Greenery makes a room feel finished, but keeping living plants alive is not always practical: a dark flat or a travel schedule gets in the way. Artificial greenery is one option, and the order that works is to choose the position before the plant, because the spot decides the size, the height and what the piece has to tolerate. That sequence is set out in the five-step decorating guide. This page is the short version by room: what each space asks for, and what to check before you buy.
Living room: one piece that anchors the space
The living room is where a single full-height piece does the most work — beside the sofa, at the end of a wall, or in the bare corner. Measure the width and depth you are willing to give up and the height you want the piece to reach before choosing a size, and check the spread of the foliage against the route people walk. A neutral container in ceramic, concrete or a woven basket keeps the piece looking like part of the room rather than an accessory. Our living room faux plant ideas cover a longer list of specific looks. If the room is small, start from the small living room picks instead, where width rather than height is the constraint.
Bedroom: small pieces where you can see them
In a bedroom a piece works best where it is seen up close and does not take surface you need: a nightstand, a windowsill, a shelf or the top of a wardrobe. Because an artificial piece needs no growing light, it can sit away from the window, which is usually where the usable surface is. Check the finished height against the lamp and against anything you reach for at night, and measure the surface first, since a piece that overhangs a narrow nightstand reads as clutter. Sizes and the small-room version of this question are covered in the small bedroom guide.
Kitchen and dining: keep it out of the work zone
Kitchen and dining greenery earns its place as a small, deliberate accent: a bowl on the dining table, a small piece on a shelf clear of the food-preparation area and the walkway, or a pot on an open shelf. Keep it away from the hob, the kettle and the splash zone, and out of anywhere grease settles, because the finish will collect dust and cooking film and a piece inside the working area is in the way. If you hang a piece instead of standing it on a surface, check the fixing and the surface it is fixed to for the load they carry, and keep it out of the space directly above a seat or a work position. Check the specific product's care instructions; do not assume that an artificial piece tolerates spills, grease or steam.
Bathroom: a spot that stays dry
Humidity and splash are the two things to plan around. A piece on a shelf above the basin or on the closed top of a cabinet is in a much better position than one beside the shower or on the edge of a bath, where it collects water and cleaning spray. A shelf piece also stays clear of the floor when the room is mopped. Check the care note on the specific listing before putting a piece in a damp room, and keep the dusting up, because dust and moisture together leave a film faster than in a dry room.
Workspace and shared rooms: light is the real constraint
Offices, waiting areas and windowless corridors are the rooms where an artificial piece stands where there is no daylight and no one has time to water. Measure the surface or the floor space first — a desk needs a piece whose spread stays inside the desk, a corner can take a floor piece — and choose a container that will not be knocked over. Desk, shelf and camera positions in a home office are covered in the home office layout guide.
What to check before you buy
- Measure the spot. Width, depth and the height you want the piece to reach. Choose from those numbers rather than from a photograph.
- Read the stated size and what is included. A figure in a listing describes the piece the way the listing defines it; it is not the width of the pot and not the floor space the piece takes. Check whether a container is included, since several pieces ship without one.
- Judge the finish from the close-up photographs. Sheen, veining and colour are what you can actually assess before delivery; the room shot will not tell you.
- Find the care note. It is where the light, heat, damp and cleaning conditions for that piece are stated, and they vary between products.
- Plan the container and the support. A piece that arrives as bare stems needs a container whose opening suits the bundle and whatever support its own instructions describe.
An artificial piece is a decorative object, not food and not a chew item. Keep it, its loose filler and any small parts out of reach of children and pets, and check it for loose parts after it has been moved.
With the position measured and the listing read, artificial greenery does what any other styling element does — it fills a spot, sets a height and carries a colour across a room. Work through the rooms you actually use rather than all five at once.