Indoor plants have a way of creating a welcoming environment, but not all of us have an inherent green thumb. What's more, with so many different species, styles, and colors, arranging plants in your living room to create a green oasis can be a little intimidating. If you appreciate the atmosphere that house plants bring to a room but have no clue how best to include them in your living space- we're here to help. Here are a few tips on how to arrange plants in living room spaces.

A leafy home is a happy home. Decorating your space with indoor plants always has a way of sprucing up things up, whether you have too much space or limited space. There are so many ways to add texture and incorporate your favorite indoor plants into your interior decor.

The best place you can start would be first to identify what indoor plants depending on your space, how much light that room gets, and all the benefits they bring into your space. These benefits could include; a level of improved air quality, increased productivity, or simply just sitting pretty.

Arranging indoor plants to suit your style and space can be intimidating but shouldn't be challenging, even for a plant beginner. Always try to learn all you can about them and how best to care for them first before getting any. If you're probably thinking watering and caring for them is too much trouble, you should probably go with faux plants instead.

What Benefits Do Indoor Plants Bring to Your Living Room?

a) Increased Productivity

Plants have a way of bringing that zen-like feeling which in turn increases productivity. Indoor plants always make us feel more at ease, decompress our stress levels and help us to relax for more productivity.

PS: The green color is known to relax the mind and put the body at ease.

b) Improved Air Quality

Since plants absorb carbon dioxide and release back oxygen into the atmosphere, you are assured of improved air quality.

PS: Most plants exchange gasses during the day because of photosynthesis, but the Sansevieria plant, otherwise known as the Snake plant. It's an evergreen plant known to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen at night. This little fact makes it an ideal plant for the bedroom as well.

c) Improved Atmosphere

Indoor plants also help increase humidity, reduce dust and certain pollutant levels while keeping the surrounding temperatures relatively low

d) Increased Well-being

Having plants and taking care of them has been known to help improve people's emotional health since it promotes the feeling of being needed and helps you not to feel alone. Adding indoor plants in your space helps relieve tension, reduce stress, and promote the feeling of calmness and happiness.

d) Quieter Background Noise

Research has shown that plants reduce noise levels through 3 different methods: absorption, deflection, and refraction.

e) Aesthetically Pleasing

Plants have a way of elevating your room decor.

What Are the Different Ways to Arrange Indoor Plants?

Here are a couple of ways to group plants in accordance with your living room space and interior design:

A) What Plant Sizes Do You Have?

Whether you have big or small potted plants, there's always a home for every plant size in your living room decor.

i) Large/ Taller Plants

Large and taller plants are relatively low maintenance and always make great statement pieces.  You can try placing large ornamental plant pots on the ground by your sofa, window, or in one of your awkward corners. We recommend either of these:

• Dracaena
• Areca palm
• Umbrella papyrus
• Rubber plant robusta
• Golden Pothos

The rule of thumb that applies here is that if you have a large space to work with, the leafier, the better.

ii) Small Plants

Small plants also make perfect living room decorative pieces, especially when put in groups. They're also easy to showcase using a terrarium with sand or small pebbles- you can also work with precious jewels. These are most ideal for working with here since they're also low-maintenance and very easy to care for.

• Succulents
• Cacti

Top tips: As you're propagating new plants, you can keep them in glass vases or bowls. This is also a perfect way to showcase your new growth on the shelves, side tables, or windowsills.

Small plants are easier to work with, especially if you're a newbie.

B) What Visual Interest Do You Want to Create?

Plants come in all manner of sizes, shapes, and colors and create different visual weights. Here are a few ways to create visual interest:

• Tall leaves will draw the eye upwards
• A trailing plant placed on a high shelf will guide the gaze toward the floor
• A minimalist living room will do well with a few select plants that come with stark textures since they create visual anchors
• Plants with simple leaves will offer a break if you have a busy room with layered rugs, blankets, or throw pillows
• Floor-level plants will provide texture to your floors
• Hanging plants will create a cascading effect, which is great if you have high ceilings

Determining what plants work for your room will need you to identify what effect you want to bring about.

C) What Plant Colors Create a Stunning Display?

As you try to mix and match plant colors, it's always best to go with the rule of 3; work with a primary, secondary, and accent color. You can do this in 2 ways:

i) You can assign these colors to the plants. For instance, variegated plants, like the Pink Rubber Tree and the Philodendron Brasil, offer leaves that come in different colors

ii) You can apply this same rule to the plant pots you're going to keep them in

This is one way to achieve your desired look, whether you're a minimalist or prefer a party of colors.

D) What Cute Decorative Pots Do You Have?

Plant pots are as much a decorative piece as the plants themselves. They come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and styles. You can also add another dimension to the decor by mix and matching the different cute pots you have.

You can suspend hanging planters to add a vertical appearance to your living room. Small planters help add verticality, texture, and color to your living space.

e) What Plant Locations Can You Create?

Where you place, your foliage is just as important as the plants themselves. Keep in mind that you should also keep them where they're most likely to survive. A few things to keep in mind:

• Adequate light and humidity
• Don't keep them too close to the air vents, heaters, or your air conditioner

Low-light plants don't need direct sunlight, so be sure to check what applies best for your plant of choice.

i) Shelf

If you want to decorate your shelves with plants, it's important that you remember not to designate them as plant shelves. Rather, keep them as shelves that have plants on them. In addition, you'll need to offset your trinkets and books with plants to add visual texture.

Tip: Trailing plants are great for shelves since they drape down, leading your eyes downward.

ii) You can work with your Mantel

If you want to decorate your purely aesthetic fireplace, you can use larger plants for its base, then use the smaller plants for its mantle; a monster or large philodendron works best. You can also add a few other personal items like vases, books, bowls, or art pieces, to help give your fireplace a more lived-in feeling.

iii) Bench

If you don't have shelf space, you can work with a low bench. This enables you to display several smaller plants, which helps keep them off the ground.

iv) Small Table

If you have one of those plants that's too big for your shelf but not quite big enough to place on the floor, you can turn one of your small tables into its home. You can work with a dining table, end table, or coffee table. Generally, plants make lovely centerpieces.

v) Window

Windows offer plenty of natural light and also help you decorate your room from multiple points and angles. 
For instance, you can place a large plant on the floor right in front of the window or a hanging plant on the ceiling above next to a window. Here are great suggestions for your window:

• Aloe vera
• Jake
• African milk bush
• Snake plant

Whatever you pick, first ensure that your plant can handle a lot of direct sunlight.

vi) Plant Nook

Every house comes with one awkward corner in the living room where none of your furniture fits. This is perfect for your plants.

You can transform it into a cozy nook, especially if you have a large plant or smaller plants grouped in varying heights and pots. If you don't like that clustered look on the ground, you can use a bar cart to turn this nook into a corner shelf. 

Bonus tip: With a reading nook, you can create a little garden hideaway with different plants, either large potted plants or smaller hanging plants. 

f) Can You Mix and Match Them?

i) Group Them in Odd Numbers

The common rule of thumb for styling your ideal space is to group items in odd numbers. This helps create a more casual vibe. Even-numbered groupings tend to make the room feel more formal. This nifty tactic can also apply to the placements in the living room.

ii) Arrange Them by Size

You can also arrange them in different sizes. By combining varying heights and proportions, you add depth and verticality to your space. Pieces grouped at the same height can also help blend everything. 

That said, you can try placing the same plant in numbers in a neat row. This helps bring consistency and symmetry for an entirely different look.

iii) No Maintenance

Since we're not all lucky to have a green thumb, you can still attain the aesthetics of having plants without taking the responsibility of trying to keep them alive with faux or low-maintenance plants.

You can also expand your flora theme beyond plant stand-ins by using patterned pillows, wallpapers, or other decorative items.

G) What Leaf Shapes Are You Working With?

You can also choose pieces that come in different shapes and growth. Here are a few examples you can work with:

• Squat trailing plant like Pothos)
• A fountain-like plant-like Dracaena
• Tall plant with leaves facing upward leaves like the fiddle-leaf fig tree

You can create a lovely focal point in your room by using these in harmony.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Arrange Plants in Living Room

1. How many plants can you have in the living room?

It's difficult to put out exactly how many you need to have in your living room to purify indoor air. However, experts recommend having at least 2 good-sized plants in every 100 square feet ( which is approximately 9.3 square meters) of your indoor space. The bigger and leafier the plant is, the better.

2. Can you sleep with plants in the room?

Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous, and probably where the idea of having a few houseplants in your bedroom is probably a good idea. Having some plants that release oxygen at night is best for your bedroom. These assure you that in the event that carbon monoxide is created, suffocation will not arise. So that's a resounding yes; plants are perfect for your bedroom.