Guest Blogger: How Indoor Plants Can Brighten your Interior Home & Office

Guest Blogger #311, Entry #861, December 26, 2011

Real indoor plants. Yes I said it, real indoor plants; but don’t be put off by this thought. I know, I know, artificial plants are so much easier to look after and can look just as good as real plants.

There’s none of that watering every day or adding miracle grow when it looks like it’s about to die on you, but it really is about time that everyone realizes the benefits having real indoor plants.

Now, I’m not saying you need to surround yourself with plants so that your home becomes a green house, just a couple here and there will reap the benefits.

Brighten your interiors with plants

Image via: Apartment Therapy

Indoor plants are not only limited to houses, indoor office plants are becoming an integral part of any office.

Home & Office Benefits

More and more companies are realizing the benefits and harvesting the rewards that come with them. As we all know, well some of us know, plants improve the quality of air we breathe. Many of us sit in a building all day, so having these plants indoors will improve our air quality.

They filter, purify and clean the air, they absorb toxins through their leaves and they emit beautiful. How nice of them, right? And they can do all that just by sitting there!

Many of companies have landscaped their office interiors with plants large and small, is there something they know that you don’t…?

• Extensive research has shown that indoor plants have a calming effect, reducing stress levels. Pulse rates and blood pressures were reduced when workers were sat in a planted area, especially those sat behind a computer screen for more than 4 hours a day.

• Did you know the interior environment can be 5-7 times more polluted than the outside environment? Because plants return over 90% of the water we give them, back into the atmosphere, they clean our air, reducing staff illness significantly.

Clean up your indoor air with plants

Image via: etsy.Minimalist Planter Box

• Most office buildings are lacking fresh air and natural light. Workers will often complain of headaches, blocked sinuses and dry throats, these common complaints were decreased by an impressionable 25% due to having plants around. If you’re in management, wouldn’t it be great if your workers took less sick days?

• Now, all of us have been there, that constant humming sound, background chatter and office equipment whirring when you are trying to work, research has shown that plants reduce noise.

• I know, it sounds pretty unbelievable, but they do play a huge part in noise reduction. As for the science behind it… Plants absorb, then diffract and reflect sound waves, resulting in reduced levels of noise, meaning a calmer, less noisy and more productive working environment.

Plants for home or office environments

Image via: Design Sponge

So there you have it, indoor office plants will increase staff productivity by 12%, boost comfort levels and significantly reduce employee down time.

Professional Landscaping

More importantly they will improve your corporate image, just for looking great! You should also consider getting your office professionally landscaped, there are companies out there that offer this service, not only do they have years of experience, but they will project-manage, source and install your exhibit.

They also return again and again to water, clean, prune and feed your office plants, keeping your corporate plants looking great and healthy. This saves you the time and labor, because let’s face it looking after plants can be a bit of a drag sometimes, especially when you have a whole office full.

Kate Dawson is a keen blogger and writes about the importance of indoor plants. She has a strong interest in interior landscaping and office plants, focusing on the science behind the plants within the design of office interiors.

For more plant ideas on Stagetecture, click here.