Houseplants and Their Containers

Every home needs a few living things in it...other than people, of course. Pets count and are essential (at least to me), but they don't exactly contribute to the decor plan. Plants and flowers do contribute and can be used to bring some color, texture, and life to pretty much any room. They make for a quick, easy, and inexpensive accessory. I'm a big fan of fiddle leaf fig trees, succulents, and orchids because they all look good, last longer than cut flowers, and are really easy to care for. Here are a couple of examples:

I keep a cachepot with two orchids on the coffee table in my den...

The orchid arrangement is the cherry on top in Colleen McGill's entry design (one of my all-time favs)...

Designed by Colleen McGill, photo via Style at Home, photo by Donna Griffith

These individually potted succulents are a simple but lovely addition to this vignette...

Via The Decorista

And this succulent arrangement by Dallas-based Grange Hall is stunning and would look fantastic on a dining room table or a large console table...

And a towering fiddle leaf fig tree adds a punch of green to Grant K. Gibson's living room...

Designed by Grant K. Gibson

As far as containing these green lifeforms goes, trees obviously need large planters as I posted about before and the succulents and orchids can be placed in a wide variety of containers and vessels. With both of these plants you can use one or group many together to fill a larger planter and make a bigger statement.

Whatever the size may be, make sure that the vessel you pick is interesting and impactful. The plant and its container will serve as an accessory in the room and every accessory should contribute to the overall style. Use your imagination and have some fun with it! Here are some ideas...

Oxford Serving Bowl - Z Gallerie

Midcentury Dragon Planter - Etsy

Yellow Cachepot by Vista Allegre for Tiffany & Co. - Ebay

Milk Glass planters - Etsy

Cement Pleated Pots - Jamali Garden

Cube Planter Beveled - Layla Grayce
Spode Copeland Black Cachepot - Ebay
Vintage Chinoiserie Coalport Planter - Etsy
Silver Plated Champagne bucket - Save on Crafts
Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Planters - Etsy

As you can see from above, I often source cachepots and planters on Etsy or Ebay. I also love styles from Emilia Ceramics and there are tons of great inexpensive options at Jamali Garden and Save on Crafts (their silver plated julep cups are great for single orchids).

I'm a sucker for the Chinoiserie planters and cachepots. Which style do you like best? And do you have any plants in your home? What kinds?

Planters for My Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees

I recently welcomed a pair of Fiddle Leaf Fig trees into my home. These trees make great houseplants and are supposedly easy to care for...hopefully I don't prove that theory wrong! Anyhow, now I seriously need two containers for the trees as you'll see below.

This one is sitting on a beautiful cardboard box lid...

And this one is occupying a lovely metal trash can...

Not exactly the look I'm going for!

I'm thinking that I want either a pair of classic lacquered box planters or Chinese fish bowls. I'm also open to using two different containers. Per the usual, the kinds of planters I like are pretty darned expensive but I found a couple of affordable options. Here's the mix of styles that I like..can you guess which ones are pricey and which are bargains?

1) Box Planter

2) Danford Outdoor Round Planter

3) Antique Chinese Dragon Fish Bowl Jardiniere

4) Versailles Paneled Planter

5) Stuart Garden Planter in a Faux Lead Finish

6) Chinese Blue and White Planter

7) 19th Century Japanese Imari Jardiniere

8) 14" Square Chippendale Garden Planter in White

9) White Lexington Garden Planter

10) Iron Chippendale Tree Box

11) 20" Porcelain Fishbowl Blue & White Floral 

The Imari Jardiniere is the priciest one...ringing in at almost $5,500. Needless to say, I won't be getting that one! I'd really like to get a porcelain fish bowl but the larger ones aren't cheap. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't buy one that I saw at Homegoods last year! Anyhow, for my budget, I'm liking #1 and #11. Which ones do you like? This is the room that they'll be going in...