FILL YOUR HOME WITH PLANTS
fill your Empty spaces with green!
New York City apartments are a true enigma. Some are cookie cutter: you've seen one room in the building and you've seen them all. Some are completely unique, a treasure in brick facing. Some are older than we are, reminding us of the rich history of this city. One thing is always true no matter what kind of apartment we're talking about: they could all use some more plants!
Houseplants are more than just peices of decor – as more plants are added to a space, more air is forced to circulate through the leaves, and we are left with even fresher air than we had before. Cleaner air makes us happier, creative, and more productive! Sometimes a plant-perfect spot is obvious and we know exactly what we want to fill it with. At the same time, maybe you know you want a plant but you just don't know what will work, and where. We want you to feel confident in all of your plant decisons, so let's look at a few different apartment spaces and talk about what would work!
The "kinda-Dark-kinda-not" hallway
Hallways are the kind of in-between spaces that can be really weird to figure out. Let's take a look at the image above, notice how most of the light is coming from the ceiling lights? That's not going to help any plants grow. At the same time, it does look like there's a natural source of light coming in from windows in the other room, just out of frame. Nine times out of ten, if a hallway has natural light, it's almost always secondhand light from another place in the house, not direct sunlight. This kind of indirect, low to medium light is fantastic for a few beautiful floor plants:
The "Woah that's bright!" room
This is the perfect human room for us humans: The amount of natural light eliminates the need for any extra lamps or lighting fixures, and you can just feel the energy from the sun pouring into your apartment. It's great for us, but not many plants will thrive in such a bright environment without a little diffusion. Adding a translucent curtain to the window will help break up the light, or you can go the natural route with.... other plants! Here are some plants that looooove some nice bright sun!
Planting for pets
For those of us who are both pet and plant parents, it can be tough to find plants that are safe for pets and fit your home decor. While some pets don't care about our plants, but most of our fur babies are very curious and will take a bite out of our greenery at least once. Ficus plants, most cacti, even Scheffleras are all amazing statement pieces, but most are toxic to our animals. Luckily, there are plenty of non-toxic plants that are safe for the occasional munch or crunch.
The "I think this counts as sunlight?" area
A New York City apartment is just not a New York City apartment without that one area that just baffles us. Maybe there's a refridgerator that won't work unless the dryer is closed. Maybe it's that closet that might have enough room to maybe be a tiny bedroom. Or it could be that one area that kind of gets hit by sunlight but doesn't look like it could support any life. We're going to talk about that space today – if there's even one liiiitle sliver of sunlight, we can put a plant there. Keep in mind that low light plants won't grow in as thick as those in a brighter environment, but that doesn't mean we can't have more plants! Here are a few low-light thrivers that love a challenge:
Find the right plant for your space
Sometimes picking a plant is hard! With so many plant varieties and different care requirements, it can get a little overwhelming. If you want a little extra help picking the best plant for your space, reach out! Our resident Plant Experts are here to help you find the perfect greenery to match your home decor and energy. Click the button below to schedule your free plant consultation today!
Talk to a Plant Expert