Whether you’re working out of a small office or have an entire building of your own, there’s no denying that a visually appealing office space goes a long way in impressing visitors and clients and keeping your employees motivated. There are numerous ways to revamp your business premises – faux plants, however, are one of the best solutions when it comes to creating a pleasant environment while maintaining a professional feel. The chief advantage of faux plants is that they don’t wilt or fade, so your interiors will stay green and blooming all year round. And with the infinite varieties of artificial plants and trees available, you can easily find something to suit your taste and budget. Here are some of the things you should keep in mind when investing in office planting.
Decide on an overall theme for your plants
When it comes to office planting, you should pick faux indoor plants based on more than how pretty they look. It’s always a good idea to match your décor to what your business stands for and any official colors you may have. For instance, if you’re a stationery business with a mostly black and white aesthetic, an array of hibiscus trees may not be the best choice. You can opt instead for a jasmine plant, which blends with the theme of your company and also adds a soft, pleasant touch. Again, if you use a lot of pinks and peaches in your branding, you can opt for a tree with pink flowers in the reception area.
Sketch out a plan of where you want to install plants
It’s tempting to just buy a bunch of artificial plants wholesale and distribute them across your office, but such a process nearly always fails to give good results. Before buying anything, prepare a sketch of your premises and determine where you can place your plants without cluttering up space. How large is your reception area? How much space is there between the sofa and the wall? How wide are your corridors? How large are your desks? It’s essential to take all these points into account and accordingly choose whether to buy large trees or small potted plants, individual desk plants or just corner plants, rounder pots or taller holders, and so on.
Choose plants based on where they will be placed
Faux plants come in all shapes and sizes, so choose your plants based on where you will be putting them. The reception area, for instance, could feature a pretty floral centerpiece and a couple of leafy artificial trees near the seating arrangements. Corridors could feature some potted plants, while the pantry or café area could have some smaller flowering plants. Think of the surrounding space and the amount of focus you want to draw to the plants – in the reception area, for instance, you would want your plants to create a favorable impression on whoever walks in – and choose accordingly.
Opt for a consistent theme in the plants
While having a riot of flowering plants in every conceivable color might be a fun idea, it’s more suited to a living room or conservatory than a commercial space. Opt for a consistent color palette as well as a fixed set of species for your plants. For instance, if you have an artificial bamboo plant in your reception area, you might want to consider putting up bamboo plants in the corners of your main office as well. Similarly, if your corridors feature potted azalea bushes, you could have small bouquets of azalea on the desks. Consistency in your décor will add to the professional feel you would want your office to have – and look more elegant too.
Choose matching pots and holders
A big part of how your office planting ends up looking depends on the pots you choose. Thicker clumps of leaves and flowers require pots with a larger circumference, while tall trees or stems look best in slim holders. Choose colors and shapes that match with the rest of the décor and don’t distract attention from the plants themselves. For instance, if your office décor is mostly clean lines, opt for square holders in dark colors. If your décor has more of a vintage feel to it, however, choose wooden or metallic vases with rounded edges. Similarly, leafy plants like the split leaf philodendron are best paired with plain earthen or dark wooden holders. Remember to not overstuff your holders with plants, or they could end up looking crooked or spilling out.
Keep the rest of the décor minimalistic
Too much of anything isn’t advisable, and décor is no different. Office planting is at its best when complemented with a minimalist background, so it’s recommended that you go for clean, simple choices when choosing the rest of your décor. Avoid tacky decorations or distracting wall art, and use neutral wall paints wherever possible. Ensure that there is enough space between each plant and also between the plants and the other furniture.
Maintain your plants regularly
Just because your faux plants don’t need watering and weeding doesn’t mean they don’t require care! Remember to run over the foliage with a feather brush from time to time to wipe off the dust, and run a microfiber cloth over the plant to get rid of accumulated dirt. For a more thorough cleansing, submerge your plants in hot water or spray them all over with a hose, allowing them to dry thoroughly afterward before replacing them in the pot. For silk flowers, you can get rid of grime by using a solution of white vinegar and dabbing them on the petals. You can also dry clean them with the help of salt.
Faux plants are some of the best investments you can make for your office interiors. They brighten up any space instantly and add a touch of class to an otherwise plain room. Be sure to keep the above points in mind while selecting, arranging and maintaining your faux plants, and you can soon have an elegant commercial space that visitors and employees alike will love!
