18 Indoor Artificial Plant Trends for 2021 & Beyond

Plants have become a huge trend in interior décor in recent years as we try to create more calming environments despite our increasingly indoor, urban, and online lifestyles. While plants are beautiful, they’re a lot of work! And a recent study found that the average person kills a massive 31% of all the houseplants they buy – that means around £30 of every £100 spent goes down the drain!

Artificial plants offer all the benefits of live plants, and more – they won’t accidentally poison or hurt a baby or pet, set off allergies, they don’t need maintenance, and they will bring you just as much joy and peace from their presence. If you’re looking for the hottest trends to bring more indoor artificial plants into your life, keep reading.

18 Indoor Artificial Plant Trends for 2021 & Beyond

Succulents & Cacti

In a recent survey, 37% of people in the UK said succulents and cacti were their favorite style of plant to have indoors, and this is largely down to their versatility. Artificial succulents and cacti come in a huge range of sizes, colors, shapes and styles, so you can have them throughout a home or office and have a different look in every space. They’re on-trend now and won’t be going anywhere soon.

Orchids

Live orchids may conjure up images of a slowly dying plant on your grandparent’s bathroom or kitchen windowsill, but artificial orchids are becoming extremely popular. Orchids have long been popular with the older generations, but artificial versions now add that much-needed splash of color to modern, clean spaces.

Geometric & Unique Planters

Plant pots are just as important as the plant, especially when it comes to artificial plants. In 2021, people are moving away from traditional pot styles and plain, minimalist styles, and embracing more interesting shapes. Geometric shapes, unusual planters, and unconventional planters are all growing in popularity. They’re a great way to play with the shapes and textures of plants and emphasise your chosen interior décor style.

Terrariums

Terrariums are glass containers filled with plants – true terrariums are enclosed ecosystems, but simply filling beautiful glass vases and containers with artificial plants (or buying them ready-made) is much easier to live with than one that has bugs living in it! Terrariums are so popular this year, brought in from 2020 when so many of us spent the year in urban centres away from wooded areas and countryside, and will continue to be for a long time to come.

Hanging Planters

Hanging planters are a youthful and relaxed way to bring plants into the home, and while they can represent a lot of work for real plants, they work perfectly for artificial plants. If you’ve been seeing them everywhere when you walk into your friend’s boho or mid-century style homes, it’s a sign it’s time for you to give it a try, too!

Dried Pampas Grass

While not strictly an indoor artificial plant, it’s worth a mention just because it is such a hot trend. Using dried pampas in a minimalist or modern space is a classy way to highlight a clear or translucent vase, and looks beautiful in a sunny spot. The fluffy texture adds softness to a space that is all angles and hard surfaces.

Bright, Bold Colours

We're finally starting to move away from those white and beige rooms and we’re starting to embrace colour again. Look to brighter coloured artificial Ficus plants, the deep green of peace lilies, and the bright yellow of an artificial lemon tree. Don’t be afraid of using bold planters, either, even if you’re pairing the bright colours with the geometric trend we touched on earlier. This is a great opportunity to embrace your artistic side and choose something that feels like it would fit in in an art gallery.

Artificial Olive Trees

Live olive trees are expensive and intimidating – keeping them alive is not for the faint of heart! An artificial olive tree has a beautiful rustic feel with those same, silver-backed leaves that attract us to olive trees. Artificial olive trees offer height without taking up a huge amount of space, which makes them the perfect accent for hallways, dining rooms, kitchens, and even bathrooms. They’ll remind you of Greece or Tuscany whenever you walk by, and who doesn’t want that?

Plants in Kitchens

Almost-dead herbs have been a staple on most kitchen windowsills for centuries, but it’s only recently that we’ve seriously started seeing artificial plants being used. Now, of course, if you have a tiny kitchen, you need to be careful about where you place your plants (keep them away from the stove!), but that doesn’t mean you can’t embrace this trend.

Place artificial cacti or succulents on shelves or inside glass-fronted cabinets, add artificial vine plants on the top of your wall cabinets, and add a few small potted artificial plants to those awkward corners on the countertop, instead of shoving books, dog treats, and other things that are rarely used or spread debris whenever you grab them.

Don’t be afraid of using plants to break up long lines and empty spaces if you’ve got the space. A small artificial plant in an oversized coffee mug or wine glass in the middle of your island or long counter adds a huge amount of personality or a much-needed pop of colour.

Artificial Plants as Bookends

Live plants don’t do particularly well on bookcases, especially if they’re dark or small, however artificial plants are perfect. Take a scroll through plant-related hashtags on Instagram and you’ll soon see bookcases accented with plants, and artificial plants make great bookends. Books are so often digital nowadays, so you’re not alone if you keep only the physical books that really mean something to you.

In 2021 we’re using those books to put our personal touch on our décor and artificial plants make great bookends. They’ll not only keep the books from falling over, but they add a change in colour and shape to the shelf and increase the sense of depth. Full-to-the-brim bookshelves are beautiful, but they’re often dark and imposing, making the room feel a foot smaller than it really is. Simply leaving a little more space and using different shapes, such as artificial plants, helps eliminate this problem.

Vertical Plants on Office Walls

2020 brought work home for almost all of us, and many companies are going to continue offering remote work to their employees full or part-time. So, what does this mean? Besides a better work-life balance, it means that we’re going to start wearing real clothes to our online meetings (at least from the waist up, right?) and battles of who has the best background.

Don’t leave that home office wall blank – it may be a plain background, but it’s boring! Show a little more of your personality and outdo that person whose wall is lined with guitars. Grab an artificial moss panel or two to create an artificial green wall, add wall planters and stuff them with interesting artificial foliage, or hang up those hanging planters we talked about earlier. Not only will you have one of the best backgrounds on the call, but you’ll feel more relaxed before important meetings, too.

Monsteras (AKA Cheese Plant)

Monsteras are the plant of the moment, likely because they’re native to warm climates (such as Mexico and Hawaii) and we’re all dreaming of a time when we can get back on a plane freely and fly anywhere in the world. These plants aren’t easy to keep looking their best – they need warmth, moisture, and they’ll wilt if you forget about them. The solution is to simply go artificial and reap the benefits of their stylish shape and glossy leaves! They work in almost any décor but consider using neutral-coloured planters for a relaxed style, or a brightly coloured plant pot to embrace that tropical look.

Plant Stands

Plant stands have blown up in recent years – you’ve likely even seen them in aisles while walking around the supermarket! Some plant stands are expensive, but the good news about artificial plants is that they’re not heavy and so you can easily choose a budget-friendly stand, without worrying that it’s going to get knocked over and spill soil all over the floor.

Fig Leaf (AKA Fiddle Leaf)

Fig leaf plants are also becoming more popular than ever before, but the key to these dark-leafed artificial plants is to put them in light areas. If you’ve got a sunny spot you’ve tried a real plant in a few times, or a white or yellow wall, that’s where this artificial plant will look best.

Bird of Paradise Plant

These plants can grow to massive proportions and are often mistake for fake even when they’re real, so it makes sense to just cut out the difficulties (and expense) and go for an artificial paradise plant. These plants offer that classic tropical look, with tall stems and big, broad, glossy leaves. They make a statement and are the perfect statement plant for a living room, conservatory, or dining room.

Calathea Plants

The calathea medallion is a unique plant with broad, green leaves accented with light green, almost yellow around the edge of the leaf. However, where this plant really stops the show is on the underside, where it offers a deep, pink-purple colour. This is a plant you don’t often see in people’s homes because it’s difficult to keep alive and looking at its best, however an artificial version is the perfect statement plant for almost any décor and colour palette. If you’re ready to embrace the bright, bold colours trend we touched on earlier, make sure you pair it with this on-trend artificial plant or one with similar colouring.

Palm Plants

The palm plant is nearly always on-trend, and it certainly is the statement plant of the moment. If you’re looking for eight without the broad leaves of something like the paradise plant, or with more volume than a small tree, like an artificial olive or lemon tree, then the palm plant is for you. This artificial plant has been gracing homes and offices for over half a century with its relaxing vibe and easy-to-style colouring. Real palm plants get b-i-g, and the leaves brown easily if they aren’t in a good place – even just pressing against a wall can make them unhappy. Artificial palm plants are timeless, won’t care where you put them, and if they do ever go out of style, you can simply store them in a cupboard or the attic for the future when they inevitably come back on-trend.

Snake Plants

Snake plants have always been popular in office spaces, but you can’t look anywhere online without seeing a potted snack plant these days. Artificial snake plants won’t need frequent repotting like the real thing, and you can choose a style in the exact dimensions you want. They’ve become popular recently because they offer a lot of colors and an interesting shape but without the low-to-the-ground volume that almost every other small-to-medium-sized artificial plant has. Snake plants also work perfectly in any room or environment – they look just as good in an office as they do in the living room, dining room, kitchen, or bathroom.

Plant trends change just as often as all other aspects of style and fashion, so artificial plants are an ideal way to be able to change up your look quickly without having to adapt to caring for a new plant or trying to find a space for something that no longer works in your room. Artificial plants can be easily stored away for the future, making it easy to essentially “shop” your collection whenever you move or redecorate a room in your home. Now you know the trends for the next year, why not work a few into your home? We’ve got a huge range of artificial plants, so to start browsing, click here.