Plants make the best interior décor
Sep 14, 2007
WHEN it comes to interior décor, many people think colourful wallpaper, sculptures, expensive furniture, crafts, carpets and colours are in vogue and thus dwell on them. Hardly is any thought given to nature, especially houseplants.
By Rehema Aanyu
WHEN it comes to interior décor, many people think colourful wallpaper, sculptures, expensive furniture, crafts, carpets and colours are in vogue and thus dwell on them. Hardly is any thought given to nature, especially houseplants.
Houseplants are plants that are grown indoors purposely for interior decoration and indoor air purification. Though they are mostly ignored by many, Zaine Kayata, an interior designer at Wonderful Homes in Kawempe, says houseplants make the best interior décor.
“The benefits of having plants in the house are well worth the effort of nurturing and tending to them. They are naturally expressive and reveal one’s fond love for nature,†he says.
Unlike artificial plants or colourful interior decorations like sculptures, houseplants do more than just brighten up a room with colour and living energy. Along with being pleasing to the eye, they promote healthy living by purifying the indoor environment, especially during daytime when they breathe in carbondioxide and give out oxygen.
“Houseplants purify and clean indoor air because they also absorb and filter out toxins, pollutants and carbondioxide from the room and replace it with oxygen which is vital in healthy living,†Kayata says.
Esezah Kakudidi, a botanist and gardener, says though most people are hesitant to have houseplants, they bring greenery indoors. She says houseplants are alternative pets for people who cannot have animals for pets.
Kakudidi says any plant (not poisonous plants) can be a houseplant as long as it is tamed by pruning. The most common types of houseplants are small scrubs like palms, crippling plants and invading plants like the hyacinth, the African violet, ferns, aloe vera and peace lilies etc.
Kakudidi advises that before acquiring a houseplant, one should consider the space it is going to occupy. “Scrubs in general need a large space, whereas small plants like the African violet do not need a large space because they can be put on the window sills, on top of drawers or even on tables,†she says.
Houseplants are easy to maintain if one knows the needs of the plant.
“Flowering plants and multi-coloured plants need more light compared to the non-flowering and plain green plants and thus need to be put in areas where natural light is sufficient,†she says.
“Like all plants, houseplants need to be watered regularly, re-potted when they outgrow the pot they are in, cleaned with wet cotton when dirty and occasionally, let out in the sun to maintain and boost healthy growth,†she says.
Though some poisonous plants are used as houseplants, it is always advisable to avoid them. A quick test to distinguish a poisonous plant from a non-poisonous one is to rub a bit of sap from the plant or rub the leaf of the plant one is intending to buy onto one’s skin. If the skin reddens or becomes irritated, then the plant is poisonous and should be avoided.
Houseplants can be purchased from roadside nursery beds where seedlings cost between sh1,000 and sh3,000, depending on the type of plant one is buying.
WHEN it comes to interior décor, many people think colourful wallpaper, sculptures, expensive furniture, crafts, carpets and colours are in vogue and thus dwell on them. Hardly is any thought given to nature, especially houseplants.
Houseplants are plants that are grown indoors purposely for interior decoration and indoor air purification. Though they are mostly ignored by many, Zaine Kayata, an interior designer at Wonderful Homes in Kawempe, says houseplants make the best interior décor.
“The benefits of having plants in the house are well worth the effort of nurturing and tending to them. They are naturally expressive and reveal one’s fond love for nature,†he says.
Unlike artificial plants or colourful interior decorations like sculptures, houseplants do more than just brighten up a room with colour and living energy. Along with being pleasing to the eye, they promote healthy living by purifying the indoor environment, especially during daytime when they breathe in carbondioxide and give out oxygen.
“Houseplants purify and clean indoor air because they also absorb and filter out toxins, pollutants and carbondioxide from the room and replace it with oxygen which is vital in healthy living,†Kayata says.
Esezah Kakudidi, a botanist and gardener, says though most people are hesitant to have houseplants, they bring greenery indoors. She says houseplants are alternative pets for people who cannot have animals for pets.
Kakudidi says any plant (not poisonous plants) can be a houseplant as long as it is tamed by pruning. The most common types of houseplants are small scrubs like palms, crippling plants and invading plants like the hyacinth, the African violet, ferns, aloe vera and peace lilies etc.
Kakudidi advises that before acquiring a houseplant, one should consider the space it is going to occupy. “Scrubs in general need a large space, whereas small plants like the African violet do not need a large space because they can be put on the window sills, on top of drawers or even on tables,†she says.
Houseplants are easy to maintain if one knows the needs of the plant.
“Flowering plants and multi-coloured plants need more light compared to the non-flowering and plain green plants and thus need to be put in areas where natural light is sufficient,†she says.
“Like all plants, houseplants need to be watered regularly, re-potted when they outgrow the pot they are in, cleaned with wet cotton when dirty and occasionally, let out in the sun to maintain and boost healthy growth,†she says.
Though some poisonous plants are used as houseplants, it is always advisable to avoid them. A quick test to distinguish a poisonous plant from a non-poisonous one is to rub a bit of sap from the plant or rub the leaf of the plant one is intending to buy onto one’s skin. If the skin reddens or becomes irritated, then the plant is poisonous and should be avoided.
Houseplants can be purchased from roadside nursery beds where seedlings cost between sh1,000 and sh3,000, depending on the type of plant one is buying.