Want to bring the outdoors into your interior design scheme? Then here are a few ideas on how to go about it.

Awe-inspiring Aloe vera

For a plant with an architectural edge, include an Aloe Vera. This amazing plant packs a powerful style punch and has health giving properties too. For thousands of years, people have used Aloe Vera to soothe burnt skin, that’s why so many people keep a plant in their kitchen. Aloe Vera also has an amazing ability to purify our air, releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide at night, meaning it’s a good choice for a bedroom too.  

Fantasia on a weeping fig

For an attractive plant with a softer, rounded appearance, look to the weeping fig. Ficus come in trailing, bushy or tree-like shapes and are happy to be pruned to fit the available space. Here the appeal is their ability to provide structure and foliage in your interior design scheme, rather than floral appeal or scent for example. Our top choice is Ficus benjamina, which is the recipient of the RHS award of garden merit, meaning it’s performed well in trials, so it’s a plant you can count upon.

Delicate jasmine packs a punch

For a winning combination of elegance, beauty and scent, choose jasmine. Though several varieties will suffice, Jasminum polyanthum is a top choice for its subtle star-like flowers, which despite their delicacy; produce an enticing fragrance.

Grow your jasmine up and around a frame, pruning in the early spring to keep the vigorous growth in check. When looked after well, jasmine will flower for many weeks, giving you a long-lasting display when compared with other indoor scented plants. Hence jasmine can provide an attractive focal point in a room.

Soothing properties of lavender

Lavender is a stylish option for an indoor plant, the subtle colours marrying well with understated interiors of greys, whites and soft greens. Though it’s not the most obvious choice, for an indoor plant, it can work extremely well given a position close to a sunny south facing window. If you have the opportunity, pop it out in the summer sun for a while to assist the development of the flowers.

Grow lavender, and you’ll benefit from the soothing properties of this aromatic plant that aids a good night’s sleep and reduces anxiety – just what we need given the hectic nature of our daily lives. Also, keep your lavender plants chemical free, and you can use them in your culinary efforts too or make home-made beauty products, you’ll find lots of ideas online to try.

Peachy pelargoniums

The humble geranium, properly called the pelargonium is another top choice for an indoor plant. Search online, and you’ll find the choice of colours, flowers and foliage will far exceed your expectations. As for fragrance, you’ll find varieties that conjure up lemon, mint, apple, spices and yes, even peaches.

Pelargoniums in terracotta pots have long been a favourite of the cottage windowsill, and they are perfect for a pared down, rustic country look. They’re also easy to take cuttings from and propagate yourself, so they’re a cost-effective way to create a display.

For more ideas on how to create your dream interior, call the team at Kia Designs.  

Katie
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