While there’s no denying COVID-19 has changed Australians’ lives and homes forever, what hasn’t changed is their obsession with all things home gardening. The 2021 Plant Trend Report spills the dirt on what’s good in the world of plants this year – and how to rock them in your own home.
TREND ONE: GREENING WHERE WE WORK
For many of us, work-from-home, flexible arrangements or hybrid working models – whatever you are calling it – are here to stay, with up to 60% of Australians wanting to split their working time between home and office in the long term. But have we set up work spaces in our homes in the best way possible for productivity and happiness?
RMIT University and University of Melbourne have found plants can boost your mood and concentration, helping you be more productive in your space. Our own Greener Spaces Better Places study, conducted after the first wave of the pandemic, also showed 1 in 4 Australians purchased greenery to improve their air quality (25.7%).
THE 2021 PREDICTION:
Workspaces will be greened for greater productivity.
Knowing that home offices will now be where we work from well into the new year – perhaps forever – we will be looking to recreate, re-imagine and evolve how these spaces look and work for us as we continue to utilise them in the years to come.
Big or small it doesn’t matter, the best working from home space has some plants.
BRINGING THIS TREND TO LIFE IN DIFFERENT SPACES:
To help us set up our lushest work-from-home space yet, we turned to indoor plant and styling experts, Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan for advice (read all about their brand-new plant bible, Plantopedia here).
For those with a:
- Small desk area
“Utilising shelving and hanging planters will allow you to add lush greenery whilst maintaining precious deskspace. An office nook can often be lacking in natural light so make sure you choose low-light tolerant plants.” - Large office
“Mature, tree-like specimens in a simple, modern planter provide a strong feature in a well lit corner. A wall of shelving can be brought to life with trailing potted plants.” - Backyard or garden
“Position your desk at a window that overlooks the greenery.”
BEST PLANTS FOR YOUR SPACE
- Best plants for a big office space
“Try Philodendron ‘Brasil’ (Philodendron hederaceum), Sabre fig (Ficus binnendijkii) or Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata).” - Best trailing plants for low light
“Give Devil’s ivy (Epipremnum) or Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) a go.”
The ladies also advise that work-from-homers move away from their desks and into full nature immersion to really ramp up productivity and wellbeing.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SPACE
- Take breaks with plants
Allocating some time out of your work to care for your plants helps structure your day, and gets you from sitting to moving or why not even move your desk out into your backyard. - Bring in some nature tones
Create an invigorating and productive space by taking style inspiration from nature; with greens and earthy tones which are both relaxing and conducive to productivity. - Ignite all the senses with nature
Scent is a really effective way to evoke a feeling or state of mind. Try lighting a candle or diffusing essential oils based on scents found in nature. They recommend Australian natives such as tea tree or herbs like thyme and mint, as well as bright citrus notes.
You heard it here first – the 2021 home office is GREEN! Not only will having a lush, leafy work-from-home station have you breathing fresher air, it will have you happier and pumping through that to-do list like it’s nobody’s business.
For bespoke advice on which plants will suit your home office perfectly, drop into your nearest nursery or garden centre and have a chat with the experts.
