This year, people have been working from their homes more than ever before, and home offices are becoming dominant in households across the country. However, while working from home can have its benefits, it can cause a sense of deprivation for those who love the outdoors. Adding plants can help give people that missing link to nature that is needed to improve productivity and satisfaction on the job. Quarantine has also presented the challenge of space for workers who do not have the luxury of private home offices. Plants can be an affordable solution to provide privacy and encourage distancing in your own home. This blog will go over the benefits of adding plants to your home office and how you can transform it into a mini green paradise.
Benefits of Adding Plants to Your Home Office
Home offices tend to be uninspiring and dreary. Even the most carefully arranged desk can feel lifeless and gloomy. Luckily, there are plants that are waiting to spruce up your home office! Plants help create an inviting workplace in your home that will immediately brighten up the mood and overall environment of the room. Aside from the significant aesthetic boost, plants also help improve air quality, health, and productivity:
- Air Filter: Research shows that plants remove toxins from the air. Harmful chemicals are found everywhere and can get easily trapped within small enclosed places like home offices. Chemicals can even be found in carpets, furniture, printer ink, pens, and more!
- Improved Health: Studies have shown that plants can help reduce illness rates, including ailments like cough, dry eyes, and headaches. They’re also natural humidifiers, so they help reduce incidents of sore throat, dry coughs, and dry skin.
- Mood Enhancer: Having a home office with plants can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and improve your perception of the workspace. It simply makes the place more appealing and inviting!
- Increased Productivity: Having a good healthy attitude leads to increased productivity. Research also shows that plants help increase alertness and attentiveness, which really helps with getting things done.
Things to Consider When Choosing Office Plants
Now that you know the amazing benefits that plants provide, getting plants for your office is next. However, there are a few things you need to consider before selecting your plants. Considerations you need to make include the following:
Space
Like all living beings, plants need good airflow. Shoving plants in between tight spaces won’t do. If your office is small, then you should take advantage of vertical spaces. You can place your plants on shelves or hang them from the ceiling with hooks. Try placing them in places with good air circulation. If that’s not possible, then it might be a good idea to leave the door open at times so that the plant can get some air.
Maintenance Needs
If you’ve never cared for plants before or don’t have a green thumb, then consider plants that require little maintenance needs. There are many plants that thrive on minimal watering. Easy-care houseplants that require minimal maintenance include:
- Snake Plants (Sansevieria) – Great for beginners because they provide all the benefits of indoor plants with minimal maintenance. They can live in low light conditions and require very minimal watering.
- English Ivy – Ivy does okay with low to medium light, but thrives in high light settings. This plant is known for its great air-purifying benefits!
- ZZ Plant – This plant is perfect for low any light level and requires minimal watering.
Lighting
Different plants thrive depending on the amount of light it gets. Whether your home office has no windows or gets sunshine all day long, it’s important to select a plant that is suitable for your lighting conditions. Here are a few plants that thrive in different lighting levels:
- Low Light Plants: -ZZ plants (are the same as Aroid Palms), Bamboo Palms, Chinese Evergreens, Pothos, and Peace Lilies
- Medium Light Plants: Boston Fern, Grape Ivy, Spider Plant, Pothos, Rhapis Palm, Dieffenbachia, Dracaenas, and Marginatas
- High Light Plants: Ficus Lyrata, Schefflera Arboricola, Croton Petra, and Kentia Palm
How to Set Up Plants
Now that you have an understanding of your space and plant needs, you can now display your plants around your office! Here are a couple of ways you can do so:
- Hang Them – If space is of the essence, then hanging plants is a good idea. Moss walls are great for decorating wall space and giving the room a nice touch of green!
- Create Dividers – If you’re sharing your home office, you can use plants as dividers to create private cubicles This can come in handy especially for smaller homes that need to create make-shift workspaces in living areas.
- Center Stage – Make your plants the center of attention! Place them on your office desk and on your shelves.
- Planter Corner – If you have some extra space to spare, placing a planter on the corner of your office always looks great!
Whether you’re a minimalist or a bold decorator, plants can help liven up your home office and increase your overall productivity! They provide great health benefits and will simply make you love your workspace! We hope this blog helped you see the benefits of adding plants to your home office. If you’re looking for great plants or need assistance in selecting the perfect ones, don’t hesitate to contact Greenleaf IPS! We can handle the process from start to finish, without you even needing to leave your home! Give us a call at (858)-488-0611 or click here for a free quote.
