Decorative styles and plants: design your spaces

Interior design is about transforming and adapting spaces so that they respond to your particular needs and tastes, it is a way of enhancing form and function through style. Your imprint, your personality and aesthetics are what will determine the decorative style you will feel inclined towards when decorating, but it will also allow you to recreate a certain atmosphere, evoking sensations and feelings. Therein lies the magic and importance of interior design, decorating has an incredible positive impact on your mood, even more so if you use plants.

It has been scientifically proven that incorporating plants in your spaces allows you to reduce your stress levels, it also has other benefits as some purifying plants can improve the quality of the air you breathe. But this time I want to focus on the aesthetic side of things, so here are some tips on how to incorporate plants into some interior design trends.

A plant for every style

Mid-Century Modern

The style of the mid-twentieth century acquired very marked characteristics after the Second World War, in which echoes of the Bauhaus school can be seen in objects and furniture. There was an air of the future, of hope and glimpses of modernity, of the future to come. This translated into very modern and precise lines, with a particular use of colour that established a direct dialogue with the natural, the outdoors. Wood is combined with shades of orange, yellow, forest green and brown. Gone is the functional sobriety of other austere eras, this is about creating links with the natural world

This type of decoration is dominated by curves and angles. The furniture has a timeless air, you know it's from another era but still speaks of modernity. The good news is that many houseplants that are current today were popular at the time, so make the most of it. Monstera deliciosa is ideal for this decorative style, especially if you put it on stakes that give it height rather than letting it droop. Lemon Dracaena looks great and also adds visual height to the space. Other popular plants of the season include Ficus elasticus, snake plant and fiddle leaf fig.

Pots are a great way to add dimension, colour and play with the height of your plants. You can use a Tulum pot, which successfully combines natural materials. The Helsinki planter, on the other hand, offers the perfect marriage of natural and modern with the wooden base and porcelain pot.

Minimalist

Inspired by the artistic movements of the 60s and 70s, minimalism takes elements of traditional Zen art and incorporates them into a very sober colour palette in which whites predominate. Minimalism seeks to reduce everything to the basics, to the minimum expression. What counts here is the efficiency of the design, there are no unnecessary restrictions or cluttered spaces. Open space, straight lines and light colours combined with metallic and shiny textures maximise details, creating elements of impact.

In minimalism, repetition, symmetry, clean lines and the incredible use of natural light are basic guidelines. Polished finishes, metals, plastics and others predominate over rustic wood and natural finishes. Plants suitable for the minimalist style are those with straight, harmonious and simple lines, nothing too bulky or cluttered.

Glass terrariums look perfect on tables and surfaces, while plants such as sanseviera with their straight, sharp lines are perfect. Lemon dracaenas help to give visual height, while cacti go well with their angular designs. They will be the ideal focal point.

Avoid terracotta pots or natural materials and finishes. Instead, go for plastic, polished or porcelain white, sober and unadorned, like the Eco Amsterdam pots. don't have much space? Consider installing a geometric shelf, such as the floating hexagonal shelf.

Bohemian

Bohemian style is the opposite of minimalism in many ways. Here there are no strict rules, but rather the express command to manifest your tastes in an exuberant and vivid way. The key to boho style is interiors that are brimming with personal objects, mixtures of ethnic objects, textures and colours. You can mix vintage with contemporary, patterns and solids. The important thing is that it gives you a cosy and warm feeling.

Plants suitable for the bohemian style are lush, leafy ones: calatheas, Kentia palms, Potos, Alocasias and ferns look beautiful because with their large or abundant leaves they will be able to fill the spaces, while contrasting with their pretty colours. Here more is more, so you can group your plants and play with the colours and materials of the pots. Let your imagination run wild and use accessories like the Istambul planter, how about this Mandala Flower table? Or the Ethnic and Nauru planters. If you want something more fun and different, go straight for the Samoa planters.