The LitterArty house is FULL of plants, we love them.

In an age of fast paced living it's never been more important to ground yourself. There is no simpler way to do this than by bringing the outdoors in with a careful selection of house plants. Plants are definitely a 'thing' now when it comes to home trends, but at least they are a positive force. As we are not fans of trend driven design this is an exception we are very happy to make. Yes, they are aesthetically pleasing but they are also little superheroes constantly working to purify the air. True style and substance when it comes to plant power.

Now, one thing we are not going to do is advise you on plant care or what exact plants to choose, this is quite personal and green fingered plant whisperers we are not, but we can pass on a little bit of advise on how to approach selection and styling.

A few plant styling suggestions:

1. Use them in odd numbers (this applies to flowers and many styling objects too), so go for one large plant or group some smaller varieties in 3’s

2. Alternate the height and variety, pair a tall palm with a larger detailed leaf varies such as a Calathea.

3. Hanging plants aren’t just for baskets they look amazing on shelving with the leaf draping working as decorative detail just like any interior accessory does, providing those finishing touches.

Plant safety: Do make sure you research plants slightly, some varieties such as snake plants are very robust and easy to care for. However they are very poisonous to animals, many house plants are. So, if your precious pooch is likely to be mooching about your home, be careful to select the right plants or keep dangerous ones at a safe height.

With plants being so pivotal in bringing a sense of nature and wellness to an indoor environment, it is no surprise they are also fast becoming a key aspect of commercial design, particularly in offices. We have incorporated everything from simple potted to plants, to planted trough lined walls, living wall panels and plant topped filing/storage solutions, in several past projects.

Want something easier?…
To get the psychological sense of grounding, calmness and bringing the outdoors in the plants don’t even have to be real. Go faux, since it is indeed the colour and appearance that triggers this response in our minds. There are some amazing options out there now for even the most plant adverse. They also work great in office settings where the care and attention living plants need can be hard to maintain.

That said, we’d always advise a combination, include some individual living plants in to your space where possible, after all, the artificial ones can’t purify the air and are not quite as good for the planet when it comes to sustainability credentials, they are made to last though.

Some of our favourite suppliers:

Beards & Dasies - a great selection of houseplants and pots. They even have options to help select the right ones for you, i.e. Pet Friendly. www.beardsanddaisies.co.uk

Patch Plants - one of the original mail order house plant supplier, with a great selection of plants, pots and advice on plant care. They do an office plant supply service too, to help with workplace wellness. www.patchplants.com

PLNTS - for an alternate option, why not try grow your own. www.plnts.com

Evergreen Direct - for all things artificial when it comes to plants, this supplier has so many options. www.evergreendirect.co.uk