Artificial Plants for Living Room
6th Jul 2022
Living Room Decor
Artificial plants give you the luxury of improving the look and feel of your living space without the additional obligation of tending, watering, and maintaining live plants. They provide you with a convenient way to achieve your ideal look and retain a new fresh feel with less effort. First, decide what kind of fake tree you want in your house or office. The tree you pick should blend in with the rest of your decor.
Natural trees and flowers can dramatically enhance the appearance of your living areas. Many people, however, do not have the energy or time to care for natural plants or flowers. Artificial flowers and trees brighten dark corners and lift the mood of a room, and the best part is that they do not die. This guide will provide you with valuable information to aid in selecting and arranging quality artificial plants for your living room and how to care for them.
Artificial Plants: What Are They?
Artificial plants, also referred to as fake, faux, or synthetic plants, are a terrific alternative to live plants for decorating your spaces. This is one of the primary reasons, so many people prefer having them in their homes and offices. Artificial plants are not only an excellent solution for you if you are allergic to pollen grains, but they also relieve you from the responsibility of caring for fresh, live plants.
Silk and plastic, which are some of the different materials that make them up, are suitable for locations that encounter intense heat and temperatures. Some fake plants are fire-resistant without sacrificing their look.
Fake Plants: How to Make Them More Realistic
Here are some helpful hints for making faux plants appear nearly natural in areas such as your living room:
Get high-quality fake plants
If you want to use artificial plants to decorate your house or office, make sure you get high-quality ones. If you short-change yourself on this front, it will not only detract from the elegance of your personal space, but it will also be a waste of money. Poor quality ones will look fake and date quickly.
Artificial plants and trees of high quality are available in various pricing ranges to fit your budget. When you invest in high-quality artificial plants, they will constantly seem fresh and attractive, adding to the aesthetic appeal of your spaces.
Clean your fake plants regularly
You may find that fake plants are simple to care for because they do not require light or water to thrive. However, you must clean them at regular intervals for them to appear more realistic. The beauty of your fake plants will be diminished once dust particles become visible. Therefore, dust them regularly to keep them looking authentic and fresh.
Keep your faux plants out of dark places
When it comes to artificial plants, this is a crucial consideration. You must avoid gloomy and unappealing locations where there is little light if you want to display your fake plants. If you choose to display them in such places, they may appear unreal. It's best to put them in your home or business areas where there's plenty of light. In such an environment, your imitation plants will hint at natural vitality. If you really need to brighten up a dark space, pick a plant with light coloured greenery or bright flowers to compensate for the lower light in the area.
Suitable vases and containers selection
To make your artificial potted plants look more natural, choose an attractive container to put them in. Garden centres, as well as home furnishing stores, have a large selection of pots and planters. You should get beautiful vases and pots that complement your home's decor. To find high-quality imitation plants and their containers, check out our huge range.
How to Clean Artificial Plants Thoroughly
Cleaning artificial plants is simple, and you probably already have everything you need. Fragile silk plants need special care, but you can use one of these three methods for plastic, polyester, or more rigid silk foliage.
The shower technique
If your faux plants fit in the shower, that's one fast and straightforward approach to get rid of the dust.
Step One: Do it in your bathroom or outside
Head to the bathroom with a trash bag, a paintbrush, or your vacuum cleaner, plus your faux plant. If you have a hose, you may also take it outside. Then, bring your plant inside the shower or outside.
Step Two: Dust the plant
Using your small paintbrush or even a microfibre duster, dust the leaves of your artificial plant. You may use your vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to remove the dust. However, you must be careful when using the vacuum cleaner as the suction might be too intense for some fragile artificial plants.
Step Three: Secure the plant to prevent damage
Secure a garbage bag over every part of your plant that shouldn't get wet—and secure the bag's top with a string or packing tape.
Step Four: Rinse your plant
Rinse your plant's leaves, stem, surface, or anywhere else that dust settles with cool water from your shower head or hose. Finally, set your plants to dry in the laundry area or the shade.
The leaf-by-leaf technique
This method requires a little more effort, but it can be completed quickly. All you need is a moist cloth and a little bit of time.
Step One: Wipe down the plant
Wipe off your plant with a moist microfibre towel, leaf by leaf, working your way from top to bottom. Be sure not to start at the bottom, otherwise as you work your way up the plant, any dust that comes off the leaves will rest on the lower leaves which you’re already cleaned.
Step Two: Rinse your cloth if necessary
If the plant is particularly large, you may have to rinse your cloth before proceeding at each step. Simply soak the fabric in cool water to remove the dirt and squeeze out the excess water, so the cloth is only damp. Then, clean the leaves one by one.
The vinegar technique
If water alone isn't cutting it, or if your artificial potted plants are more complicated to clean, you may have to add white vinegar to the solution. The vinegar will help to remove any thick layers of dust.
Step One: Create the solution
Fill a spray bottle halfway with vinegar and halfway with water.
Step Two: Apply the solution
Spray the solution onto a small leaf to test first. Allow the vinegar solution to sit for five minutes for really tough build-up. Once that small leaf test has worked ok, you can confidently start working on the whole plant.
Step Three: Wipe away vinegar with a clean towel
Then, clean away as much vinegar plus grime as possible with a clean moist towel.
Technique Used to Clean Delicate Silk Plants
Silk plants need extra attention when cleaning. Liquid cleaning may cause colours to run due to the way silk plants are made and the nature of the commonly utilised dyes. However, using cornmeal and salt to dislodge the dust off the petals and leaves gently is a dry-cleaning technique that won't harm your silk plants.
Is It Possible to put Fake Plants in the Dishwasher?
While you may have seen this cleaning method around online, in short…. Not recommended!
Buying Artificial Plants for Your Living Room
There are very few fast and hard guidelines to follow when picking faux plants for your house. You have a lot of choices when selecting plants and flowers, especially if you shop online. When browsing, keep the following in mind:
- What are the plant's measurements?
- What is a particular faux plant's composition?
- Is the fake plant being shipped in an attractive pot, or would you need to repot it?
You should also read online reviews to ensure you are receiving the greatest deal. Try to take advantage of the fact that modern artificial plants closely resemble the appearance of various live plants. Aloe, artificial fiddle leaf figs, fake air plants, lotus leaves, snake plants, fake banana trees, faux philodendrons, maguey branches, monster leaves, particular kinds of ferns, bird of paradise plants, as well as succulents are all excellent choices.
Another clever idea is to purchase imitation plants that seem like preserved versions of their natural counterparts. After all, live plants that have been preserved are no longer alive! Any plants that seem excessively gimmicky should be avoided. If the plant, for example, is strewn with fake raindrops, you should significantly consider it. Alternatively, if the plant's finish is gleaming, it may appear old-school tacky.
Also, concentrate on organic characteristics such as delicate roots sheath at the plant's base and "soil" around its base. Take images of the genuine thing with you when you go shopping to contrast the appearance of every part, from the flowers to the stems. Finally, begin with craft stores and work your way up to garden centres and other big-name retailers if you want to buy artificial plants in a store. Shopping in person allows you to examine the plants before bringing them into your house, whereas If you prefer the convention option, shopping online with us is an easy, no fuss way to get ultra high quality products that will look great for years to come.
Examples of Artificial Plants for Living Rooms
Plants for tabletops
Tabletop plants, which are the least expensive, might include cacti, potted wildflowers, and other little flora like lavender or rosemary. Search for natural-looking characteristics in the plants, like veining and colour gradation, to avoid artificials that look fake.
Houseplants
Large hanging Boston Ferns, ivy, potted eucalyptus, Pothos, and Golden Dieffenbachia are just a few examples of houseplants. Avoid glossy, conspicuous plastics and instead, pick for silk or plastic which appears and feels authentic.
Shrubs and trees
Artificial palm and Ficus trees are two of the most popular imitation trees; both are hardy and look excellent in any house style. Because trees are such focal points, arrange them in attractive pots that complement your living room's colour scheme or theme. A topiary, made of artificial Boxwood or Arborvitae, is another popular living room decor item.
Seasonal plants
When the holidays arrive, most households will be decorated with flowers and trees that aren't generally seen during most of the year. Poinsettias, holly berries, and Christmas cacti are just a few fake festive plants you can buy to put in your living room during holiday times.
Silk Plants Vs. Plastic Plants for Living Rooms
In the 60s to 80s, people had super-fake-looking silk plants all over the place. Thanks to technological advancements, artificial plants now have incredibly realistic textures, colours, and even reflecting characteristics, depending on the quality of the fake plant. This is especially the case with plastic plants made using real-life plant moulds.
Some are even foam-filled to give them a more genuine appearance. Silk flowers nowadays may appear almost genuine too, so they are a standard pick for artificial bridal bouquets. They may seem appealing since silk is such a lovely material, but high-quality silk flowers can be pretty costly.
One significant advantage of plastic plants is that many real stylish living room plants in contemporary home décor already have a plastic appearance. Succulents are a great example because the actual ones already appear fake, so the fake one's blend in seamlessly. Plastic plants are less prone to wear and tear than silk plants. That is why it is advisable to buy fake plastic plants for your living room to guarantee their durability.
Benefits of Buying Artificial Plants
What are the advantages of utilising imitation flowers, you might wonder? Why would you want to buy them? The primary benefits of having fake plants as part of your interior décor have been explained below.
Fake plants are usually non-hypoallergenic
Allergies are immune system reactions to substances that the body is unfamiliar with. Even though these compounds are generally harmless, your immune system labels them as potentially hazardous. This could result in rashes, skin irritation, and other unpleasant side effects.
You could be allergic to pollen, a plant-derived material. If real plants are used to decorate your living room, this can be an issue because there are various allergy-inducing flowers, shrubs, and plants in general. As a result, using them to decorate your yard or home can induce serious allergic responses. However, with synthetic plants, this will not be an issue.
Artificial plants are easy to maintain and care for
If you have ever taken care of real plants, you know how tough it is to keep them alive. It's not easy to keep them blooming because you have to prune, weed, and water them regularly. What about applying the suitable manure, properly watering them at the right time, and ensuring the quantity is right?
The trouble with real flowers and plants is that they will wither and die if you don't maintain them properly. Artificial plants, on the other hand, are not the same. You only need to dust them once a month and clean them every other time to keep them in good condition. They are easy to maintain, even for those without a green thumb or the time to do so.
Artificial plants offer many design and décor options
You'll never run out of décor ideas or possibilities when it comes to artificial plants. You can place artificial plants in any location in your space that would benefit from the addition of plants and flowers. Real plants have drawbacks, like the inability to thrive in dimly lit environments and the fact that they die in the winter.
Artificial plants solve this problem; you can adorn your living room with them without worrying about sunlight reaching them, as they do not need it. Moreover, when using actual flowers and plants to decorate a space, it is impossible to bend or twist them into different shapes.
In fact, bending or twisting a genuine plant will cause it to suffer damage and possibly die. This is not the case with fake plants. Artificial plants, particularly artificial snake plants and those built from good quality materials, are extremely adaptable and flexible. You could bend them and make necessary alterations to fit your desired style, concept, shape, and even size.
Purchasing Artificial Plants for Living Rooms
As we have explored in this post, houseplants are one of the most amicable and peaceful design elements you can add to your living room. On the other hand, real plants can be expensive, cause allergies, and demand a lot of upkeep. Faux plants allow you to decorate your living room without fear of your new decorations dying.
However, shopping for them can be tedious because many of them seem precisely as their names suggest - fake. To discover options that are as good as the real thing, contact us here at one of Australia's most recognised and reliable plant shops.