How to give your houseplants a style makeover

Considering a home refresh? Why not start with your plants, where positioning and choice of container can create a whole new look

It’s easy to freshen up your space with some new green friends, or restyle your favourite existing plants with a new look. We’ve put together suggestions for styling four of the most popular houseplants to show how versatile they are, and will work in numerous interior schemes.

If you’re repositioning any plants, ensure a new place offers an adequate amount of light, humidity and air circulation. Remember each of your houseplants will have different needs, so it’s important to ensure you’re familiar with the conditions they require so they remain healthy and happy.

Pothos: 4 ways

Easy to care for and fast-growing, trailing pothos thrives in a range of environments, so it’s happy to move around the home if you want to style up new arrangements.

• Varying varieties of pothos can be lined up on a shelf and allowed to magnificently cascade down. This arrangement can look great above a bed.
• If you’re short on space, pothos don’t have to trail, they can be trained to grow up a cane or a fibrous stick for a vertical, more contained look.
• Create a ceiling display by using thin wire or invisible thread tied from one end of the ceiling to the other.
• Effortlessly add boho chic to a bedroom or living-room window, by showing off a trailing pothos in a macramé hanging planter.

Chinese money plant: 2 ways

The Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) has become one of the most desirable houseplants over the last few years, and is often seen in Scandi-inspired interiors.

• Style a young or baby plant on a tray or along a windowsill with a mix of vibrant houseplants, opting for contrasting foliage.
• Once it has fully established it will start to produce baby plants (or pups). These can be left to grow inside the same pot, or removed and potted into individual planters, and baby plants can then be arranged around the larger parent to make a family!

Snake plant: 3 ways

An old-fashioned favourite, the snake plant (sansevieria or mother-in-law’s tongue) needs little maintenance, and will flourish in both sun and shade, as well as cleaning the air in your home.

• Display two or three of the same or different varieties together. Play with varying heights, leaf colours, texture, shape and size to create an eye-catching group display.
• If simplicity or a pared-back style is your vibe, try a single leaf potted on its own in a concrete or white ceramic pot, or pop propagating leaves in a glass vase for a very modern feel.
• Mix with other plants in an eclectic fashion to achieve a more vintage feel. Use planters in warm tones such as terracotta or wicker baskets for a natural scheme.

Oxalis: 2 ways

The Oxalis triangularus has characterful leaves that open in the daylight and close at night. This is a plant that will grow towards the light and never cease to amaze you.

• A mass of abundant oxalis stems and leaves bursting out of a large pot on a plant stand will create a dramatic statement to a living room or conservatory.
• If you prefer a more graphic display, I suggest not more than seven to ten bulbs in a pot. Oxalis will grow to fill the pot it’s in, so if you want to keep the display more pared-back and modern-looking you will likely need to thin it out by dividing it intermittently and gifting the extra plants to friends and family, or repotting and displaying elsewhere in your home.

WORDS: ANGELA MAYNARD