How to Style an Empty Space in Your Bedroom (4 Steps)
Start With the Space, Not the Plant
The corner between your dresser and the window has been sitting empty for months. You tell yourself you'll deal with it, but every plant you've tried there either died within a few weeks or looked lost against a tall wall. Most of the time the spot was never measured, so the plant you brought home was the wrong height, the wrong width, or the wrong style for the room.
This guide walks through filling that empty space once. You'll figure out what kind of spot you have, measure it, match a plant to the scale, and place it so the room looks finished. Everything here links to real products from Botanical Villa, with leaf counts, heights, and prices you can check before you buy.
Why That Empty Spot Keeps Coming Back
An empty corner in a bedroom usually stays empty for one of three reasons.
The first is light. Most bedrooms have one window, and the corner farthest from it gets almost no sun. A real plant placed there turns yellow in a month, so you clear it out and the corner goes back to being empty. A faux plant doesn't care about light, which is the main reason people put one in the darkest part of a bedroom.
The second is scale. A small pot on the floor next to a queen bed looks like an afterthought. The eye reads the gap between the plant's top and the wall as unfinished. Getting the height right, somewhere between 19 and 30 inches for a floor plant, closes that gap.
The third is the plant itself. If you travel for work, or you have a cat that chews leaves, a living plant is one more thing to keep alive and keep safe. Real plants do clean the air and grow over time, which is a genuine plus. But they only work if your space has light and you have time. If either is missing, that's a signal a real plant isn't the right fit, not a sign to leave the corner empty.
Real Plant vs. Cheap Fake vs. Botanical Villa
| Dimension | Real plant | Cheap fake | Botanical Villa faux plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $30–$80+ with pot, soil, and maybe a grow light | $10–$20 | $20.99–$39.99 (some styles are stems only, no pot) |
| Light needs | Needs a window or a grow light | None | None |
| Upkeep | Water, fertilize, repot; dies if you skip it | Occasional dusting | Occasional dusting |
| Lifespan | Months to years, can go fast | 1–2 years before fading | Stays vibrant for years; UV-coated styles hold up outdoors too |
| Pet safety | Many common varieties are toxic to cats and dogs | Dyes and coatings are uncertain | Labeled non-toxic and pet-friendly |
| Look | Real | Noticeably plastic | Real-touch leaves with wired, bendable stems |
The numbers in the real-plant column come from a normal first year: a mid-size potted plant, soil, and a basic grow light for a dark bedroom run past $60 before you factor in the plant that didn't make it. The cheap-fake column is what you get from a big-box store, where leaves are one flat shade and the stems snap when you try to bend them. Botanical Villa's range sits in between on price but closer to the real plant on look, which is the trade most people are actually looking for.
How to Style an Empty Bedroom Space in 4 Steps
Step 1: Decide What Kind of Empty Space It Is
Stand in the doorway and look at the spot. An empty bedroom space is usually one of four types: a bare floor corner, a dead wall above a dresser or headboard, a clear bedside table, or a strip of wall at the foot of the bed. Each one calls for a different height and footprint.
A floor corner wants something tall and full, 19 inches or more. A wall above a dresser wants something narrow that doesn't crowd the surface. A bedside table wants something under about 15 inches so it doesn't tower over the lamp. Write down which type you have before you shop.
Step 2: Measure Before You Buy
Grab a tape measure and get three numbers: the height from the floor to where the empty space ends, the width you can fill without blocking a door or a drawer, and the clearance if the spot sits under a shelf or a sloped ceiling.
Leave a gap. If your corner is 36 inches tall, a 30-inch plant fills it without scraping the ceiling. If the gap between the bed and the wall is 20 inches wide, a plant with a 12-inch spread leaves room to walk. The most common mistake is buying a plant that's either too short for a tall wall or too wide for the walkway. Measuring first removes both.
Step 3: Match the Plant to the Scale
Now pick a plant whose height and leaf count fit the numbers you wrote down.
For a tall, bare corner, the 24-leaf faux Monstera Deliciosa stands about 30 inches and fills the space, $35.99. For a slimmer corner, the Real-Touch Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree at 19 inches is narrower and costs $27.99. Both ship pot not included, so budget for a basket or planter.
For a wall or dresser top, go smaller. The Faux Calathea Orbifolia Bush has 10 leaves at 14 inches, $29.99, pot not included, and sits flat in a low vase or on a shelf. For a bedside table, the Real Touch Pink Mini Artificial Orchid comes in its own ceramic pot at about 15 inches for $20.99. For a shelf that needs something trailing, the Real Touch Faux Pothos Plant in a 7-inch pot at $28.99 drops down the side and fills vertical space a wide plant can't.
The leaf count matters because it's what makes the plant look full rather than sparse. A 10-leaf stem reads thin against a wide wall; a 24-leaf plant reads finished. Match leaf count to the width you measured in Step 2.
Step 4: Place, Fluff, and Finish
Set the plant in place, then step back to the doorway and look again. Faux plants arrive with leaves compressed from the box, so bend the wired stems outward and fluff the leaves until the silhouette looks natural. This takes about five minutes and makes the biggest difference in whether it reads as real.
If the plant came without a pot, drop it into a basket or planter that's about 2 inches wider than the base. A woven basket over a plain nursery base instantly makes a floor plant look intentional. Then add one thing that anchors the spot: a small lamp, a stack of books, or a low stool beside the plant. One anchor keeps the corner from reading as a plant floating by itself.
Empty-Space Fixes by Spot
The bare floor corner
The corner is the easiest place to see an instant change. A 24-leaf faux Monstera Deliciosa at $35.99 fills a 30-inch corner and holds its own against a bed or a tall window. Put it in a woven basket and angle the leaves toward the room so the stems don't all point the same way.
The dead wall above the dresser
This spot usually has a mirror or nothing. Keep the surface usable by going narrow. A Faux Calathea Orbifolia Bush, 10 leaves at 14 inches for $29.99, sits in a low vase on one side of the mirror and adds green without eating the whole dresser. Note the pot is not included, so pick a vase first.
The empty bedside table
You want height without bulk. The Real Touch Pink Mini Artificial Orchid in a ceramic pot stands about 15 inches and costs $20.99, short enough to sit beside a lamp and leave room for a phone and a book. It's pet-friendly and labeled non-toxic, which matters if your cat walks across the table at night.
The foot of the bed
A bench or a low shelf at the foot of the bed leaves a strip of wall. A 19-inch Real-Touch Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree at $27.99 fills that height without blocking the path, and it's narrower than a Monstera for tight walkways.
Care and Common Questions
What if my bedroom gets no natural light at all? Faux plants need none, so a windowless room or a dark corner works fine. UV-resistant styles also handle a spot that gets direct afternoon sun without fading as fast.
Do I need to buy a pot? It depends on the listing. Styles marked "pot not included" or "stems only" ship without a container, so plan a basket, vase, or planter. Potted styles like the orchid and the pothos arrive ready to set down.
How do I clean it? Dust the leaves with a dry microfiber cloth or a soft brush every few weeks. For stems that get bent in storage, gently bend the wire back into shape.
Will it look fake? The real-touch finish and wired, bendable stems are the details that separate a quality faux plant from a flat plastic one. Fluff the leaves after unpacking and it reads as a real plant from across the room.
Is it safe for my cat or dog? The catalog labels these plants non-toxic and pet-friendly. If your pet chews plants, a faux one removes the worry of a toxic variety, though it's still smart to keep any decorative piece out of a determined chewer's reach.
Finishing Thoughts
An empty corner is usually just a space that was never measured and matched to the right plant, not a decorating failure. If you want to fill it once and forget it, start with the bare floor corner or the dead wall above your dresser, because those are the two spots that most change how a room feels.
If you want one recommendation to try first, go with the 24-leaf faux Monstera Deliciosa at $35.99. It's tall enough for a floor corner, full enough to look finished, and it needs a pot or basket, so pick one you actually like. If your spot is smaller, start with the $20.99 orchid for the bedside table. Measure the space, then browse the Botanical Villa collection and pick a plant that fits the numbers.