Setting the Stage

E S Q UEEN, YOU GET YOUR OWN INSTAGRAMMABLE PLANT INTERI O R

Y

Adding plants and pots of different heights to your interior brings variety

and creates visual depth. Not only do indoor plants enhance the overall appearance of a space, but studies show they boost mood, increase creativity, reduce stress and eliminate air pollutants.

I am Jean, a plant stylist, and it's wonderful to meet you Outside & In readers. My job as a plant stylist is to source suitable plants and planters to complement your individual style that will flourish in your environment. I usually do a site inspection to scope out the best spots to add greenery. I look to determine how much light there is and to get a feel of your interior and lifestyle needs. Clients often send me photos of the areas they require plants for if a site inspection is not possible. I then source, install and style the greenery and planters and the client receives a very detailed care manual after I've added my touch. So, you might be curious as to how I can help you add dimension, personality and intrigue to your interiors using plants... Right this way!

Jean ‘Green’ Badenhorst

Plant stylist @jeanbegreen

The 'Modern Contemporary'

Interior landscape design, also known as plantscaping, is much more than the act of bringing plants indoors; it is actually about the strategic placement and selection of plant species and containers within an interior space to highlight and enhance aspects of spatial design.

The majority of my plantscaping assignments or installations thus far have been for modern or contemporary homes. Each are totally different in design and interior and therefore have vastly different plant requirements.

The size, shape and composition of a room and any existing features will impact the kind of plants you need. Some plants need a lot of space because they either grow very quickly or they take up a lot of room with large leaves. When considering plants and pots for a specific area, you need to keep in mind the height of your ceiling and the potential height of your plant.

Darker areas without many windows can make the styling very challenging at times. There are very few plants that can tolerate low light, so I recommend you do your research before you purchase your plants.

For rooms where space is an issue, don’t just explore horizontal surfaces. I love working with wall planters, they make a great statement in a room. You can also consider vining plants that can add a decorative touch to walls or shelves and can be planted into smaller pots. I

choose most of my plants from a visual point of view, because of their appearance. I love spending time in nurseries or at any of our beautiful boutique plant stores in town.

Often, I know in advance what kind of styling I want to achieve with them.

With most modern homes, I prefer to use plants that are bolder in appearance than delicate. They need to make a statement. Luckily these days, we are spoilt for choice. The interior and aesthetic of the space I work in will determine the colour and shape of the pots used. Within modern spaces, I prefer to stick to shades of a specific colour, for example, shades of grey. I love grouping pots of similar shapes, but different sizes, together to create a modern look and feel. I suggest using the same type of plant in each pot or to make sure the plant shapes complement each other.

If you have a bit of budget to play around with, you can consider having custom made planters or pots, made to fit into your space. You then have the benefit of choosing your shape and colour to match your interior and space.

Most importantly, it is imperative to choose plants you like or... Dare I say LOVE! There are so many species to choose from that it’s easy to find a plant with a colour, pattern, shape or size that appeals to you, aesthetically. It’s also important to choose a plant that fits your lifestyle.

The 'Boho-Mediterranean'

With a particularly enjoyable boho-themed plantscaping project, I played around with a very neutral and natural colour palette - which I absolutely love!

The owner started collecting cacti and pots when she started the renovation and I was asked to source more plants and pots to complement her look and feel.

Plant styling is no different to any other styling projects. It is the combination of shapes, colours, sizes and textures that makes the difference. Within the boho-themed project, I used one colour palette for all the planters, creating a sense of unity and a feeling of repetition.

I would say the hardest part of my job as a plant stylist is to source suitable containers according to size, shape and colour to complement my client’s interior and to fit into their budget. Unfortunately, locally we are very limited when it comes to beautiful or interesting pots of good quality which fits into most people’s budget. Even harder is sourcing indoor pots with drip trays to match, as most pots come without. I often have to match the colour of the pot and paint the drip tray myself.

Because most cacti plants grow upwards, their plant pot is very much exposed and therefore plays a huge role in the look and feel, and it is often very difficult to find the perfect pot. If you struggle to find the perfect pot, you can paint a plain terracotta pot in the colour of your choice.

Create different layers and levels by playing around with heights and shapes. Pots grouped together to create focal points at the entrance of the home, and again, in different corners of the house, both inside and out, create interesting greened nooks. Cacti usually have different textures and shapes, which makes them such a unique plant to work with and easy to create beautiful potted combinations.

Keep this in mind, the shape and colour of the pots determine where they are placed. I believe they need to complement each other, especially if you work with a neutral palette.

"Create different layers and levels by playing around with heights and shapes."

DO’S AND DONT’S FOR INTERIOR PLANTSCAPING:

Proportion

It’s all about scale. Consider the size of your room or space before you purchase a plant. An excessively large plant can overwhelm a space, while a tiny plant can appear insignificant.

Texture

Houseplants add texture and depth to your interior. The more you vary the plants in your space, the more texture and interest you will bring to it. There are so many different plants to choose from, some with shiny, smooth, waxy leaves, woody stemmed or spiky leaves. Mixing textures of plants in combination with your interior, draws your eyes around the space and makes it more interesting.

Form

The three-dimensional shape of the plant. Consider the shape of the plant and how that shape will fill the space.

Colour

Colour has the power to pull a plantscaped interior together or throw it into chaos. This is very important to keep in mind when buying your plants and pots. Choose a colour that echoes a colour found elsewhere in your space.

Focal points

Place plants to draw attention to the interior setting. Add plants to match the scale of your furniture pieces and pots to match your interior aesthetic.

Repetition

The repeated use of plants to create pattern or sequence. Repetition is greatly dictated by a person’s individual aesthetic. For a clean, simple look in a modern home I would create a grouping of identical plants in different containers. You can also use plants with similar form but in various sizes and textures.

Balance

Balance is key to interior design and plantscaping. You can use varied sized plants and pots in a room to create an overall balanced effect in combination with your furniture and interior piece.