Are you one? I am, or rather I was couldn’t stand the thought of them in my house preferring instead flowers (faux ones at that). Until recently that is when I’ve had to design a few conservatories and they seemed rather appropriate. The thing about houseplants I guess is that there are rather a lot of bad ones out there. I think the key is to go super sized so they immediately add the wow factor. Ficus are great found the hugest thing not so long ago which I had to take with me whilst over nighting in a hotel in the depths of the country and as we were dragging it through reception it sort of took the chandelier out (whoops)! Avoid if I dare say anything too tropical (same tip goes for flowers there is something about tropical flowers that I cannot stand). Ok so maybe I am a snob. Or maybe it’s the English in me – I want big blousy blooms – fatheaded beautiful flowers not tropical things they just look so ugly.
Back to the case in point if you’ve got an empty space and want to brighten it up consider a plant with lustrous greenery. Like furniture, lighting or accessories the more you play around with scale the more interesting your place will look. Plonk them in brightly coloured pots like Mr Adler has done below and wham bam you’ve got a pretty snazzy combo on your hands!
That’s me done for the day – it’s a cold day in London, tons of coffee and a roaring fire are in order for the rest of it.
Thank you by the way for all your lovely messages of support regarding the robbery. The guy has been caught which is the main thing and it could have been way worse. Although loosing all ones make up a few hours before filming was pretty darn annoying, not the best look I pulled of I have to say!
it is a tropical plant in the pic. !!!?
Ok yes maybe but the leaves are softly rounded not pointy – its pointy leaves on plants or flowers I don;t like. Gently curved or rounded bit like Maud’s tummy is more to my taste.
did you see the flowers of this plant?
No no no I haven’t but if they are pointy then they need cutting off asap
yes , they are pointy
Yuk
Hi Abigail, I’m sorry to hear about your burglary, but I’m happy you are okay and that the lad was caught – b******ds! Your post is a lot more lively today, so you must be feeling better
. Houseplants are so hard to keep alive. BTW, I took a little trip to Columbia Road Market yesterday, I always come back feeling very smug with a massive arm full of pretty blooms, there’s nothing quite like that feeling of getting home and overstuffing big vases of them. The effect may look a little dishevelled, like I’ve thrown them together from a metre away, but I don’t care, they make me smile! Have a great day. Sam x
Love love love Columbia road was there yesterday too doing exactly the same thing x
Thank you for your inspiring posts, I am addicted! talking about conservatories….. I have a tiny one, and was thinking about painting the wall area but don’t know what colour…..(previous owners painted it olive green!!!) Any suggestions…. Would a bright colour look nice????
Well the two I’ve just done I’ve painted dark (sorry to sound so predicatable). Am never a fan of painting walls bright not sure why I guess because I tire of them so easily. Dark looks fab really really dark – nothing makes a small teeny tiny space look more fabulous than dark I hate to say!
I am so in agreement with you on tropical plants, but here in Perth, Australia, it’s almost blasphemy to say that!
Loved this post! I do like plants, I love the aliveness they bring and they just somehow make the room for me. I have in fact had a hard time buying faux: they have always somehow felt scary to me
Not yours though, they are beautiful and have led me to change my mind about faux flowers.
Hey, BTW. Any general advice on how high to hang a curtain rod? Should it be as high as possible, or right on top of the window? I have never been a fan of curtains, but ever since seeing that one picture on your blog of the kitchen nook with the white curtains that did not quite reach the floor, I have had a hankering to put up two of my old linen table cloths as curtains in my kitchen. Sound awful?
Oh, and this was the picture, I just found it again:
http://abigailahern.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/decorating-a-rental/
Go for it – I would hang the rod as close to the window frame as you can. Good luck x
Dark wall for the conservatory sounds good!! I am going to go for it. Any shade in particular you could suggest!?
TNX!!!!!
I’ve used dusted moss No 1 by Dulux in a conservatory but for the real wow factor then railings by farrow and ball. Its almost black but not quite x
Tnx!!! I’ll let you know how it goes!