We are all about the cohabitation of real live plants and their faux counterparts. Mixing the two is an easy way to keep things fresh, playful, and unexpected. We are just as much pro-faux as we are big believers in the benefits of living with real plants. Real plants have been proven to increase happiness and creativity, reduce stress and illness, and cleanse the air by absorbing toxins and replacing them with fresh oxygen; artificial plants provide ease and simplicity and allow you to reap all the same visual benefits of a real plant but without the maintenance. A marriage of the two feels like one written in the stars. You can’t go wrong with using as many of each as you desire (anything goes!) but here are some guidelines about how to make the most of blending organic and artificial greens in your own home.
Tip #1: Keep placement in mind
Consider selecting faux plants for hard-to-reach corners of a room, and live plants for areas that are more accessible. Since our faux plants require virtually no care aside from a quick wipe-down, they’re good contenders for tall shelves and distant surfaces. Line the top of your kitchen cabinets with our Faux String of Hearts and save your green thumb for that real Fiddle Leaf Fig that lives on the sill of your breakfast nook. (Too busy to cook breakfast and water plants? Our Faux Olive Tree is a kitchen favorite.)
Tip #2: Consider plant size
If you like to change things up on the regular, invest in larger faux plants, and go au natural with your smaller potted plants, which are less expensive and easier to change out. This way you’ll always have the larger substantial pieces to anchor your space and still have the flexibility (and the extra cash) to play around with tabletop plants when you feel like mixing it up.
Tip #3: Invest in planters you love
Elevate any plant—real or faux—with a beautiful indoor planter. Not only does it give your plant instant polish and personality, but for your faux picks, it increases the likelihood of appearing nature-grown. If you give your artificial plants the same love you do your real ones (in terms of presentation), they’ll aesthetically harmonize and keep guests guessing.
Tip #4: More is more
Believe in the power of numbers. We promise you that faux flora, when styled well, could fool even the most seasoned plant-lover, but should you still feel skeptical, take a more-is-more approach and style your space with lots and lots of plants (real and faux.) Mix and style with abandon, and don’t be afraid to let your living plants dwell amongst your artificial ones. Strike whatever balance feels right for you and let their coexistence be an art unto itself.
Words By The Sill
Empowering all people to be plant people—a collection of articles from The Sill’s team of plant experts across a variety of plant care topics to inspire confidence in the next generation of plant parents. Welcome to Plant Parenthood™.
