, they will improve your health as well.
Barbara Barry
The rubber tree plant is another large and impressive addition to your interior. It's size will depend on the container it’s kept in. These require a lot of natural light, but will not tolerate full direct sun. Keep moist in the summer which includes misting but during dormant season water a couple times a month. Droopy leaves means it needs more water, yellow leaves that drop off signifies overwatering.
Give your interiors the Italian villa look by growing olive trees indoors. Just make sure you have a brightly lit spot to keep them in as they do best when placed near a south-facing window with loads of sun. Also they thrive with soil that drains easily. Let the soil dry out in between waterings. These plants look their best with rustic elements such as aged plaster, limestone, and wrought iron.
Olive trees are overtaking the Fiddle Leaf Fig as the number one interior large plant.
Amber Interiors
Large plants can be used as accent pieces in your interiors and the right plant can actually soften areas. Black olive trees have a feathery appearance that does just that. I love these large plants in any style interior!
via Pinterest
Black olive trees love full summer sun. Make sure your interior has a large window and even move the tree outside during part of the summer months. Allow the plant to dry out slightly, and then give it a thorough watering. These trees can really be used to make a statement wherever you use them in your home.
The Ming Aralia Tree is a beautiful large interior plant that can reach 5 feet in an indoor setting. Aralias like very bright, indirect lighting so set them close to a north window when placing them in your interior. Give them a deep watering when almost dry. I love them because they blend so beautifully with tapestries, murals, and aged furniture covered in luxurious textiles such as velvet, silk damask, needlework, and brocade.
Here a banana leaf fig, (Ficus Alii ) is an easy to care houseplant and depicts upward vertical growth that can be controlled with regular pruning. It has long narrow leaves and looks best near the windows. If you want a green space without the mess of alot of plants overwhelming your interior, try setting your one big indoor plant against a large window with dense foliage outside to make your room feel full and green.
This attractive indoor tree can do well in medium light to bright light. However, it is better to give it some shade, rotating the plant weekly. Avoid overwatering any ficus trees. Wait until the top inch or so of the soil has dried out before watering again.
Mark D. Sikes
Another great large plant for your interiors that can be counted on to add color and texture is the spiral ficus. It's interesting appearance can go from formal to casual with the simple change of a pot. The Ficus will need at least 4 to 5 hours of sunlight per day preferably in a south-facing window. Both too much and too little water can cause root problems so monitor the soil and only water when it is visibly dry. Periodic misting will be appreciated!
This style Ficus will need the same care as the Spiral Ficus shown above. Any style interior will benefit from this large lovely plant!
It is really important to carefully choose a pot for your large plant that goes with your design. This will make a big difference and create the look and feel you desire.
Bring a dose of the tropical life into your home and definitely make a statement with the Majesty Palm plant.
via Pinterest
Avoid overwatering this house plant, give it plenty of sunlight, keep it clean, and it should be OK. Palms thrive in average humidity and prefer to be dry, so they're pretty low maintenance.
I know the post is about using one or two larges plant at the most in your interior. However this plant does pull off a lush look quite well. They are slow growers so they won't be overwhelming any time soon.
via Pinterest
Majesty Palms look as fabulous in old world interiors as they do in ultra contemporary homes.
And these palms are prefect for a tropical British Colonial style interior.
If you have the space, why not add a couple of coconut palms to flank the door. These large palms are fairly finicky to keep unless you live in its natural climate. That is why it's important to give your palm as much sunlight and warmth as possible when growing it indoors, along with ample humidity and moist but not soggy soil. Coconut palms also need regular fertilization.
via Pinterest
The Bird of Paradise plant will add a rich, tropical flair to your interiors with it's large glossy leaves that fan out gracefully.
The Bird of Paradise is the definition of tropical plants and will look wonderful in your interior space whether paired up or individually.
The Bird of Paradise plant prefers bright direct light. It can adapt to medium light, but growth may slow. Water this plant when the top 50% of the soil is dry and stop when water flows through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot and discard any water in the saucer. Mist occasionally and feed once a month during the spring and summer with a liquid fertilizer for indoor plants.
A striking beauty with its dramatic, gigantic leaves, Elephant Ear (Giant Taro) is a tropical perennial whose stunning foliage can become the centerpiece of any room.
via Pinterest
This large plant performs best in partial shade and in organically rich, moist to wet soils. Provide a filtered location to protect the decorative leaves which will scorch when exposed to full sun. They require regular fertilization.
This interior has been decorated with a large Money Tree plant. Humidity is key, but it’s not a fussy plant. It prefers filtered light and not much watering. The Money Tree can survive in most conditions, just make sure it’s not exposed to a consistent flow of dry air, cold, or constant darkness.
If you have caused the death of more than your share of houseplants and feel sure that nothing has changed, than by all means FAKE IT!
There are some great faux plants out there.
Just remember to always repot your faux plants in a real planter to give them a sensible and lifelike touch.
Or you might try bringing in a large scale wall mural with a plant motif to give you some sense of having plants around.
via Pinterest
Acclaimed artist, Joy de Rohan-Chabot via architecturaldigest.com
Hire a muralist or maybe you have a friend who can paint. Try a local college student who might need an art project for school and would take on your plan for a small fee.
Robert Kime
A large verdure tapestry will give yo the same result. Verdures are different from other tapestries as they are almost entirely green and feature a forest like scene.
Maybe a botanical wall is the best way for you to bring the great outdoors into your interior.
Look for antique botanical prints to frame in matching frames and then display. There are botanicals for the modern interior as well.
Bruce Budd, designer
Whichever plant you choose, your home and your health will thank you for it!
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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
In the event that I have not credited the correct source of an image, please contact me at lisafarmerdesigns46@yahoo.com and I will be glad to correct it.