new houseplant looks
Deck Out Your Bathroom Bathrooms often feel more natural with the addition of a plant or two to break up expanses of tile and mirrors. Plus, most houseplants thrive with the additional moisture from the shower. The designers of this home in London’s Hackney neighborhood took advantage of a skylight above the bath to hang potted donkey tail (Sedum morganianum), staghorn fern (Platycerium sp.), string of bananas (Senecio radicans) and common ivy. As a result, the bath feels like a tranquil mini conservatory. Re-create the look with plants hung from a shower curtain rod or with a hanging trio by a bathroom window.
Look for Unused Spaces In this remodeled Victorian schoolhouse in Nottinghamshire, England, the owners took down the curtains in the laundry room and repurposed the lower rod into a plant rack. Equipped with potted orchids, basil, succulents and other houseplants, this easily overlooked spot has become an attractive space. Other often neglected areas that can be good spots for houseplants include the tops of bookshelves, shadowy corners and oddly shaped nooks.
Turn a Shelf Into a Plant Display Devoting a floating shelf to your houseplant collection is a great way to save floor space, combine smaller potted plants to make a bigger impact and bring little plants up to eye level. If you’re hanging a new shelf, position it in an area close to a window, such as in a sunny area of the dining or living room. Mix in other natural items, like shells, or use brass candlesticks, small sculptures, framed pictures or other home accessories to create a vignette.
Use a Hanging Plant Rack Another way to bring houseplants to bare walls is to rig up a hanging planter. Systems like this usually don’t come with drainage holes (it would make a mess indoors), so you’ll drop plants in their nursery pots into the containers in the hanging system. This has the advantage of keeping the arrangement flexible, allowing you to easily swap out plants. You can find these hanging systems through specialty nurseries or online, or put together your own using dowel rods to support multiple potted plant hangers.
Hang a Plant “Chandelier” Draw the eye upward with the addition of one standout houseplant suspended from the ceiling. Look for trailing varieties, like hoya, pothos, hearts entangled (Ceropegia woodii) or some varieties of rhipsalis that will hang down from the container. If you don’t have a bright spot with a skylight, position the hanging plant near a window.
Ditch the Containers Give an entirely new look to houseplants by replacing their pots with free-form balls made of moss and string. You’ve probably seen kokedama, plants with wrapped root balls that form container-free hanging gardens — a Japanese art. While they resemble works of art, hung like floating islands in a window or resting on a sill, kokedama are surprisingly easy to make and care for. To water, dunk the root ball in water, allowing it to soak for a few minutes. Squeeze gently to release excess water. Repeat every few days or weekly, depending on root ball size, climate and plant variety. Learn how to make your own kokedama string garden
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