How to use plants to add interest and life to your space – successfully

Have you noticed the lack of life – plant life, I mean, in images of beautiful interiors? There’s often a fabulous bouquet or two of cut flowers in a vessel of some sort, be them large or small, but I’m talking about actual plants. In pots.

I find these next 2 rooms suggested by Cattalen Italia *stunning*. And many would argue that you can’t plop a plant into rooms of these stature. {How dare I even suggest it?!}

Well – take a good look at them. What are they missing? Besides some obvious colour (and I’m a huge fan of monochromatic and simple colour schemes), I believe they are missing some life to them.

I am not for a minute suggesting that you go take your aunt’s collection of green plastic potted plants from her window sill and adorn the above – or any – space with them.

But the right plant – in the right vessel (doesn’t have to be a ‘typical’ pot) – can bring life to the room, add warmth and comfort, and enhance the overall look and feel of your space. Even if you’ve gone contemporary.

THE BELOW IS A PICTURE OF WHAT NOT TO DO !!!

THE ABOVE IS A PICTURE OF WHAT NOT TO DO !!!

Ok – so I’m exaggerating a little. If you’re reading this blog, I know that you’re not likely to go off track that far. I just wanted to be clear that I am not advocating plants for the sake of plant life.

So what’s an example of a carefully chosen plant and vessel for the space?

I’ll start with one of my own rooms. This is a sitting room opposite our family room – fairly monochromatic in its tones.

It’s eclectic with a mix of contemporary furniture, flooring that is both traditional and contemporary, traditional architectural details, and a bit of ‘exotic’ thrown in with the Kim Taylor Reece photo of a beautiful Hawaiian woman with a lei around her neck.

I chose a ‘birds of paradise’ house plant, in just-the-right-height so that it would lean into the photo a bit – not so much that it would block it out, but enough that it would enhance the exotic element in the room, while adding colour and interest.

I kept the vessel simple, neutral and light-coloured to let the plant take centre stage, but still elegant, as that's the overall feel I wanted for the space.

Here’s another example of where a birds of paradise plant adds a finishing touch to the space that makes it – quite literally – come alive. (Notice how Alison Spearaia further added colour by using a brightly coloured pot, which is a complementary colour to the red credenza.)

Can you visualize the above space without the plant in the corner? If you can, doesn't it suddenly lose its life / look a bit 'blah'?

Not everyone has the space for a birds of paradise or other sizable plant though, and those are also not necessarily going to be the right plants for your space. Here are some data points to consider before buying plants and vessels (pots) for your space:

1) Exactly where would you put the plant? Don’t define just which side of the room, define the exact spot – will it be on the floor, a window sill, shelf, table?

Then write down how much space you have to work with. ie. what are the maximum width & height measurements the plant can be (with vessel), given where it will be fitting into?

2) How much light does that area get? Direct sunlight (ie. sun will shine on it for a few hours/day), indirect natural light (it’s well lit with natural light in that area, but the sun’s not shining on it directly), or is it a low-light area?

3) What is the overall feeling you want your room to have / what is the current look, if you are staying with it (including its colours). ie. do you want to add a bit of an exotic feel, do you want to continue to support its contemporary look, do you want to add frivolity, whimsy or an industrial feel? Etc etc.

You now have enough info (to be dangerous and ...) to go to a plant store and begin your search for the plant(s) that is/are going to bring your space to life.

If you’re not horticulturally inclined (as I am not), don’t be afraid to ask for advice at the plant store – make sure you know how much care is involved in looking after the plant*, and that you can live up to what is needed, because if you’re going to end up killing the plant, it’s not only a waste of your money, it is truly a waste of a life that gives us a gift.

*I was given a great tip wrt the birds of paradise plant:  when watering it, make sure the water is very warm (not hot, but also not just luke warm).  Because of where they hail from (warm climates), their make-up is used to warm rains.  Our plant has been thriving fm day one, and it requires minimal care -- so it pays to ask! 

In this lively interior below, they’ve used plant life in vases at a minimum.   I think this space is *screaming* for a fabulous tall plant in an electric blue pot! (And/or smaller plants in colourful vessels on the ledge above the beds.)

Don’t you?!

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Credits

cattalenitalia.com

parehe.com

kimtaylorreece.com

alisonspearaia.com

plantcareuk.com

homesdesigninterior.com

ffffound.com

kolkata.olx.in

Design Challenge: finding common ground when you and your partner have different visions / tastes

I know a couple who did literally divorce after they built a house together. There’s something about the amount of money we spend and the feeling of ‘permanence’ when it comes to renovating or building a new home that gets to us at the core ... we feel like we have only one chance to get it right, and the last thing we want to do with that chance is compromise on our vision and what we want!

[credit: http://www.suite101.com/]

All diplomacy aside, some peoples' taste is really ... not great. Or they’re stuck back in an era that perhaps brings fond memories, but they want to implement that reminiscent decor in a way that is not appealing.

{this is not appealing, in my opinion}

[credit here-on down: http://www.csnstores.com/]

Whether your partner falls into the ‘design-challenged’ camp, or whether you both have great taste and a good eye but simply have widely differing visions for your space, here’s some suggestions for working towards that common ground so that you don’t have the task of re-building your relationship once all the renos are done:

- Make a commitment to each other to keep communications between you respectful. This will take effort on your part to breathe, stay calm, and be willing to ... (see next point)

- Listen. It can be very hard to stop and listen to someone else’s view point when our paradigm is that they are simply wrong / what they want is not the way to go (for all the valid reasons you have ...).

If you can agree to embrace the next point, listening to your partner – I mean really hearing them and not just waiting for them to finish so you can impart your view – will go a long way to each of you feeling respected and validated.

(Because not feeling seen or heard for who we truly are – and accepted – by our partners can cause us to shut down and become resentful.)

{s/he may like this, but s/he doesn't... or vice versa}

- Agree to disagree. This is cliché but the point here is to agree up front that no one and no one’s ideas are bad or wrong. If you can agree that what’s going on is you each have very different ideas and preferences, it ensures no one feels ‘put down’ which again can lead to resentment.

- Be open to new ideas. Maybe you will never be swayed into what your partner wants, but make a pact with yourself to be open to other ideas.

Step back from the colour scheme and/or specific finishings you absolutely insist are “it” and go back to basics: what is the look and feel you want to have (modern, traditional, ethnic, ‘west coast’, calming, energizing, crisp, soft/romantic, etc.).

{it doesn't get more basic than this}

- Commit to being open to consider different ways that would give you the look you want. Find the common grounds and be willing to compromise.

The notion of the latter can produce an immediate “no way!” reaction, but I’m not suggesting that compromising means you give up what you want and implement your partner’s vision.

(And please don’t compromise with the ‘I get the kitchen and s/he gets the livingroom’ method – the best designed homes flow well from room to room [which does not mean they have to all look the same].)

{maybe she wants this...}

Compromising, when there are widely different tastes, means finding an option that you would both be happy with – to do that, start by discovering and writing down what your common grounds are (see below example).

- Consider working with a designer – one who listens well and who has good mediation skills, in addition to great design skills and creativity.

{and he wants this...}

Design example:

- She wants a light, bright and luxurious-feeling bedroom and ensuite bathroom; one where she can feel pampered by her surroundings, to truly relax and rejuvenate after a long day (she envisions lots of white and water-y blue with silver accents).

- He wants dark and dramatic; one where he can feel sensual and funky (he envisions bordeaux, espresso and black with gold accents).

One common ground is they both want an ‘on-trend’ look – not contemporary, but ‘now’. Another common ground is that they agree the design should consider possible re-sale of the home in 5-7 years.

Working with the above scenario, I would suggest:

- For the bedroom, paint walls an oatmeal/sand off-white; do a feature wall behind the bed, using wallpaper with a backdrop colour that is the same off-white as the paint colour, and has a black damask pattern (you would select the paper first, and then match the paint).

Use both black and white furniture, and accessorize with watermelon, turquoise and a bit of chocolate brown. {Floors in an espresso wood finish would complement well.}

This would produce a look that feels modern and rejuvenating (because of its freshness), while funky because of the creative use of colour and the stunning wallpaper.

{this is an example of the overall look only; not exact re: colours}

[credit most pictures in this post: www.csnstores.com]

- For the bathroom, use the same colour scheme, but don’t repeat the damask wallpaper (you could do a chair rail around the room, paint the lower portion a light turquoise and wallpaper the upper portion with a patterned paper that brings the off-white, turquoise and watermelon scheme into the room).

Bring the black & white palette into the floor and shower tiles, and use black accessories.

Use brushed silver or nickel for the fixtures – they’re a better bet keeping re-sale in mind, and more subtle than shiny chrome.

Above all – do not give up on trying to find a common ground, and certainly do not give up on your relationship. You’re living with the person you are presumably because you love them. Nothing is more important than that.

Liz

http://www.elizabethrobertsdesign.ca/