Chapman Baylor - Decorating with plants: what to choose, ways to style, and how to make them thrive

decorating with Plants

What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive

Baylor Chapman

Photographs by Aubrie Pick

Artisan | New York

To my parents, to whom Ill be forever grateful for encouraging all of my plant-related pursuits

Contents

introduction

When your house is an expression of what you love, it makes you feel at home. Whether youre in a short-term apartment rental or a long-lived-in bungalow, personal touches are what make a place yours. Along with furniture, artwork, and decor, plants are a wonderful way to communicate your style and add soul to a space. When you get right down to it, plants bring a breath of fresh air to your rooms like nothing else can. Here are just a few things that houseplants can do for you and your home.

Strike a mood. By bridging the indoors and outdoors and reinforcing our connection to nature, plants encourage us to slow down and settle in. This often happens at a subconscious level: we may not be immediately aware of plants calming effect, but its there.

Set a tone. Delicate flowers communicate a soft, feminine touch, while a structural, dark-hued plant offers an edgier, more modern vibe. An oddball plant, in contrast, will reveal your flair for the curious and cool.

Define a space. Plants can be arranged to direct the eye. They can lead people into or out of a space or create a barrier or wall to make one room seem like two.

Clean the air. Plants scrub the air in their immediate surroundings by taking in harmful toxins, processing them in their leaves and through the soil, and releasing clean air into the environment. Plants even remove particulate matter such as dust, pollen, and pollution. (Click to learn about especially .)

Mitigate sound. Plants soak up, buffer, and generally dampen noise. The sizable leaves of the fiddle-leaf fig, for example, absorb sound waves, while feathery palm fronds will diffract them.

Generate an aroma. Fragrant blooms and leaves can subtly define a space, soothing or energizing those who dwell in it. (Click for some of my favorite .)

I love plants so much that Ive spent more than fifteen years surrounding myself with them. In that time, I founded Lila B., a San Franciscobased, green-certified plant and flower design business; authored my first book, The Plant Recipe Book; and turned a parking lot in the middle of San Francisco into a garden. At the heart of it all has been my belief that no matter where you live, you can enjoy a little bit of green.

Whether you crave a bit of nature but dont know where to start or you already have a bunch of plants but want to arrange them in a more stylish, composed, or thoughtful way, this book is here to help. Filled with design tips, care info, and a whole lot more, the pages that follow will provide you with the tools and inspiration you need to decorate with plants. Replicate one of the looks featured here, or use the design principles and plant knowledge in these pages to create a style all your own.

Part I of the book will introduce you to my go-to houseplants, specimens that are guaranteed to provide a big impact but dont have fussy care requirements. These superstars will continue to appear as I take you room by room through the home in part II. And for those of you who are already plant aficionados, youll find plenty of out-of-the-ordinary plants tucked throughout the book, too.

Whatever plants you choose, remember these three tenets: First, you dont need to fill your entire house with plants. Just one plant that makes you smile is plenty! Research has shown that even a single flower can improve your mood, and a single plant can significantly clean the air. Second, theres no such thing as a black thumb. Sure, some people seem to have a natural gift with plants, but everyone can learn how to care for them. Observe your plants carefully, and theyll tell you what they need (youll learn more about these visual clues in ). Tend to them as best you can, and if one doesnt make it, try, try, and try again, until you find one that suits you, your lifestyle, and your home. And third, go ahead and break the design rules. Scale, color, light, texture, and balance... these elements all work together to create a harmonious space, but you neednt be rigid about how you apply them. Move things around until you like how they look. Cant find the perfect spot for a new plant? Give it to a friend!

I am excited to join you on this journey to bring more plants into your home, and eager for you to reap the benefits that they provide. One plant may brighten your space with its beauty while another soothes your sunburns (thanks, aloe!)and you may find that the relationship you develop with your plant companions is actually the most gratifying benefit of all. Some plants will require you to tend to them more than others, but they are worth every bit of time and effort. Plants are magical and can instantly turn any house into a home.

Getting Started

Nuts and bolts. The foundation. Plants 101. Whatever youd like to call it, the following pages cover the basic information youll need to know as you begin to bring plants into your home. Some of these tips will be helpful before you even pick out your first green companion, while other instructions may come in handy months down the road when youre in need of some plant SOS. Feel free to skip ahead to parts I and II to get an idea of what appeals, then come back here for the nitty-gritty. Whether youre ready to grab a plant and get rolling or just looking for an idea of what it will be like to live with plants, this section is here to help.

Choosing and Buying Your Plant

Before you can design with plants, you need the plants themselves. Plant nurseries, boutique plant stores, and garden centers have trained experts on hand to answer your questions and guide you in taking home the right specimen. There are plenty of other places to pick up plants, too, such as grocery outlets, hardware stores, craft shops, and flower stands. If youd rather shop from home, online plant retailers, as well as sites such as Etsy, offer a ton of options, including hard-to-find rarities (for a few of my favorite sources, see ). Before you head to the store (or the Web), consider these five questions.

1.Which room do you want the plant to live in, and what is the environment in that space? Whats the light level? Temperature range? Relative humidity? If you have your heart set on a finicky specimen that wont thrive in your spaces existing conditions, you can always add sunlight with grow lights (see )but know that maintaining this special mini environment will require more time and effort than choosing a plant thats naturally well suited to the room.

2.Whats your style? Natures original decor, plants come in a range of styles that can complement the rest of a rooms look. Do you want something sleek, or do you crave a wild and untamed mass? Do you like vibrant colors, or would you prefer to stick to a neutral palette of greens? What do you already own that the plant would go nicely with?