As trends go, the green movement is about as good as it gets: where we head towards making our lifestyles more sustainable, and try to incorporate more natural elements in our lives. It’s influenced our diets (organic, local, farm-to-table), our buying habits (less plastic, using eco-friendly bags), even the way that we vote and discuss political and social issues.
It’s also found its way into our houses—the Tesla in more garages, the rise of solar power in private homes, even the way that our houses are designed and built.
Green has also made its way into the way that we decorate our interiors. Plants have become an important element of design, and with good reason. NASA consultant and environmental scientist B.C. Wolverton published a book based on his work with the space agency and the U.S. military that discussed how plants can be used to remove toxins in our living spaces.
There is also, of course, the aesthetically-pleasing effect of having plants in the house. Interior design experts have been gushing about how plants can liven up a space, citing the millennial generation’s love affair with the succulent. House designers have read the writing on the wall, and this has given rise of a trend of incorporating more plants and natural light in our home design, including features like solariums and sunrooms, creating garden room interiors to bring nature into the home.
If you want to start putting more greenery around the house, you’ll have to carefully consider which plants go where; differing levels of sunlight at different times of day, temperature, and humidity make different parts of your house ideal for certain kinds of plants. Here are some good places to start:
The Bedroom
Bedrooms are generally cooler and lighter, so Grape ivy and the indoor linden (also known as a house lime plant) and some hardy ferns could do well there. Ferns do particularly well in places with indirect light, just remember to water only when the surface of the soil is dry when you put your finger on it.
The Bathroom
“Warm, humid, and occasionally filled with steam” sounds like paradise to an orchid. Start with the phalaenopsis. These gorgeous flowering plants can add drama to your bathroom, but be careful to pot them in a medium that drains quickly. These plants also need constant hydration, but they’re worth it for the gorgeous blooms, all year round.
Living Areas
The living room is where you will probably be spending a lot of your time, so it makes sense to put the most plants there. In that area, the biggest factor to determine which plants to where will be which direction your natural light is coming in from. In areas that don’t get a lot of shade all day, you’ll want to place plants that like low light: lucky bamboo, philodendrons, and peace lilies.
Filling your house with plants is a great way to bring nature into your home, and just make its inhabitants happier in general. So get started on that green thumb, and green your spaces.
