Plants play a huge role in holistic health. The veggies we eat, essential oils distilled from plants, filtering our air, and creating a tranquil environment in our homes all involve plants. Because of this, a rule of interior design I recommend is to have a plant in every room of the house. This may sound difficult, but the benefits are worth the effort, and even the most brown of thumbs can keep some low maintenance house plants alive.
Here are 3 reasons you should keep a plant in every room
1) Plants Filter the air
This infographic shows research from NASA about some of the best house plants to have for filtering the air and the chemicals that they filter out. In general, big and leafy equals more surface area for air filtering. If you’re worried about a brown thumb, peace lilies and snake plants are great options. Peace lilies do well in brighter rooms or in more dark, just keep them out of direct light. Snake plants enjoy those lower lit corners and rooms with few windows.
2) Plants bring life
Rooms that feel full of life and energy are rooms that we enjoy being in and leave us feeling refreshed rather than drained. Put a plant in the room you enjoy least in your house and see how the energy in the room changes. Have you ever noticed how at peace you instantly feel in a garden or greenhouse? Anxiety and stress just don’t stick around well when you are surround by green life and a plant in every room is a great way to accomplish that.
3) Plants support health
There are numerous studies that show multiple health benefits of house plants including elevated mood, increased concentration, decreased stress, better sleep, accelerated healing and more (For the research nerds). There’s also just something about being surrounded by plants that encourages you to be more active, spend more time outdoors, and actually eat healthfully.
Get Started
Some of my favorites to start with are peace lily, spider plant, African violet, golden pathos, and parlor palm. All of them are easy to grow house plants for beginners and tend to be forgiving when it comes to watering and light. The one exception is the African violet which is a bit more picky; for those getting an African violet pot that waters it slowly over time makes for a much easier upkeep.