Real or fake? It’s the great debate. Ever since the advent of artificial flowers, designers have argued over whether to include faux flowers and plants in their designs. A quick Google search will give you a variety of opinions on the topic.
You all know my opinion. While live plants are great, and I love the smell and the look, they can be finicky, require time to care for and can cause allergy problems. Artificial plants solve all of those problems – and if used correctly, few people will ever be able to tell the difference between a real plant and a fake one.
The trick to decorating with fake plants and flowers is to set the stage to persuade people that the plants are real. If everything from location to the quality of the plant screams real, then people will be more inclined to buy into the illusion. So, if you’re concerned about decorating with faux plants and flowers, here are few interior decorating with plants tips that will make sure your guests can’t tell the difference between a live plant and a fake one.
Choose plants wisely.
If your main goal is to create the most realistic look possible, then choose plants that already look kind of fake. For example, if you are using fake plants, I would stray away from plant wall decor since those are usually using fake plants or stems of some sort of flower.
Plants like protea and jade have a slightly waxy look that makes it hard to tell a live plant from an artificial one.
Densely packed plants like peonies also make it difficult to tell a real arrangement from a fake one. Leaves and stems are often a dead giveaway that a flower is artificial, but densely packed arrangements tend not to have a lot of leaves and stem showing.
When it comes to faux plants and flowers, it really is true that you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for plants that look and feel real, then be prepared to pay more for them.
Mix live plants with fake ones.
Some people might be asking how to make fake plants look real. Well, this tip can work both inside and outside. Add a few artificial stems to a live arrangement to make it fuller or to include hard-to-find flowers.
Outdoors, add faux roses to the climbing rose vines to create a more abundant look if you’re hosting a party or just having friends over for a cookout.
Another idea is to use hanging plants decor and in those hanging baskets you can mix and match real and artificial plants.
Just add water.
This trick is so simple but adds to the illusion that a plant is real. Simply add water to a clear vase holding an artificial arrangement. The water won’t hurt the faux plant, and it creates the impression that the flowers need the water. It costs nothing, and it ups the realism factor by 10.
Here are a couple of artificial plants that look real: fake fern plants, fake eucalyptus plants, and fake lavender plants.
Stay simple.
Overly large, ornate arrangements are often a dead giveaway that flowers and plants are fake. Stick with simpler choices that focus on just a few flowers or a single variety of flower-like this Cymbidium arrangement.
Make the location realistic.
If you want visitors to your home to assume that your plants and flowers are real, put them in places where live flowers would live. A vibrant houseplant in the corner of a dark room is a dead giveaway that the plant is a fake. Choose windowsills and sunny spots in your house for faux plants and flowers to create the illusion that they need sunlight.
Keep your plants clean.
Nothing screams fake like a dust-covered plant. Once a week, give your faux plants and flowers a dust-off. Every few months give them a deeper cleaning with a damp cloth or by shaking them in a bag with salt.
Cleaning plant leaves with olive oil: Another tip is if you are mixing real and faux flowers, make sure to clean the real plants with a cleaning agent, like olive oil (especially for indoor plants to help keep the moisture).
Whether you love faux plants and want to use them in every room of your house or you’re just trying to build a particular look in one area, like a baby nursery, you can make artificial plants and flowers look just like the real thing.
We’d love to know how you create a realistic look with your faux plants and flowers. Leave us your best tip in the comments.
As always, I love hearing from you. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions and concerns.
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