Various house plants on a bench

A plant mom’s guide to styling your plants

Do you always feel the urge to have plants in your home but get stuck when styling them? Here’s your quick guide to adding them to your home decor so they look great and thrive! As a long-time plant mom, plants are my favorite way to bring nature into my space. At any given time, I have around 50 leafy friends in my plant collection – ask my husband, who gets the watering list whenever I leave town! Today, I’m sharing how I style these plant babies throughout my home. So, let’s tour a plant mom’s guide to styling your plants!

Why use real plants in home decor?

  • They can make your living space warm and appealing.
  • Plants can help reduce stress and anxiety
  • They can improve indoor air quality
  • Boost mood

Indoor plants don’t just look good-they can make us feel good, too.

Choose a variety of plants.

Plants styled in a living room.

So, how do you get started with plant styling? Choosing a variety of sizes is always fun and creates a balanced look. Mix tall, upright plants with cascading or trailing varieties for dimension and contrast. Plants elevate a space by adding shape, color, and texture, softening the furniture lines and boosting visual interest. I love the touch of nature they bring, especially in hard-surfaced spaces like kitchens and bathrooms, where their softness provides a welcome contrast. Remember, choosing plants that will thrive in your environment and bring you joy is important.

Use a variety of containers.

While I adore terracotta pots, don’t be afraid to experiment with different materials. Almost anything can be made into a planter with a good drainage hole. I love the charm of natural materials like woven baskets, wood bowls, and old crates, and these materials can be a lovely way to add a more casual look to your home.

Libby's vintage crate styled with plants

One of my favorite tips is to get creative and add style to your plant game with repurposed vintage pieces! For example, I transformed an antique wooden bowl and a weathered leather camera case into succulent planters. I protected the interiors with plastic liners and added drainage holes, perfect for these low-maintenance beauties. I added a plastic liner and a layer of rocks to a vintage camera case and placed a long vine of string of pearls inside. With a bit of ingenuity, almost anything can be modified into a unique and eye-catching planter.

Vintage bowl filled with succulents used as home decor

Vintage items can turn your plants into a statement piece.

Vintage camera bag filled with succulents.

Are you still stuck with plants in their original plastic pots?

Tips for styling with those plastic pots:

  • 1. Add Moss to a plastic pot
  • 2. Paint the plastic pots to match color schemes
  • 3. Add rope with a glue gun

Style your plants in clusters using different heights.

Varying plant heights in clusters adds impact. Interior designers like to use odd numbers in their designs. With odd numbers, your eyes are forced to move around more, which brings more interest to the display; this applies to styling your house plants, too.

Placing your taller plant in the back and filling in with smaller plants adds a more layered look to a group of plants. A Plant shelf or plant risers can help achieve the desired heights. Use plants of different sizes. Tuck smaller plants around one big plant for more variety.

Plants in a corner.

Here is a simple example of easy plant styling—place plants in a row for visual interest and a few decorative items.

A shelf styled with plants in a cottage.

Plants can fill an empty space.

It’s easy to place the new plants you bring home from the plant store on an end table or a coffee table in your living room, but plants also do a wonderful job filling empty corners. Taller floor plants are a great way to add instant height next to chairs, sofas, or a bed—adding a plant close to a window can feel like an extension of the outdoors.

Styling plants in a dining space

Make a statement with a plant wall.

No matter your design style, one current plant trend is using a plant wall as a focal point in a space. There are so many versions of this on Pinterest and decor blogs, but I love a wall full of plants no matter what version I see. I made this one for one of our short-term rentals. They can be a great solution if you are working with small spaces or are short on floor space.

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Indoor living plant wall

Here is another idea for a mini plant wall if you don’t have much space. This wall planter was a quick DIY you can see here.

Plant wall filled with live plants

Create a Propagation Wall

This is such an easy way to fill a wall or shelf. Choose a warm area with lots of bright indirect light and fill your tubes or vases. I made this one with glass beaker vases from CB2.

A small plant propagation wall as home decor.

This was an easy DIY and added a personal touch to the bedroom. The window provides just enough light for the plant babies to thrive.

Plants in water filled bud vases hanging in a window

Plants that propagate easily:

  • Pothos
  • Swedish Ivy
  • Polka Dot Plant
  • Fiddle leaf fig

What are some of my favorite plants?

I like to use low-maintenance plants for styling; If I get busy and neglect them a bit, they can take it. These plants are pretty hardy. Keep in mind plant experts say that one of the most common mistakes in plant care is over-watering.

  • Sansevieria – snake plant
  • ZZ Plant- these thrive on neglect
  • Philodendron
  • Pothos
  • Spider Plants
  • Peace Lillies – need a bit more water

I also love to use air plants and succulents, as they lend themselves to styling in different types of containers and are very easy to care for. I choose plants carefully and always check lighting requirements. I lack natural light, so I stick to medium/low-light-loving plants and place those with higher light needs in my sunnier bathrooms.

Hopefully, I’ve given you a few ideas on styling your plants, and you are ready to dive in.

Pin for A Plant Mom's guide to styling your plants.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING:

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Vintage Crate to Modern Plant Stand

How to DIY your own Cactus Terrarium

Until next time,

Libbie

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  1. Alyssa says:

    Wow I love all the ways you have styled these plants!! I need a lot of help and often times have no idea where to start or how to keep alive

  2. I’m always looking for new ways to display plants. Thanks for giving me tons of ideas Libbie!

  3. Deana 3 says:

    I am such a plant lover! This is a wonderful world of information

  4. Michelle says:

    OMW, how lovely. Plants in a home always make it feel like you’re outside and you have some beauties in your collection Libbie. Thanks so much for all the ideas

  5. Sara says:

    So much inspiration here and all gorgeous! Did you DIY that hanging plant wall?

  6. Meegan says:

    I need all the plant tips I can get! Thank you for sharing.

  7. Jayne says:

    I’m just past the ‘keeping them alive’ stage and am ready to progress to styling so you tips have come at the right time for me – thanks!

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