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Faux or Real?
Tuesday's Design Tips!
Adding color to your home this spring can be as simple as adding flowers and plants. The question is, faux or real? I can't help but be amazed at how far faux flowers and plants have come in that last decade. Having been a florist myself for several years in my early 20's have taken notice! Below I would like point out how the faux flower craze I see happening all around me as they are becoming more and more available has taken hold.
It use to be that if you wanted color in your home and have a healthier home, add a potted plant. They not only can help filter and clean the air, but add a little something to your lifestyle and mood as you are taking care of something and get to see the results of your love and attention grow into this wonderful, beautiful plant and help with the winter blues to see that green still around.
The only thing that seems to be the difference, in my opinion, between bringing in a live plant versus a faux plant is the filtering of the air. Now these days, furnaces have gotten better and better about filtering your air quality, and last year, my husband and I even added an air purifier onto our brand new, high efficiency furnace (for a few reasons, two being our two dogs).
So why not add faux plants instead? The quality, when hunting around for the right one, is great; sometimes you can't tell if it's real or faux anymore! You get the benefit of adding that green and color (if going with faux flowers or a plant that had blooms) to your space as well as still taking care of it; I mean I wish the dust would just take care of itself...but unfortunately, that's not my world.
Below are a few examples of good quality faux plants and flowers that really bring in the spring; and bonus, you don't have to water them!!
Tip: It's good to have actual dirt around the roots of the plant...it's just that much more believable! And speaking of the roots, that leads to the stems, what do they look like?
Tip: Think about the gloss level. If the plant is too shiny, it's not going to look real in your space...unless the plant actually is glossy for real.
Tip: Take a photo with you of the real plant when purchasing a faux plant or flower to compare how realistic it is.
Tip: What is the faux plant made of? Silk or plastic? How is it going to be taken care of, for example - dusting and direct sunlight? Silk flowers can fray at the ends, making the flower look more and more faux than real if not taken care of carefully.
(Photo Source: Potterybarn.com, worldmarket.com, cb2.com, crateandbarrel.com)