A lot of people love plants, and we can see why. They bring great colour to spaces, they’re something to be responsible for and care for and they look fabulous! As designers we will often get the thumbs up to incorporate plants into a space we’re designing, but very often the next sentence will be, “But can they be fake so that they’re easy to maintain?”. Yes, plants are beautiful, and as designers we can incorporate them into our designs for their aesthetics, but did you know they do so much more than just that?
There’s no denying that plants have taken over in being part of interior trends in the past few years. In fact, plants have been used in office spaces for decades - we have only gotten more creative with the way they are now displayed and used in these places. Being used in plant walls, desk planters and even used in desk screening to make your desk space more private without completely closing off your desk neighbour, are some of these trends.
It’s no surprise that large and savvy companies love to incorporate lots of plant life into their interior workspaces. Studies have recorded a 15% increase in levels of productivity with the presence of interior plants.
Corporate work spaces aren’t the only businesses using plants for productivity. Universities and schools have also incorporated plants into classrooms, common areas and libraries to optimize brain work in students.
Scientists have proven through studies of cortisol in the body (cortisol is the main chemical that is released to our bloodstream when stressed) that in the presence of plants, stress is reduced. Findings have also shown that participants recovered from stress faster when viewing pictures and videos of nature. Crazy hey?! But at the same time not too surprising, it seems like we are inherently attracted to nature even if we are confined to the indoors.
Most people would already know that plants take carbon dioxide and turn it into sweet purified oxygen as part of the photosynthesis process. Making them an absolute essential for our existence on planet earth. Not only that, but all healthy plants hold millions of good bacteria on their roots that help to filter the toxins such as formaldehyde, benzyne, carbon dioxide and many others out of the air. To get the most out of your plants, you need to ensure great soil health, things like over watering your plants can cause root rot and other issues - issues that result in killing off that healthy root bacteria by drowning them in water, therefore the roots can’t breathe and the good bacteria die! So lets take special care of those good bacteria to assist us in healthy clean air when we and our staff are cooped up in the office.
There are many ways to incorporate plants into your space, and it doesn’t have to be expensive either!
Plants in pots/planters is a fantastic low-cost way to bring life into your interior space. Place these at door entrances, into planters on top of tables in break away and meeting spaces. These could include plants such as indoor trees, succulents and ferns! A lot of these plant types can be found at local hardware stores, are low cost and easy to maintain.
Plant walls make a great way to divide between desks and large spaces rather than using partitioning solid walls. This keeps spaces a lot more open and casual and adds a beautiful colour to office spaces that need it.
Using planter boxes on top of tambour storage units is a great way to separate teams and at the same time, get rid of clutter usually found on these units.
We’ve even seen the incorporation of moss into hanging acoustic ceiling panels and lighting pendants
Plant hire is the best way to enjoy the benefits and keep the greenery alive. It’s low cost under contract and most effective way to maintain throughout your office space.
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