Plants provide aesthetics and oxygen – both important, now more than ever in this WFH environment!

This is especially important if you are redecorating rooms with new furniture and décor. A certain amount of unavoidable chemicals are being introduced into your interior air even when you are careful and conscious of the choices you make.  There are plenty of articles online about this to find out more about the actual science of it, but in a nutshell, research has shown that certain houseplants can not only improve your air quality but also contribute to fighting diseases like Cancer. As an interior designer, I always include plants as part of an overall design scheme. Beside the health impact, they pack a great aesthetic punch as well. Their color and aura enlighten the vibe wherever you place them.

Here are my top 5 designer picks that meet the best aesthetic/air quality criteria for adding houseplants in your home.

1. Red Emerald Philodendron

This is my favorite plant ever!  Shown here in my own home, it’s on my stair landing in a nice sunny spot so every time I pass by it, I breathe deeply and smile. As a self-proclaimed killer of plants, this has been my biggest biophile success story! This plant grows very long and vine-like so put it somewhere where it can continue to drape as it grows (like on my stair rail).

2. Snake Plant

Despite the name (I hate snakes!), this is another go-to of mine. It packs a punch of oxygen and eliminates over 100 toxins from the air. It’s also a designer favorite with it’s appealing aesthetic. Perky and structured with variegated colors, it is a great design element especially paired here against a bold contrasting paint color (Benjamin Moore 1306).

3. Large Scale Floor Plants:

Often a large leafed floor plant is what is needed in an interior to fill visual volume. Placed in a woven planter basket or modern plant stand, here are 2 favorites:

Palms in general, and especially this Lady Palm, are a great choice for interiors with their spiky fronds and space filling growth patterns. Combined with air purifying benefits, they are great hard workers in any space.

A designer favorite (after the overused Fiddle Leaf Fig), the Bird of Paradise packs a dramatic design punch with its shiny big leaves and swaying canopy.

4. Boston Fern

I recommend ferns a lot to my clients when designing rooms from scratch because they are great at reducing formaldehyde in the air which is present in many furniture and decor items..  This one from Terrain comes with a pretty metal urn that can go back and forth inside and out during the summer. Added Bonus – these are super low maintenance and hard to kill and it is said this is a safe one with pets (though confirm this with your vet)

5. Rubber Plant

Another great one in the “hard to kill” category is the Rubber Plant. These can be small or large so work in small pots on shelves and tables or on the floor in a larger scale.  I love the large shiny leaves on these plants as another strong design statement. With the added air cleaning qualities, great aesthetics and it seems another pet-friendly option, this one is a win, win, win!

There you have it. Stay tuned for updates to this post in the future and don’t forget to Breathe……(especially when you are near these plants!)