Plants for every room in your house

I love plants in decor. The houses I grew up in had an attached greenhouse, and then a sunroom, filled by my parents with every imaginable green thing. There is something unmistakable about the feeling plants give to a space - cozy, lived-in, welcoming. If it feels like your room is missing something, it might just be a plant :)


left to right: elephant ear / peace lily / rubber plant


Plants don't just look nice, they can improve indoor air quality, too. I've rounded up some of the best looking, best air-filtering plants, and narrowed it down to seven that are relatively easy to find and care for.

Finding plants is one thing, but figuring out how to keep them happy and healthy is quite another. My mom gave me a rubber plant that I couldn't seem to find the right spot for (spoiler alert: it died), whereas snake plants will survive - and thrive - just about anywhere, as long as you don't over-water.

left to right: snake plant / spider plant / weeping fig

Plants are also a relatively affordable way to add interest to a room (compared to, say, new furniture or art). The copper planter above is a real stunner, but the rest of these rooms use basic planters that let the plant stand out.

While these photos each feature one large, statement-making plant, you can achieve a similar effect by grouping smaller plants together in variously sized pots. Stores like Home Depot and the Atlantic Superstore (i.e. Loblaws) seem to have a great selection of large indoor plants these days, but you can also get cuttings from friends and family. I've received many plants that way (thanks Mom!), and I'm always surprised at how quickly they grow.

bamboo palm

Want to know how to care for one of these babies? Check out the links below:

1. Elephant ear
2. Peace lily
3. Rubber plant
4. Snake plant
5. Spider plant
6. Weeping fig
7. Bamboo palm