- Follow us:
Wednesday, April 25th, 2018
Houseplant decorating does not require a green thumb. This is great news since every home requires a touch of greenery. These potted beauties have a way of livening and brightening up any room but more than these reasons, they also can filter the very air that you breathe.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people realize the importance of breathing in fresh air. Air purifiers might be easy to install and all but nothing beats the inexpensive and natural look that potted plants can offer.
There are many types of plants that are known for their air purifying capacity. These include the English Ivy (this tops the list because of its air-purifying properties as well as its elegant beauty), the rubber plant (yup, this is no joke as they emit a high oxygen level), Lady Palm (this is as tropical as tropical could Spider Plant (it may not sound too plant-y but it helps in improving the air you breathe), the Barberton Daisy (which even combats xylene, formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene), Moth Orchid, and the Dwarf Date Palm.
There are many ways to display these natural air filters.
Hooker Furniture Bedroom Ozark Bed Bench
Bench, Credenza or Cart Display
The bench or cart is the simplest way that you can display your potted beauties. These come in handy when you don’t have a lot of space to work on.
Create a lively plant shrine by adding pots of greens onto a narrow credenza or a low bench. Just imagine this Hooker Furniture Bedroom Ozark bed bench filled with lovely greens.
White Pot ‘Em
Instead of the usual clay or ceramic pots, try a different look by planting your greens in white pots. Your evergreen foliage would even look and feel more elegant as you add these small 10”x8”x6” Uttermost Accessories Oval Domes Preserved Boxwood. Uttermost’s greens fuse quality with style. It also comes with advanced product engineering which promises the lowest damage rate. Every product is shipped out to you with quality in mind.
If the white pots don’t tickle your fancy, then you can always go for geometric pots or geometric greeneries. Here’s where the Uttermost Accessories Two Sphere Topiary Preserved Boxwood comes in. it is a plant arranged with two spheres and a mossy stone finish.
It is perfect for the living areas.
Uttermost Accessories Oval Domes Preserved Boxwood
Uttermost Accessories Two Sphere Topiary Preserved Boxwood
Plant Hangers
Another way that you can decorate with potted greens is to hang them. You can either suction them to the walls or build a special indoor trellis for them. These can then be classified as wall art and easily become the piece de resistance in a living room.
They can also be hung from the ceiling and you would need plant hangers for this. Make sure that the potted plant will be able to fit into the hangers. A macramé plant hanger can be made with some cotton cords. Learn the technique here.
You can also place long, hanging plants on wall shelving. Add some of your bottle or ceramic collections to complete the look.
Vase the Branches
Sometimes, all that you need is a part of the plant. You can get a lovely vase (it’s up to you whether you’d want glass, ceramic or any other material) and place the branch of a green plant there. This should last a few days up to a week. This kind of design is perfect for the Bohemian-inspired home.
Gotta Love Those Succulents
Creating your plant corner means you have to learn about layering. Your plant sanctuary does not have to be filled with leafy plants all the time. For added texture, you can use succulents. These tiny pots can be arranged right on the floor or you can have them grouped on an open shelf.
Tags: decorating with indoor plants, decorating with plants, hanging plants, houseplants, indoor plants, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Accents, Accessories, Decorative Elements, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Indoor Plants: Your Home’s Natural Air Filters
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016
From FFDM’s Fusion Collection
When you bring in houseplants, don’t think that you’re just adding green stuff. These living things have the power to interact with you, holistically, and could even enhance the quality of your lifestyle. Just imagine this, you spend about 80-90% of your time indoors. This means that you need to think about solutions for indoor pollution or you end up risking your health.
So what are the benefits of using houseplants as decorative elements in your home?
Houseplants = Fresh Air
As you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, though, this process is reversed in plants. This opposite pattern makes houseplants a great source of oxygen. Just make sure that you bring out the plants at night when photosynthesis stops so that they get to respire as humans do.
If you still want to enjoy seeing plants during the evening, it is best to bring in succulents, orchids and epiphytic bromeliads. These plants are best placed in bedrooms so that air remains fresh at night.
Houseplants = Moisture
Plants release water vapor or moisture as part of their respiratory process. The great news is that plants release 97-percent of their water intake so when you place several plants side-by-side, they can easily increase the humidity inside a room. Doing this has great benefits such as zero sore throats, dry skin and you even get to enjoy a healthy respiratory system, too.
Houseplants = Purified Air
You don’t just get upped oxygen levels in your room if you bring in houseplants. Plants are known to remove toxins from the air. NASA research shows that about 87% of volatile organic compounds or VOCs can be removed by houseplants. Famous VOCs include vinyl, formaldehyde, cigarette smoke, and non-recyclable grocery bags. Paints, solvents, man-made fibers and inks are also filled with these harmful chemicals. Benzene – also a health hazard – is commonly found in books and any printed paper.
If you want to decrease the harmful effects of VOCs, then be sure to bring in plants inside your home. The contaminants are pulled to the soil by the roots of houseplants. The root microorganisms then turn the VOCs to plant food.
For houseplants that keep VOCs at bay, you should try the spider plant, Gerbera daisy, the English ivy, dragon tree, and the philodendron.
Houseplants = Improved Health
Did you know that putting plants inside hospital rooms could speed up the recovery rates of post-surgery patients? This is according to a research conducted by the Kansas State University. When compared to patients who stayed in rooms without plants, the former patients required less pain medication and even had lower blood pressures and heart rates. Eventually, the patients whose rooms had plants were also released earlier.
This same concept can be used to your advantage in your home. You can reduce the occurrence of stroke by 34%; ischemic heart disease by about 26%; COPD by 22%; respiratory illnesses in children by 12% and lung cancer by 6%.
Accessories Uttermost Maurizio Stone Plant Stand 24624
Recommendations
If you aim to improve your overall health also to reduce stress and fatigue, you can place one large houseplant (no less than an eight-inch diameter pot or bigger for each 129 sq. ft. If it is your aim to purify the air, then use 15-18 plants inside 6-8 inch diameter pots. This is for larger homes (approximately 1,800 sq. ft.). This means that you can have one big plant for every 100 square feet or two smaller pots for the same area.
Remember to match the plant according to the growing conditions in your home. There are plants that thrive even with low lighting conditions and there are those that need to be taken out to catch some sunlight.
Tags: decorating with houseplants, decorating with indoor plants, houseplant, houseplant benefits, houseplant decor, houseplants, indoor plant benefits, indoor plants, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Accents, Accessories, Green Living, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Saturday, January 16th, 2016
This China cabinet comes from FFDM’s Antebellum Collection. The classic color of wood will make any home be the envy of the neighborhood.
The year 2016 is marked as the Year of the Rat on the Chinese calendar. The specific styles and interior design trends for this year are distinctive because they show a lot of expression. They also come in richness that is sure to transcend to the next year.
Playful Colors Are Back
Among the various inspired changes inside homes this year, cheerful colors are definitely back. There is also this growing emphasis on nature and the environment even in unusual rooms such as kitchens and the bathroom.
Innovations are not limited to these concepts. Accessories also display the richest hues though they are also surprisingly used in a more functional and minimalist space. Hints of metals such as brass and copper are also used in different areas of the home.
This year’s color palette comes in shades of red, pink and peach and designers are more than willing to use these colors to tell the world that they are following the trend. Pink is not just seen in interior design but also in make-up, fashion and office decor.
Accessories also come in shades of deep blue, green oil and navy. These colors convey feelings of coolness and calm inside any premise. For instance, brass or copper surfaces can cleverly blend with moody colors such as purple and black.
Once again, marble, copper and brass are the stars of the 2016 trend. There are various uses for these glamorous materials, their flexible characteristic, and their artistic look.
Another noticeable change inside homes this year is the presence of decorative yet functional objects. There is simply no room for useless stuff. It has become increasingly crucial to own objects that can be used throughout the homeowner’s lifetime, maybe even beyond.
The dynamic lifestyle of modern man also requires clever usage of space, its proper arrangement, and minimalism. The kitchen, for instance, may be completely concealed in order to open more room for entertainment.
The Hooker Furniture Dining Room Skyline Round Glass Top Dining Table comes with plated metal and glass. Choose from the gold or champagne-colored finish.
These days, the world of interior design is constantly moving towards minimalism because of its simple aesthetics. The reason behind this is simple – modern man is always busy and all he wants is a haven to go home to, a place where he could escape from city life. The use of green walls or optical illusions inside bathrooms and kitchens can add to the level of fascination.
Another huge change inside the home environment is the seemingly spa atmosphere. The bathroom is the leading room that has turned from a functional space to a relaxation area. Chairs and benches, even vanity tables are no longer uncommon inside modern bathrooms.
Have an abundant amount of vegetation inside the bathroom, too. Bring in those green plants that you love. Urban gardens inside living premises are also hip and trendy. Mother Nature is being let into homes because more and more designers and architects are considering the health of their clients. Bringing nature closer to homeowners does not just provide beauty but also a high level of calmness.
To keep the rest of your home fresh and up-to-date with the latest interior design trends, be sure to control the ventilation and humidity. Fresh air is what provides natural plant life. If this is not possible to achieve, then green walls are your next best option. The colors pink and gold are also artistic and easygoing hues that you can experiment with during the year. See how you can have them entwined or used separately in your home’s architecture and interior design.
Tags: brass, colors, copper, decorating with houseplants, decorating with indoor plants, decorating with plants, guidelines, houseplant, houseplant decor, marble, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, metals, minimalism, minimalist, modern, nature, nature in interior design, nature-inspired design, nature-inspired home, playful colors, rich hues, tips, trendy colors
Posted in 2016 Trends, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes, Interior Design Trends | No Comments »
Follow us on our social media
© McCreery's Home Furnishings | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
