Home Decorating: Bring the Green Indoors

It's March. Can you believe it? The year rolls along like a bullet train, doesn't it?

March is the month of green. It's the month of St. Patrick's Day, and the month gardeners start to get serious cabin fever. Depending on where you live, bulbs may be sending tender green shoots up through the snow, or your grassy carpets of lawn may be greening up for spring.

Home Decorating Done Right

I thought I'd kick off this month of green by talking about decorating with houseplants and cut flowers. Besides, it gave me a good excuse to sort through a plethora of pretty posy pictures on Flickr!

A bit of history, to start with. People have been cultivating plants indoors for at least 3,000 years. Many experts believe the Chinese were the first to bring the outdoors inside. Later, houseplants were considered the dominion of the wealthy. Starting in 16th century Europe, it became fashionable to add a conservatory (greenhouse) to your home in order to cultivate plants common and exotic. By the mid-20th century, even us commoners decorated with houseplants. Today, many people recognize the benefits of using houseplants for aesthetic reasons and to help purify the air.

From an aesthetic standpoint, decorating with houseplants and cut flowers provides many benefits. First, both green plants and blooms add color to the decor. Second, some houseplants and cut flowers add scent to the environment. The therapeutic effects of decorating with plants and cut flowers can't be understated. Add a bouquet of cut lavender to your home and see if it doesn't make you feel calmer and more serene!

Home Decorating with Plants

You can use potted plants to add more than greenery to your decor. Just like accent pillows or throw rugs, houseplants can be used to coordinate with your design scheme or contrast with the color palette. If you've created a very warm room using hues of red or orange, you can use white or blue flowers to help cool things down a bit. Likewise, if you've done a "white room," for example, you can choose colorful bromeliads to add bright pops of color and warmth to your design.

Cut flowers can subtly reinforce your design scheme. What says "cottage style" better than a bouquet of wildflowers set in a Mason jar? For a more modern design scheme, a vase filled with long-stemmed tulip buds about to open makes for a lovely display.

Of course, decorating with plants can be functional, as well. Grow a kitchen herb garden in a sunny window to add both color and taste (literally!) to your home.

Houseplants Galore!

Decorating with plants also allows your creativity to express itself. You don't have to settle for boring potted plants. Consider creating a moss terrarium (they're coming back into style) or growing succulents under a bell jar. You'll get an outdoorsy feeling whenever you meditate on these beautiful objects, and they're sure to start many interesting conversations when you entertain guests!

Making houseplants and cut flowers an integral part of your interior design will bring you joy all year-round. Forced bulbs in the winter help cure the doldrums, while indoor gardening helps keep cabin fever at bay. I hope this post has given you some ideas for decorating with plants! For more on home decorating, check out our post here!

How do you creatively weave houseplants or flowers into your decor? Send us pictures to share!