Houseplants | My Home Office Transformation
Working with The Joy Of Plants, I transformed my home office and realised there are many more benefits to houseplants than just making a space look green!
An increasing number of us (1.5 million in the UK) are working from home. If you do work from home, you will know how important it is to create a comfortable and productive space around you. Man For Himself uses a lot of plants at MFH HQ but wanted to create a similar feeling back at home
The Joy Of Plants came to visit my space and offered to help transform my home using a variety of plants with some pretty special abilities. Think the X-Men in plant form!
My Home Office
As a guy who lives in a typically small London flat, I have had to try and find clever ways to manage my living and working space. I have had to split my living area into a desk and work space, with my sofa on the other side.
The Joy Of Plants sent a botanical stylist from RoCo to advise me on some key things you can do with the size of space – using plants to improve it.
Check out the before (left) and after (right) images below to see the dramatic transformation.
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- Before
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- After
Benefits Of Houseplants
The bright green leaves will obviously brighten any room, but there are many other benefits to decorating your home workspace with houseplants.
Houseplants can:
- Reduce stress.
- Increase productivity.
- Act as an air filter to remove pollutants/chemicals (particularly helpful in a city).
- Provide a sense of comfort and make you feel more at ease.
- Improve your mood and boost creativity.
- Create a relaxing environment to work in.
- Break up the monotony of an empty and sparse office.
Choose Your Plants
If you head over to TheJoyOfPlants.co.uk, you will find all sorts of tip and tricks of how to decorate your office. You can see a variety of plants which were used in my flat, how to care for them, and where to buy them near to where you live.
Below are six plants that were selected by RoCo.
Monstera Deliciosa
You can’t miss this one when walking into my living area. The Monstera Deliciosa is commonly known as the ‘Swiss Cheese plant‘, due to the holes the leaves. It was actually voted as Office Plant of the Year last year, in 2018.
It naturally grows in the rainforest and has these huge luscious leaves that would collect any rainfall and also protect the plant. In the office, it has the amazing ability to purify the air and also cover up any unsightly cables and plug sockets.
This one really is a key feature in my flat now and it helps that it requires a limited amount of attention. They are happiest in a bright but indirect light.
Monstera Monkey Mask
The Monstera Monkey Mask is the little brother to the larger, previously mentioned, Monstera Deliciosa. The Monkey Mask creates a lovely silhouette on one of my shelves, with its hole-filled waxy leaves.
Grown in the rainforest, this plant prefers a humid environment, without direct sunlight. Make sure it has space to grow as it can rapidly increase in size over the warmer months.
Dracaena Compact
The exotic-looking Dracaena Compact looks great on my desk as it adds some height and the spray of leaves as some colour next to my computer screen. It is a very slow-grower so it works well in small space.
This is another amazing plant that will clean the air from xylene and trichloreaothylene which are toxic and, in large amounts, can be harmful to the immune system.
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- Monstera Monkey Mask
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- Dracaena Compact
Asparagus Fern ‘Lace Fern’
This plant has been masquerading as a fern until recently, when it was categorised as a lily. It is actually neither!
It is perfect for on a shelf or next to a desk. It has delicate, feathery leaves, that a softness to my home office.
The Asparagus Fern can grow to 90 centimetres if it isn’t pruned, so it is up to you how you would like it to grow. It requires minimal daylight and will be happy left in a standalone pot.
Golden Pothos Devil’s Ivy
The marbling on the leaves of Devil’s Ivy add a touch of texture and style to my desk.
This plant is great at filtering the air and removing any pollutants such as benzene, xylene and formaldehyde. These can be found in wall paint and any varnish on furniture. The Devil’s Ivy is a must in any office to maintain clean air and improve your personal well being.
It is quite a hardy plant that doesn’t need a lot of light and requires intermittent watering.
Heartleaf Philodendron
The beautiful Heartleaf Philodendron starts out with little pinkish leaves that gradually darken to a deep blue-green. It adds an instant refreshing pop of colour to the home office. You need a bit of colour to bring some energy to the area.
The heart-shaped leaves will help improve air pollution in your office and will remove formaldehyde from the environment. It will survive in a pot for years with
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- Devil’s Ivy
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- Heartleaf Philodendron
