Are fake plants a thing of the past, or have millennials revamped them to fit the latest trends in home decor? If you’re hopeless at taking care of real ones, fear not, there are plenty of great options out there, and good reasons to go faux.
With the limited time and the huge number of maintenance tasks that most people have to contend with in their lives it can be tempting to take a few shortcuts. Your life is probably already filled with a lot of artificial stuff so you might think that adding some fake plants into your home is a better idea than using real plants that will need to be taken care of. While you can get away with a few artificial plants it might not be a good idea to overdo it though. Here’s a few reasons why fake plants can be a bad option for your home, and then followed by some great ways that they can be used to supplement natural plants.
Reasons Not to Use Fake Plants in Your Home
1. Feng Shui
Feng Shui is about maintaining and reinforcing the natural balance. It focuses on creating a balance between the natural elements of fire, earth, wood, water, and metal. Natural plants feature wood, water, and earth so they are great for helping keep your home’s Feng Shui in balance. Some plants are also used to reinforce specific Feng Shui aspects, such as luck and prosperity. Fake plants made of synthetic materials don’t really work to improve your household Feng Shui. They are often considered to subtract from it as they add a disharmonious element into your home decor. If you want to keep your home’s natural energies in balance then use real plants rather than artificial ones.
2. Oxygen And Scent
Real plants give off pleasant natural smells, help turn carbon-dioxide into oxygen, and help clean the air of toxic particles. Artificial plants can’t do any of these things. While the plants around your home aren’t going to make a huge impact to larger air quality or pollution issues they help offset smaller issues and help keep your home a healthy place to live. In addition, they can smell great and add that little freshness that only nature can add. Fake plants do not give any of these benefits, and in fact, depending on what they’re made of, could in fact contribute to the toxicity of the air.
3. Avoid Using Plastics
If you’re an environmentally conscious person then you’ve probably heard about the issue of plastics finding their way into the sea and the ecosystem. There’s a huge amount of plastic waste floating in the ocean right now and some of it finds its way into the stomachs of sea creatures such as whales and dolphins. Artificial plants made from plastic add to that problem whereas real plants just end up making their way back into the biosphere with no negative impact, in fact usually a positive one. Plastics are a problem for many ecosystems, not just the ocean. They also need to be produced in a factory, whereas real plants can be grown organically. The carbon footprint of buying plastic plants can be quite high, whereas real plants offset carbon in the atmosphere. So, if you are environmentally concerned, fake plants may not be the right route for you, and you may want to invest the time to figure out how to care for real plants to keep them thriving in your home.
Reasons to Use Fake Plants in Your Home
We’re now living in 2019, and faux florals and plants have gotten SO MUCH BETTER. While there are some reasons not to use fake plants, there are some reason they can work great in your home. I have a bit of a thing for plants in my house – I love having greenery in every room as it adds a touch of colour, a bit of texture, real plants help to clean the air, and just look lovely! Personally, I have always opted for real plants, because I enjoy them so much, but I have seen many people use fake plants that look really wonderful.
It always takes a while to learn exactly what plants thrive in which rooms. Some rooms are hotter than others, some are darker, and some have more space etc…. Each room has it’s own needs, and it’s been quite a learning curve to get to the point I have (which is a semi-green fingered amateur at best!).
1. Takes the Effort out of Owning Plants
While plants bring so much magic to any interior space, they do require a lot of upkeep, and if you’re just not willing to do that, fake plants are the way to go! With the exception of a swift dust every now and then, faux plants eliminate upkeep all together. For all of you apartment dwellers, imagine a life that doesn’t include schlepping all of your plant babies into the bath once a week for a “shower.” Going faux means you’ll have plenty of time to kick back and admire your eternally effortless flora friends. Even the sturdiest leaves can bend and break (and such is nature!), but faux are practically immortal; they’re the stronger sister of the natural version and just as beautiful. And from a sustainable and economic perspective, a faux’s durability ensures you’ll have to buy (and toss) a whole lot less overtime.
2. Great for allergy sufferers
If you, like so many of us, suffer from allergies, using fake plants can take out the headache of allergies while still giving you the beautiful aesthetic of plants in your home. There are quite a few plants that should be fine for people with allergies, but if you want to just not worry about it at all, going faux may be right for you.
3. Work well in Dark Rooms
Artificial plants require zero sunlight while still packing the same punch as their organic counterparts, making them ideal for sunless corners in your home, which are often the corners that need that jolt of green the most. Faux plants are the ideal choice for difficult-to-access areas in your home, like narrow nooks or skyscraper-tall shelves. Avoid the task of pulling out your step stool for regular watering, bypassing furniture or objects that are inevitably in your way while holding a watering can and balancing on one leg to reach your beloved Pothos; instead, place your faux on that top shelf and leave it be (save for a quick wipe-down from time to time). Potted trees and tall plants make for the perfect accent piece to fill an empty corner while adding lots of texture and visual interest.
4. Good for Pets that Chew
Unlike so many live plants (so many!) that are toxic for your pets, our faux collection is 100% safe for pets. Rejoice in this newly-found freedom and load up on as many Fiddle Leaf Figs as will fit in your home (our faux versions are really good). There aren’t always warnings on plants that are toxic to pets, so it can be a bit of a minefield when shopping for them, not knowing which could be dangerous, and having to look them up constantly.
5. They are Inexpensive!
Real plants can be quite an investment, and they don’t always live, so you may have to keep replacing them, which means that you can end up spending a lot of money on them in the end. If you want a cheaper and longer lasting alternative, fake plants will be the solution! While you can get them for very cheap, we recommend choosing something a little more upscale, that will look more real, and last longer. Whether on a bookcase, kitchen shelves, or the mantel on your fireplace, small plants are the perfect addition to shelf decor, especially when they’re in a pretty planter. With an artificial plant, you won’t have to worry about it outgrowing the spot you’ve placed it in, or other items blocking their sunlight.
1. Place them with Real Plants
People are often hesitant to opt for artificial fake plants because, as the name suggests they look fake and unreal. However, our artificial plants look so stunningly natural and realistic that it is hard to distinguish them from real plants. Artificial flowers and plants offered at efavormart are extremely life-like which mimic the exact colors and textures of real plants without compromising the overall look. Now, especially when they are placed next to real plants, they can be especially convincing and a great way to compliment the natural ones and fill out the area. Convincing fakes can last a lifetime, so it’s worth investing in something that’s made of quality materials. If you do snag a deal on a budget plant baby that looks a little plasticky though, not to worry. Be strategic about its placement: Its less than convincing leaves will be less noticeable on a high shelf of a tall bookcase, for example.
2. Make sure to Re-pot them in a Pot that You Love
If you give your artificial plants the same love you do your real ones in terms of presentation, they’ll aesthetically harmonize in your space. Re-planting them in pots that really look like part of your aesthetic, and are made of something rich and heavy like ceramic or glass will do a lot for grounding them and making them feel real. A cheap plastic potter will be a dead give-away, and gives them an unfinished quality, just as with natural plants as well. If you really want to go the extra mile, you could even add a layer of real dirt, moss, or pot filler to the top of your fakes’ planters. This aesthetic choice might require a little extra tending though, so keep that in mind.
3. Spread Them
Don’t be afraid to gently tweak or slightly bend the placement of a few of the leaves or stems as much as you can without damaging them. This can help a fake look a little less uniform. You can also take the leaves and spread them out, fluff them up just like a good down pillow. I’ve seen some really beautiful examples of fake plants used on a trellis as a flowering vine. In this case it’s important to spread out the leaves, and fluff out the plastic to make it look thick and vibrant. While they should require less maintenance than regular plants, faux plants still require some tending to. If you want them to look real and crisp, it’s important to dust them and wipe them down whenever you see a dust buildup.
While some, including myself, certainly have a preference for real plants, there are certainly many legitimate arguments for using fake plants, and I have seen them looking really beautiful in many contexts. Another option to consider if you want the real deal, but none of the upkeep, is using dried plants and flowers. I love a vase with dried eucalyptus, as it lasts forever, still smells great, and is real. These are also a great inexpensive option! As home decor accents go, fake plants have always gotten one of the worst reputations. Thankfully, with the help of today’s millennials and the rise of picture-perfect, swoon-worthy spaces, artificial plants are back and trending! Rather than constantly having to worry about your plant’s upkeep and perhaps finicky behavior, faux replicas are a great alternative.
