Home is more than four walls and roof. Home is a door opening to you, your family, your pets, your lifestyle, your neighborhood, your community, your city. It’s all encompassing on so many levels.
Livin' La Vida Verde
If you are looking to add some life into your spaces, but are prone to killing all things green…
I grew up with a mother whose green thumb would put Poison Ivy to shame. The woman can cultivate anything! You may think that plant is dead, but give it to my mom and she’ll whisper that thing right back to life and thensome. I, however, was not given such gifts. My plant magic consists of being able to keep a succulent alive half a year. I don’t know why, I just kill anything that hues green.
As I drooled over the past year’s dark cottage core/academia aesthetic styles, I pondered—can I too enjoy the benefits of plant life? I decided to do some research on helping me get started and if you too have a black thumb, maybe you will consider these leafy specimens.
Top 5 Favorite Plants for Your Home
The Snake Plant aka Mother-in-law’s tongue
I’ve seen these around before, but man, did this become a popular plant in recent times. This one will help remove toxins in the air and require a quite minimal maintenance program
Image Source: Plantz
Kentia Palm
Requiring little to no water and light, the Kentia is perfect to add some height (12-18 inches) to your space. They live a long time and are great at purifying the air.
My Favorite RVA Plant Houses
Sneed’s: They are friendly and helpful and have great classes, oh and don’t forget Cricket the kitty!
Cole’s Plants: Love this locally owned shop and has a great variety of houseplants made for home decorating.
Green Vibes RVA Pop Ups: Love what this lady does. It really does feel like walking into someone’s home and picking out what speaks to you.
Lavender Fields: Not only is a nice drive there, but I love ending my purchases with some Lavender Honey Ice Cream or Tea. They have a good variety of things here and it’s a nice place to visit.
Devil’s Ivy aka Pothos Ivy
This climber of a plant has been a staple in my mother’s home for decades. You barely have to glance at her and she thrives. She’s fun to decorate with as well, especially if you have a screen for her to adorn.
The Peace Lily
Just as it suggests, this low maintenance beauty curbs anxiety. I like that it’s a flowering plant to compliment your home decor as well.
Succulents
Yes, I know they’ve been trendy for a while now, but honestly these are my favorites. They just provide such versatile looks with color, shape, and texture. You can do so much with them and they don’t require much in return. Consider the Aloe plant and its medicinal properties.
It's So Easy Being Green
As we approach warmer weather and the promise of Spring, March ushers in all things green.
My Viridescent Life
Green represents all that is harmony in life, nurturing and growing. Creating tranquil or rich homescapes is easily done with this viridescent hue.
Envy. Life. Eggs. Acres. Money. Gables. Packers. Emeralds. Trees. These are just a few words that conjure in my mind when I think of the color green. When I see the color green I feel calm, refreshed, and growth. The reason restaurants use a lot of green is to promote not just healthiness, but psychologically it puts people at ease, making them want to hangout for a while. Green is the color of money and is so not only because the ink was plentiful and durable at the time, but also because green was associated with stability.
Green is balanced and creates harmony. In your home, it can be inviting and creates a tranquil environment. So as the shamrocks bloom, the leprechauns dance, and the green beer gets guzzled by wannabe Irishmen everywhere this month, enliven your home with adding some touches of the viridescent shade. You can create an inviting ambience by painting some walls with Laurel Leaf by Better Homes & Gardens or Sherwin-Williams color of the year, Evergreen Fog. Want a more moody feel, get yourself some rich velvet greens to enhance your bedroom or lounge area.
The color green denotes nature that can nurture your soul. Try adding some touches of green to your home design, refresh the bath with a rustic shade of Sage or enliven your kitchen by painting those dull cabinets with a nice Moss green and contrast it with some nice neutrals. You can quite literally add a touch of green by adding some real growth with a well placed tall plant in the corner. I love using green in my design work and this year I’ve been seeing a lot of it in home decor and fashion and I love the freshness it can bring to a home.
- Ginny Sawatzky, GS Design
I personally am a huge fan of Hunter Green or darker greens. I like the intenseness of it and coupled with gold or black can definitely create a come hither vibe. I’m no green thumb, I leave that up to my mother, but I can handle hung succulent terrariums (yes, I will kill those too) for some subtle biosphere feels. With as much suffocated quarantined life as we can muster, it’s time to exhale don’t you think? Green is the perfect way to renew and refresh and replenish. It’s springtime, aren’t you ready to add life back into your home? Here are few ideas to inspire you this very verdant month.
Exteriors
While everyone is still on the charcoal greys and dark blues, get ahead of the curve and dare to be green!
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Walls
Accent walls with a hint of green can be calming, add a dark green shade and see the drama unfold.
Kitchens
Green eggs and Ham never tasted so good in your gorgeously viridescent kitchen.
Decor
Touches of green, from plants to green glass vases to accented pillows, you’ll find these along the way to Emerald city.
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Furniture
These signature pieces would make any living space inviting and you’ll be in the envy of all your guests.
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Plant Life
We couldn’t add touches of green without including the natural and tranquil nature of…well—nature. Enter the biosphere with these green adornments sure to help you breathe easier and say, “ahhhhhh”.
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