There’s no getting away from the fact that we are embracing mother nature in our homes more than ever, especially when it comes to our love affair with houseplants. However, even I admit that sometimes the odd plant has failed and gone to plant heaven! At least with faux plants, you remove the guilt factor of becoming a serial plant killer and that can be a wonderful thing in itself.
The Great Faux Plant Home Trend
Personally, I see faux as more of a solution than a trend. The reality of busy lives and/or the fact that our spaces don’t always match our taste in plants whether they be too dark or too light, there’ll be several reasons for stepping over to the faux side when wanting to add some greenery into our homes.
Artificial Crown Daisy Plant – Thecontemporaryhome
Artificial plants we have available today are as good as the real thing, offering that all-important texture and greenery that can bring a room alive although admittedly without the many health benefits. Greenery, in whatever form has been proven to be good for our wellbeing so if the shoe fits why not wear it.
Not that you’ll need an excuse but I’ve put together why you might want to opt for faux and it might even win over the real thing.
Realistic Quality
Lene Bjerre Flora Succulent Hanging plants are bang on trend right now, and this succulent from Lene Bjerre is the perfect piece. The long, green draping vines add a real sense of drama to a room. Sweetpeaandwillow
There’s no doubting that faux has come a long way in recent years. I used to be mortified when anyone asked for artificial anything when I had my florist but now faux is a completely different ball game. Advances in manufacturing ensure realistic textures, colours and even reflective qualities which will have you and others taking a second look. Just remember to tell other members of your family that they aren’t real otherwise they might end up trying to water them like my daughter did when I bought her a faux orchid for her bedroom!
Always On Trend
Artificial Thistle Stems – Thecontemporaryhome
If you buy good quality faux plants you’ll actually be investing as they should stand the test of time i.e., plants never go out of date although there will be plants that will be more popular than others but overall, there’s no date stamp as to their being the in thing. So whilst the rest of your decor will change over time, faux plants won’t.
Easy Care
Orchids in a Pot in Purple – Outthereinteriors
And just like real plants need their leaves need cleaning from time to time, faux will too. A quick dust/or wipe with a damp cloth should ensure they’re looking their best for years to come. There’s also no dead heading to be done and if you opt for a flowering faux, you’ll have flowers all year round which is particularly great if you’re an orchid lover.
No Guilt
Artificial Fern House Plant & Metallic Burgundy Plant Pot – Audenza
Faux can add the feel-good factor you get with adding greenery that will bring your homes alive with texture and colour but you will also be guaranteed not to have the guilt of having killed yet another plant. For some of us, we just have to admit those black rather than green fingers and choose the next best thing.
Statement Faux
Coconut Palm Tree – Sweetpeaandwillow
You don’t necessarily have to go with whats in season or what would ordinarily work in your climate. Choosing statement standout faux plants will not only add impact to a room but will also allow you to bring different looks to your spaces, like this tropical number which would normally be out of the question in the UK climate unless you had a hothouse or similar to Kew Gardens!
Small Spaces Need Greenery Too
Artificial Geo Pots – Debenhams
Even the smallest of spaces such as cloakrooms can benefit from the faux trend. Ours is completely devoid of natural light and would definitely benefit from some small doses of greenery to liven it up.
When For Real Fails
Image – Homesense
Even with the best advice sometimes real plants can fail you in certain areas of your homes. Mine happens to be the fern and even though I’ve tried in the failsafe bathroom, (which it loves for the humidity) mine is just too bright. Replacing with faux where you just can’t get the little blighters to grow or at least keep them alive could be your answer.
Child & Pet-Friendly
A by Amara Potted Prickly Pear Cactus – Large – Amara
Faux cacti are especially great if you’ve got children or pets and don’t want to be picking out spikes for hours! You’d also be combining two trends into one like this beauty from Amara. I particularly love their architectural qualities and they look great anywhere.
And from my own personal experience of having a kitten, real plants can pose the problem of them thinking its an indoor loo. You may want to either elevate or go faux because at least that way there’s no dirt for them to dig into. (I had to raise my larger real plants off the floor).
Decorative
Brass Planter with Stand – Audenza
There’s an abundance of choice when it comes to faux and they can be as every bit as decorative as the real thing. The trick to using them in your homes is to use treat them as you would real plants. Choosing the right pot or stand to show them off can be key. You could go for the latest elevated pots like these from Audenza or you can check out these others here where I wrote about elevating your plants to show them off.
Mixing It Up
Mixing faux with real plants in one of my living rooms.
You’ve probably realised from my botanical kitchen makeover that I absolutely adore plants in the home. And as much as I have quite a lot of real plants, I also have a few faux dotted around for good measure too as they can help with making our homes look that little bit greener and alive. There’s no rule that says you can’t mix real with faux either like I’ve done here in one of our rooms that receives some natural light but not enough for certain plants to survive.
Outdoors
Artificial Window Box with grasses and cyclamen – Bay & Box
So are you a faux plant lover or do you prefer to stick to the real? It’d be great to hear from you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Maria x
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