As we progress towards a future of living greener, cleaner, and more sustainably, it’s becoming increasingly important to keep ourselves grounded and at one with nature. Although our millennial era is full of exciting advances like iPhones, drones, self-driving vehicles, and homes that can be controlled with a single app, researchers are quickly realizing that plants are the most important things to have in our living spaces.

Scientific studies have proven that a person’s stress levels increase when they’re removed from an environment where nature abounds, indicating the vast importance of peacefully coexisting with the natural world. For that reason, a healthy home can contribute to a healthy mind. Ever wonder why a walk in the countryside can fill you with a sense of calm when you’re feeling angry, frustrated, or even depressed? It’s because nature is your brain’s miracle medicine — and it costs nothing.

Not only does nature service our mental health, but it also stimulates our creativity. In one study, cognitive psychologist David Strayer of the University of Utah demonstrated that the average human brain was heavily impacted and fatigued by a fast-paced modern life full of technological distraction. When we place ourselves in an environment that’s isolated from such distractions and begin to rely on our in-the-moment free thinking, we begin to feel physically restored and improve our overall mental performance.

What Designers are Saying

City living comes with its fair share of baggage. Expensive homes, high bills, busy social lives, demanding jobs, chaotic schedules — the list goes on and on. Designer Rowena Gonzales of Liquid Interiors believes that filling your living space with plants is a great and inexpensive way to counteract such a hectic lifestyle. Indoor greenery can improve air quality by producing cleaner oxygen, regulating humidity, and absorbing carbon dioxide. Houseplants can also absorb volatile organic compounds, a group of harmful chemicals that can seriously impact our physical health.

But aside from boosting our immune systems and getting our creative juices flowing, plants are an effective way to enhance our home decors. Foliage should be seen as a work of art. Hang a basket of flowers like you would hang a Monet. Stuff your shelves with overflowing flower pots like you would a library with books, and place cacti on your coffee table the way you’d place coasters. Indoor water features, wooden wind chimes in the window, pebbles and shells in the bathroom — it’s all basic, but it’s also brilliant. The trick is to capture the same vibe you feel when you’re on a stroll by the river or hiking up a steep mountain: fresh and blissful. Why not bring it home with you? 

How to Incorporate the Green

Earthy colors are so easy to mix with both quirky prints and minimalistic shades, so whatever your palette preference may be, green will always go. Whether you want to add a more rustic feel to your home with spiky cacti and driftwood decor or go for more trend-focused look by putting banana leaves against a pastel pink wall, you can never outgrow or outdo nature.

Try hanging foliage in glass baubles from the ceiling for an artsy modern look, or keep it simple by placing tiered plants on your shelving units. Living walls are another trend 2018 is welcoming with open arms. Popular in corporate environments as well as living rooms, these vertical gardens take up no floor space and sit like paintings on your walls.

Ivy and jade both work well in bathrooms that are lacking in natural light, whereas lavender can help one relax in the bedroom come nighttime. Plants have powerful properties that go way beyond their physical beauty, so research is essential in order to source the most possible magic from them! Bring texture and animation into your home so your soul can be at ease in the place where you’re meant to feel most nonchalant.