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Fake Plants; Real Benefits

Our earliest ancestors lived in a harmonious closeness with nature. They took shelter in caves and dense thickets, and every day the natural world dominated their periphery. Today, we’ve built a separate world for ourselves that we call “indoors,” a place to escape from nature and gain control of our surroundings.

The trouble with being indoors is that it’s simply not our natural habitat. Sterile rooms with filtered air, weak lighting, and no windows are an unpleasant experience when they’re part of your daily life – and for a vast number of people, that’s a fairly accurate description of their work environment. We have sacrificed our closeness with nature for safety, control, and convenience, and create dwellings deprived of plant life that leave us feeling a little empty.

Artificial Office Plants

In the past, the idea of keeping indoor greenery was a little more daunting than it is today. Earlier buildings that didn’t have proper lighting and climate control couldn’t support plant life for very long. Even when the environment supports plant life, the labor in maintaining hundreds of office plants can be too costly and time-consuming. Because of this, many turned to artificial greenery to reap the benefits of office plants without the responsibility, but artificial plants of the past made poor substitutes. Cheap plastics, poor craftsmanship, and fire hazards contributed to a negative early impression of artificial plants that left many hoping for a new solution.

At Commercial Silk, we do right by nature. We observe plants with reverence and adoration and take careful note of the subtleties that characterize each variety. That love and respect for nature continue through our process as we design foliage, branches, trunks, and other components with a level of botanical accuracy unrivaled in the industry.

Real Benefits

Rekindle your bond with the outside world and weave nature through indoor environments with Artificial Office Plants from Commercial Silk. Call them fake, faux, or fabricated – the benefits are very, very real. In a study conducted by the University of Twente in collaboration with CBRE, it was discovered that office plants have a quantifiable positive impact on the mental and physiological well-being of people around them. This comes as no surprise to many, as indoor plants in medical settings have been known to improve the mental state of recovering patients, and have long been seen as a presence of healing and a sign of hope.

During the experiment, participants were introduced into a healthier work environment that included exposure to large amounts of greenery. What they found was pretty incredible – adding plant life to the office lead to employees reporting a 10% increase in their performance, which was then confirmed by objective performance analysis. Simply including plants in the office invigorated employees, adding a boost to their workday that no cup of coffee could match.

The benefits didn’t stop there. Under the same conditions, 76% of tested employees reported feeling more energized, 78% reported feeling happier, and 65% reported feeling healthier – all from the presence of plants.

This is where the story gets really fascinating. It was found during the study that it made no difference whether the plants were real or fake. In other words, artificial plants and trees communicate all the same powerful benefits as the plants they replicate. To your body and your subconscious mind, there’s little difference in visually experiencing plant life, and that opens up a new world of biophilic opportunities.

Now that Artificial Office Plants can be made with brilliant botanical quality and craftsmanship, your office – even your whole building – can be designed into an immersive green experience that invigorates, soothes, and inspires – and you’ll see the real results of that energy in the attitude and output of your employees. As the world moves toward more mindful work environments, employee happiness has been held paramount in the success of companies big and small. Providing an atmosphere that nurtures people and restores energy is an elegant, low-maintenance way to enhance the quality of life for employees while earning their increased productivity in return.

Growing your Brand

Your company has an identity. It might be something that’s just starting to take shape, or it might be so defined that you can practically shake its hand. Your brand should be something that comes across in every way that people experience your space, from the color scheme to the lighting, a focused aesthetic builds unity and gives workers something to identify with.

Artificial office plants are a powerful way to elevate your brand and promote mindfulness as part of your company values. By taking on replica foliage from another part of the world, your space becomes mysterious and cultured and speaks volumes about commitments to nature and sustainability. The character of your space can be expressed thematically through curated plant varieties in design + build effort with Commercial Silk that delivers a world-class green experience, leaning on industry knowledge we’ve accumulated through the decades. We’re excited to collaborate on your vision, to improve your space and make something real out of artificial plants.

Data sourced from “Healthy Offices Research,” the University of Twente in collaboration with CBRE, N = 124

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