Ask the Expert Bringing the Outdoors in

Bringing the Outdoors In

From living walls to potted plants, tips for creating beautiful interior green spaces

The health and wellness benefits of nature have long been understood, and the pandemic has truly underscored its importance. For the past year, as people were forced into lockdown for extended periods of time—a challenge particularly for those in multi-residential buildings—having access to nature became vital to our wellbeing. Hella Keppo, President at Stems Interior Landscaping, says that this past year, many found themselves “plant parents” as a means of distraction and to lessen the anxiety of living through COVID.

Tending to plants helped take their minds off the situation,” she says. “It is almost meditative in that while you’re wiping leaves or trimming brown tips, your mind is allowed to wander in a stress-free undistracted way.”

As case rates decline across most of Canada and life returns to some semblance of normal, our appreciation for plants and flowers is doing the opposite—it’s rising. Tabletop moss gardens and living walls are popping up in residential and office buildings. Landscaped gardens and perennial arrangements have migrated indoors.

If you are a property manager or apartment owner looking to spruce up an interior space, Keppo offers the following insights:

What are some of the benefits of living walls in common areas?

Plants are considered the “Lungs of the Earth” for a reason: they breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out fresh, clean oxygen. In this way, we are directly linked to plants through a symbiotic relationship as we inhale the oxygen that they release and plants absorb the carbon dioxide that we breathe out. Plants provide so many benefits—not only for the planet, but also for each of us individually. Studies have shown that just by looking at plants we can benefit from reduced stress and feeling happier. Not only are they beautiful companions, but they also clean the air of chemicals, while improving our mood, concentration, productivity, and creativity.

What’s trending right now in interior green spaces?

The use of moss continues to be popular in both tabletop displays and moss walls. They are typically created using preserved moss that doesn’t require water or light to look beautiful. There are many different varieties of moss such as reindeer moss, which comes in a variety of colours, pole moss, sheet moss, and Spanish moss.

How has the pandemic impacted design?

The trend has been to create a physically distanced oasis through the use of floor plants that act as a beautiful room separator almost like a privacy hedge. This can be seen all over the city on sidewalks to separate people walking by from patrons at a patio restaurant. In some indoor spaces, the use of moveable living walls and moss walls have been used as they can easily be relocated to create larger or smaller segregated areas for privacy and to ensure physical distancing.

What do you recommend for small lobbies or communal spaces with limited light?

There are many plants that will thrive with limited light or no sunshine at all if they are given proper care. Even with no natural light, many of the modern pot lights provide enough energy for a plant to survive. We have found that a strategically pointed high wattage pot light right onto the plant for about 12 hours is all a plant might need. Some lower light species that embrace the coming and going of people through a lobby are ZZ plant, Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Dracaena plants (such as Lisa Cane), and Sansevieria (Snake Plant). Be careful not to overwater them, especially in limited light levels as the roots will quickly rot. Also, be mindful to always use watertight containers so there is no chance of water seeping onto a lobby floor. If colour through the use of flowers is desired, look into a plant or flower rotation that will change the blooming plant on a regular schedule so there is always something beautiful to look at.

Stems offers interior landscaping, live plants, live art, bloomer plants, living walls, moss walls and seasonal planters in the Greater Toronto Area. For more information visit www.stems.ca