Everything You Need to Know About Using Faux Plants in Your Kitchen

When it comes to interior design, there are plenty of reasons people often turn to leafy greenery. And the best part? They’re all gorgeously unique. Big, leafy cheese plants invigorate any room with a cool 1970s look, while breezy parlour palms lend a 1920s vibe to a living room. Plus, houseplants last far longer than fresh-cut flowers, making them far better value. But there’s something that lasts even longer than a real-life plant...

Artificial plants! These are perfect for anyone who loves the look of a plant-filled home but doesn’t have the time or patience required to maintain one. They look amazing, with leaves, stems, and even soil that looks more realistic than ever before. What’s more, artificial plants are often more cost-effective than living houseplants. To help you choose the right plants to liven up any space, here are some tips for decorating with faux plants.  

 

Why should I choose artificial plants over real ones? 

If you’ve never owned an artificial plant, here are six great reasons we love them: 

1. Artificial plants require zero upkeep, save the occasional wipe to rid them of dust. With real plants, you have to account for storing hefty bags of soil, mulch, and fertilisers. You have to re-pot any plants that grow too big for their original pots, not to mention all the trimming, pruning, fertilising, and repositioning for maximum sunlight. With faux plants, none of this effort is necessary, so you have the time to enjoy your plant-filled home with no hassle! 
2. They’re often more pet- and child-friendly than the real thing. Many artificial plants come in a pot of artificial soil, which will cause minimal stress if knocked over. Alongside the fact that some real plants are toxic to animals, artificial plants truly are the best option if you have a curious kitty or young child in the home.   
3. They work out cheaper overall because they don’t need new pots, fertilisers, or water. Think about all the new plants you could buy with the money you’d save on plant maintenance!
4. They’re consistent and will look the same regardless of where in your home you place them. Plants placed in the sunniest part of the living room will look just as cheery as the plants in the darkest corner of the hallway. 
5. They last forever! You don’t have to worry about your plants drying out, wilting, or drooping sadly on the window sill. They’re great alternatives to the classic gift of live flowers; while real flowers and plants are nice gestures, they’ll die fairly quickly. With an artificial plant, you can guarantee longevity with zero effort.
6. As there’s no pollen or mould involved, artificial plants are often preferable for those with respiratory issues or allergies. Some real plants also trigger allergies, so if you or someone in your household is sensitive to plants, artificial ones are the way to go.  

 

How to use artificial plants to decorate your kitchen 

When we think of plants in interior design, we may imagine a large plant in a living room or bedroom. But have you ever thought of using artificial plants to decorate your kitchen? Here are 16 of our favorite home styling tips for using artificial greenery in your kitchen:

Give your kitchen a year-round tropical feel with Monstera, palm trees, birds of paradise, and cacti. We Brits tend to see a lot of rain, but you can create that sunny feeling all year round with something exotic. Who would want to feel like they’re on holiday while they prepare dinner each evening?

 

Create a focal point in the room. Use a tall plant or silk tree to add drama to an otherwise practical room. Position your plant or tree against a plain wall so it stands apart from the rest of the room, creating space. Using plants is also a great way to distract from your least-favorite parts of the kitchen!     

                                                                                           

 

Use greenery to liven up an otherwise plain room. Artificial plants are ideal for renters who aren’t comfortable putting up photos or re-painting the walls. They add a splash of colour to rooms with white or cream walls and look even better when placed inside brightly coloured pots. 

 

Start a collection of unusual plants. The circular leaves and long stems of a Chinese money plant make it a great centrepiece for a coffee table, service hatch, or mantle. The holey leaves of a monstera (cheese plant) make for a unique and tropical corner plant. What’s great about artificial plants is that you can find replicas of the most unusual and exotic plants without having to pay for shipping from India, China, or the West Indies. All you need to do is find a manufacturer and off you go! 

 

If you have an open-plan kitchen and living room, you can use big, leafy plants as subtle separators. Interior design has shifted into an era of open-plan homes, much like that of the 1970s, but if you like to keep your rooms slightly separate, an artificial olive tree or areca palm tree will do the trick nicely. Now, with the help of your leafy friends, you can cook in peace without disturbing your guests!                                 

 

Echo your plants’ shapes with refreshing botanical themes. Whether you choose a hamper with a plant pattern or a floral wallpaper, you can bring the outside in with plant-heavy accessories. 

 

 

 

 

Use trailing plants for a whimsical kitchen feel. Whether you choose something subtle like a hanging fern or a willow vine, hanging plants lend a fairytale atmosphere to a part of the house that’s usually solely practical.

 

 

Pair your plants with floral artwork for a botanical kitchen feel. Since so many of the things we cook with grow in the ground, why not honour the art of growth with some wall art? Green, brown, and other earthy hues are naturally calming, which is ideal if you’re inclined to stress when you’re hosting a dinner party! 

 

Transform a bare kitchen wall by installing plant shelves. This gives you the opportunity to mix and match your favourite plants, from spider plants and inch plants to painter’s pallets and mini calatheas. You could also create something more uniform by choosing two types of plants and alternating, or placing your various plants in pots of similar colours, shapes, and materials.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Create a special plant “zone”. If you’re a fan of bunching together a whole lot of plants to create a green area, then this one is for you! When it comes to plants, especially smaller ones, the more the merrier. An existing shelf, kitchen counter, or windowsill can be home to your faux plant collection, and who doesn’t love the sight of lots of plants in one space?

 

Soften a room’s look with a plant that lends itself to gentle edges. Ferns work well beside hard furniture with solid lines, like side tables, cabinets, and hefty bookshelves. They also look great beside harsher-looking plants like cacti and snake plants as they create lovely textural contrast.

 

Mix artificial plants with real ones. There’s no reason you can’t select a gorgeous collection of both real and fake plants! Even if you have 20 plants in your home and ten of them are artificial, that’s half the effort with a lot of greenery. If there are certain plants you know you’ll struggle to maintain, get an artificial version of them, and if you want a few real ones, choose some plants that are easy to keep alive!

 

If you’re short on floor space, make the most of your kitchen’s height. You can alleviate a cluttered feeling by displaying your greenery vertically. You may choose to do this with a trailing hanging plant over your kitchen sink or next to a window. You could try wall planters that stick to the wall or something a little more decorative. A macrame plant hanger with a matching pot is also a great way to tie in with an existing colour scheme in any room or to draw attention to it by creating contrast.  

 

Create a kitchen terrarium. Kitchens are home to a lot of experimental thinking and exploration; we cook and create in the kitchen, so why not continue this trend with your plant design? Artificial plant terrariums are great because you can use any combination of plants without worrying that they won’t get along inside the glass. Plus, you don’t need to think about giving each plant a different amount of water or sunlight as they’re all artificial! Choose three of your favourite miniature succulents, cacti, or flowering orchids and pop them into a glass container. You can use stones, sand, or even moss for a cute, homemade kitchen terrarium.

 

Turn your kitchen into a zen garden with an artificial bamboo tree. Everyone wants to feel relaxed as they head into the kitchen to prepare a meal; it’s more enjoyable cooking when relaxed, plus the food tastes better! So consider using bamboo to inject a little calmness and feng shui into your kitchen space.   

                                                                               

 

Create symmetry with two large (or small) plants. If you have the space, consider using large palm leaves or Japanese maple leaves in jam jars or glass containers. Place them on either side of something you otherwise wouldn’t bother paying attention to, like a fridge, washing machine, or bin.  

 

How not to use artificial plants to decorate your kitchen

Now that we’ve been inspired by some of the many ways to style a kitchen plant, here are a few things you should avoid doing:

• Placing an artificial plant near a stove or oven. While a real plant would likely just singe and drop off the leaf, artificial plants may be flammable or will melt if they come into contact with a flame or very hot steam. For this reason, it’s often best to avoid placing your faux greenery anywhere near your stove or oven door.                                                                                
• Placing your plants in pots of the wrong size. If you choose a pot that is too big for your artificial plant, it will likely be uneven and may topple over. Similarly, don’t waste your money on pots that are too small for any of your plants. If they won’t fit in the pots, you’ll probably end up throwing them away, so check the sizes of your plants before you buy pots for them.
  
• Ignoring the colours and patterns you’ve already chosen for your kitchen. Interior design trends these days are all about cohesion, so before you choose pots and hangers for your artificial plants, think about whether they’ll go well with the kitchen’s walls, flooring, and white goods. 
• Putting your plant in an entryway or somewhere will disrupt the “traffic flow” - nothing is more annoying when you’re trying to cook than clutter making it hard to move around. If you have a large kitchen or an island in the middle, you likely always move around the space in the same direction. This is known as the room’s traffic flow, which can be disrupted if something is placed in the way. So, if you have a large, potted plant and little kitchen space, consider moving it to another room and replacing it with something more compact. 

 

Artificial plants are great if you love the idea of a tropical feel in your home. They’re ideal if you want to fill your home with luscious greenery but lack the green thumb necessary to care for a host of needy plants. Plus, artificial plants these days look extremely realistic, so you won’t even notice they’re not real! 

At Artificial Eden, we’re passionate about helping our customers brighten up their homes without the hassle of maintaining real plants. From topiary and trees to flowers, planters, and green walls, we’ve got it all. Click here to view our full range of artificial plants today!