Take A Leaf Out Of Our Book: Houseplant Interior Design Ideas

The humble houseplant has had quite the renaissance in the last decade, and for a good reason! Plants are fantastic for our homes, great for our well-being, and they can add an extra layer of style to almost any design scheme.

However, while we’re all for plants being brought into the home, we’re definitely against carelessly plonking them in any old spot! To assist you in finding the perfect plants to complement your interior design style, we’ve created a comprehensive guide. Read on, and we’ll help you match your potted pals with the latest and greatest interior design trends.

Why plants are fantastic in interior design

Interior designers love houseplants, and rightly so — they’re an easy and inexpensive way to add life and vitality to a space. They introduce a pop of colour and texture, breaking up the monotony of a room and adding interest to an otherwise dull space. They also boast the ability to bring the outdoors in, creating a connection to nature and promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.

Furthermore, most houseplants are relatively low maintenance, making them a convenient choice for busy individuals or those without expert green fingers. With proper care and attention, many houseplants can thrive indoors, providing years of enjoyment and beauty.

Plants are versatile, too. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, making them perfect for just about any space you can imagine. So whether you’re looking to add a sense of calm and relaxation to your bedroom, or bring some rainforest chic to your bathroom — there’s a plant for that. 

Why plants are great for your home and your health

Believe it or not, greenery in the home offers more than just aesthetic benefits. houseplants are known to improve the air quality of your home by removing pollutants and increasing oxygen levels. This can help to reduce respiratory problems and improve your overall health. 

In addition, plants have been shown to have a calming effect on the mind and body. They can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a sense of calm and relaxation (making them perfect candidates for the home office!).

Caring for plants is great fun, too. The feeling of accomplishment and contentment that comes from nurturing a houseplant and watching it grow is unmatched. Whether it's the first blooms on a peace lily or the unfurling of a new leaf on a Swiss cheese plant, the process of tending to a living being and watching it thrive is incredibly satisfying.

How to decorate your home using plants

We’re huge fans of foliage here at Furniturebox. As far as we’re concerned, the question isn’t whether you should use houseplants in your design schemes, but rather how you should incorporate them into your space. Need some pointers? Here are our top tips for bringing greenery into your home.

1. Remember — not all plants thrive in the same conditions. Some prefer dry, sun-soaked windowsills, while others like to shy away in dark corners. Lighting, humidity, and temperature should all be taken into consideration when choosing your plants. 
2. Choosing the right pot for your plant is just as important as selecting the plant itself. While it's important to pick a plant that will fit well with your decor, your efforts will be for nothing if the pot doesn't match the space. It's essential to carefully consider the pot and the plant to ensure a cohesive and visually appealing display.
3. Get creative — plants come in a range of different colours, shapes, and sizes, and they’re super versatile. Use plants with vivid pigmentation, interesting foliage, and unique shapes to add texture and visual interest to your space. 
4. Plants look better as part of an arrangement. Avoid placing individual plants around the room — instead, create groupings using different plant types and sizes. 
5. Some houseplants are fussier than others. Forget to water your peace lily and it’ll soon let you know by drooping its leaves and looking incredibly sorry for itself. If you’re prone to accidental plant neglect, it’s better to choose hardier varieties (spider plants and snake plants are two popular choices). Above all, always research the specific care requirements of each plant you bring into your home if you’re keen to avoid their untimely demise. 

How to pair houseplants to your interior design scheme

After conducting a little research, we’ve matched the top-trending houseplants with some of our favourite design schemes. So, whether your home’s a love letter to Scandi-chic or a no-holds-barred tribute to maximalism, we’re here to let you know which plants will complement your interior! 

Rank	Plant	Overall Index Score	Instagram # Posts	TikTok # Views	Google Trends Worldwide % Growth 2021-2022
1	Aloe Vera	60.75	4,762,508	2,400,000,000	9
2	Succulent	48.75	7,316,544	942,600,000	0
3	Sweetheart plant	30.44	3,738	29,100,000	88
4	Monstera	27.64	3,586,968	530,500,000	8
5	Cacti	26.09	4,167,939	309,000,000	5
6	Purple shamrock	19.26	16,103	144,100	56
7	Rubber plant	11.54	148,809	14,300,000	31
8	Snake plant	11.44	439,710	126,100,000	22
9	Spider plant	7.88	263,801	24,300,000	18
10	Begonia	6.82	935,782	27,200,000	6
11	Peace Lily	6.59	219,471	51,500,000	14
12	Pineapple plant	4.54	26,988	4,200,000	13
13	Air plant	3.83	460,721	76,900,000	1
14	Fiddle-leaf fig	3.80	379,915	96,700,000	2
15	Aspidistras	3.72	328	742,800	11

Instagram and TikTok are both great places to start for plant styling inspiration and care tips – but what if you want your plants to perfectly match your interior style? We’ve got you covered.

Boho — Spider plant & Sweetheart Plant

Bring spider and sweetheart plants into your home if you're looking for funky foliage to match the relaxed and eclectic energy of your space. Both species are perfectly-suited to a bohemian interior design aesthetic.

With their long, cascading leaves and air of playful elegance, spider plants are a brilliant way to add drama and movement to your space. For maximum impact, pop them on shelves or windowsills. Over time, this will allow their long, spindly offshoots to hang down and create a beautiful waterfall of baby spiderettes. These babies can then be plucked off and planted to create even more plants!

Sweetheart plants offer great versatility. Similar to spider plants, sweetheart plants are hardy and fast-growing. Train one up a moss pole to create a miniature skyscraper of heart-shaped leaves, or pop a few smaller plants in a hanging pot and let those vines dangle!

For maximum pop, pair these plants against warm, golden tones, such as our Zeus Mirror or Emmett Coffee Table. Nothing says Bohemian like shabby-chic either, which is why we’d recommend our distressed floral rug to complete the room. 

Minimalist — Rubber plant & Succulents

It's all about finding beauty in simplicity when it comes to minimalism. Rubber plants and succulents aren’t showy, nor do they demand all the attention in the room, and they require minimal effort to maintain. They’re a minimalist’s dream come true.

Because succulents store water in their thick, fleshy leaves, you don't have to water them frequently. And, most varieties of succulents don’t require much light to survive either, making them perfect for adding visual interest to any shady, unloved corners of your home.

Offsetting the lush, dark green leaves of a rubber plant against a few lighter-toned succulents can add depth to a minimalist space — without sacrificing the clean and uncluttered aesthetic. 

Contrasting monotone metal and glass against organic, natural hues is a design favourite of ours. We’ve paired these plants with our Palma Coffee Table, Leonardo Black Leg Side Table and our Boston Industrial Black Steel Lamp.

Maximalist — Pineapple plant & Begonia

Is your home a shrine to eccentricity? Do you revel in the idea of organised clutter? Let us introduce you to two photosynthetic friends that you’re bound to fall for.

The tough, spiky crown of foliage exploding from the centre of the pineapple plant is sure to grab the attention of any visitors you’re entertaining. They're perfect for taking centre stage in bright spots in your home since they're natural sunseekers, too. 

The otherworldly beauty of the begonia can take many forms. From swirling, snailshell patterns, to retro polka-dots — there’s a variety to suit every taste. If your interior is all about mixing and matching colours, patterns, and textures, these showstoppers are bound to fit right in. 

For this look, we’ve picked out three knockout pieces from our collection. We’re in love with gold and pink palettes at the moment, so we had to include the Cambridge Upholstered Luxury Bench. On the floor, we’ve opted for a complementary ochre hue with our Mystique Linea Laid Back Rustic Rug. And of course, maximalists can never have too many mirrors, so our Diamond Mirrored Bedside table had to make an appearance (it also makes for a brilliant plant plinth!).

Retro — Monstera & Cacti

If your home’s interior design scheme is rooted in retro sensibilities, you’ll need your plants to match this aesthetic. Our chosen pair probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but no article about houseplants would be complete without mentioning these ever-enduring favourites.

The perforated, tropical-looking, leaves of the Monstera just scream 70s chic. And what’s more, this plant is both easy to care for and fast-growing — perfect if you’re trying to cultivate a miniature jungle in your living room. They’re a perfect match for retro interiors, which often feature bold, geometric patterns and colourful, mid-century modern accents. 

In the 1950s and 60s, cacti were often used as decorative elements in modernist architecture and interior design, and they continue to be a popular choice in retro-inspired spaces today. Like monstera plants, cacti add a bold, graphic element to any room and are a perfect fit with the retro aesthetic. They’re also ridiculously easy to look after — just pop them in a sunny, draught-free spot and watch them thrive!

Our Milano coffee table is large enough to accommodate a few cacti, and its glass surface is easy to clean in the event of any watering accidents, too. Complete the retro vibes with our plush, vintage-styled Piper 2-Seater Sofa in lava lamp red.

Scandinavian — Fiddle-leaf fig & Peace Lily

In Scandinavian interiors, wood and woven patterns replace the metal and chrome textures of minimalism — to reflect this, we picked out two plants that ooze understated elegance. Both the fiddle-leaf fig and the peace lily are perfectly happy to draw attention to themselves, but there’s never any risk of them overpowering the space they inhabit. 

With its glossy, deep-emerald leaves, the fiddle leaf fig is a great match for any home that incorporates wooden furniture or flooring. We think they look best beside a doorway or next to a cosy reading nook, but they’re brilliant in just about any room in the house. 

They’re prone to being a little dramatic if neglected, but peace lilies will reward you with stunning, snow-white flowers every month if they’re watered regularly and kept out of direct sunlight. These showstoppers make great focal points for the dining room or bedroom, and pair brilliantly with the clean, simple lines of a Scandinavian design scheme. 

We’ve matched these plants with the played-down-but-plush Piper 3-Seater Sofa and Sutton Side Table — we love the way the these neutral, earth tones play off against the green-hued foliage. 

Gothic — Purple shamrock & Air plant

Is your home delightfully dark? If your interior revolves around rich, dark tones and celebrates the unconventional, these two plants are a great match.

The shamrock plant’s dark purple leaves and delicate flowers are as unusual as they are beautiful. We think they pair perfectly with gothic interiors, which often feature dark, moody colours and a focus on the unexpected or macabre.

However, few plants are more otherworldly than the air plant. This strange specimen requires no soil to grow, meaning you can suspend them from the ceiling or mount them on the wall like a strange, vegan version of taxidermy! 

Of course, no gothic interior would be complete without a heavy splash of black, which is why we’ve paired these plants with our Vintage Shabby Chic Rug in Charcoal and Elizabeth Small Black Round Mirror. 

Industrial — Snake plant & Aspidistras

Industrial design is known for its focus on raw, unfinished materials and its use of clean, geometric forms, and we think both of these plants will slot right in with this aesthetic. 

The snake plant, also known as the mother-in-law's tongue, is a tall, upright plant with long, slender leaves that are striped with bands of green and yellow or white. It’s not particularly showy, but that’s all part of its utilitarian charm. 

The cast-iron plant follows a similar theme — these tough, hardy plants can thrive in low-light conditions and are known for their large, glossy leaves that are often variegated with shades of green and white or yellow. Their ability to thrive in challenging environments makes them a great fit with a no-frills industrial design scheme. 

Why not mirror the upward-reaching silhouette of the cast-iron plant with our Alberto Hanging Pendant Lamp? Or, place a snake plant beside our Sutton Dark Walnut Coffee Table? These pieces perfectly complement an industrial design scheme. 

How will you use houseplants to style your home?

We love seeing how our customers style their Furniturebox products or ideas from our guides, so be sure to give us a follow on Instagram and tag us in your home styling photos for a chance to be featured! You can also find lots of inspiration on our Pinterest page.

Related Content