How to style a living room book nook with eclectic indoor plant decor. Learn how a thrifted blue trunk can be a charming furniture accent.

Indoor Plant Decor

Indoor plant decor is a wonderful way to bring the beauty of nature into our living spaces. Plants not only add visual interest and texture to a room but also provide numerous benefits for our well-being. They purify the air by absorbing toxins and releasing oxygen, creating a healthier and more refreshing environment. Indoor plants have a calming effect on our minds, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. They can also improve our productivity and focus, making them perfect for home offices or study spaces.

My mother always suggested that it was important to have something living in every room of your home.

Marble side table with plant and vintage decor in living room
Vintage Turkish Rugs: Elevate Your Living Room Design

From hanging plants and terrariums to succulents and statement plants, there are endless options to choose from. Whether you have a small apartment or a spacious house, there is always a plant that can fit into your decor. With their vibrant colors, unique shapes, and varied sizes, indoor plants can be used to create eye-catching displays or subtle accents. They can be placed on windowsills, shelves, tables, or even hung from the ceiling, adding a touch of greenery to any room.

So, whether you’re a seasoned plant parent or just starting your indoor plant decor, incorporating plants into your interior design is a surefire way to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home.

Plant Decor Ideas

With these plant decor ideas, you can bring the beauty of nature indoors and create a calming and inviting atmosphere in your home or office.

  • Hanging Plants: Add a touch of greenery to your space by hanging plants from the ceiling or wall. This not only adds visual interest but also saves space on surfaces. Consider using macrame plant hangers or wall-mounted planters for a trendy and stylish look.
  • Terrariums: Create miniature ecosystems with terrariums. These glass containers can be filled with a variety of plants, moss, rocks, and other decorative elements. They are low-maintenance and can be placed on shelves, tables, or even hung from the ceiling.
  • Succulents and Cacti: These low-maintenance plants are perfect for those who have a busy schedule or are new to gardening. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, making them versatile for any decor style. Arrange them in a group on a windowsill or mix and match different types in a terrarium or planter.
  • Vertical Gardens: If you’re short on space, consider creating a vertical garden. This involves attaching planters or pots to a wall or using a specially designed vertical garden system. You can plant a variety of herbs, flowers, or even small vegetables to create a stunning living wall.
  • Air Plants: Air plants, also known as Tillandsias, are unique plants that don’t require soil to grow. They can be placed in decorative containers, hung from the ceiling, or even attached to driftwood or other natural elements. Air plants are a great way to add a modern and artistic touch to your decor.
  • Herb Gardens: Create an herb garden to bring beauty and functionality to your space. Grow herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, and thyme in small pots or planters. They will add a fresh and fragrant element to your decor and can also be used in your cooking.
  • Statement Plants: Make a bold statement with large, eye-catching plants like fiddle leaf figs, monstera deliciosa, or snake plants. These plants not only add a dramatic element to your decor but also help purify the air. Place them in a corner or as a focal point in your space.
  • Hanging Baskets: Hang baskets filled with trailing plants like pothos, spider plants, or ivy from the ceiling or wall. This creates a cascading effect and adds a lush and vibrant touch to your decor.
  • Terracotta Pots: Use terracotta pots for a rustic and earthy look. You can paint them or leave them in their natural state. Group them together or place them individually throughout your space for a cohesive and charming display. Learn more in these posts:
  • Terracotta Pots Indoors Decorating Ideas
  • Uniquely Decorate with Tulips and Terracotta
  • A Garden Cupboard with Terracotta Pots
Marble Side Table with Plant Decor, Demijohn's Coffee Table Book and Lamp in Living Room
Vintage Turkish Rugs: Elevate Your Living Room Design
DIY Topiaries in clay pots.
Photo credit: Vintage Home Designs

My friend Michele from Vintage Home Designs shares these fabulous ways to make your own Topiaries—real and faux!

How To Make a Faux Topiary That Looks Real

How To Make A Topiary With Live Boxwood Cuttings

Roadside Freebie

Blue Trunk and Crock

Last Sunday, I discovered a roadside freebie: a fabulous rustic blue trunk along with a vintage brown crock. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the trunk, but I loved the color, and the old-fashioned handles were oh-so charming.

We squished Ella, our Bernese Mountain Dog, over, and into the back of the car, it all went.

Once home and unloaded, we set the blue trunk down in a corner of our living room next to the pellet stove and built-in bookshelves. I thought I would let it sit a bit until I figured out what I wanted to do with it.

It is here; I would clean it all up and decide whether or not it needed painting.

Plant Stand

Almost immediately, I thought this rustic old blue trunk would be fabulous for spring plant decor in this living room book nook space, which has French doors adjacent for lots of natural sunlight.

This would allow the trunk to stay in its rustic condition, and I would be able to keep the blue color, which is what drew me to it in the first place. So this is when I started to dabble and decorate with the day’s roadside freebies with plant decor.

Bernese Mountain Dog in front of blue trunk in plant decor and bookshelving.

My Decor Style

I have noticed that my decor style has been changing over the past couple of years. I used to love decorating with neutrals and pops of color. Now, I crave color and more of an eclectic and cluttered cozy vibe. It’s still vintage and antique, just more on the multiform side of design, as in this Vintage Eclectic Decor Meets Craft Room Design post.

Plant Decor Living Room

Layering Plant Decor

Layering in plant decor is a technique that involves arranging plants at different heights and depths to create a visually appealing and dynamic display. Here are some tips on how to use layering in plant decor:

  • Choose a variety of plant heights: Select plants of varying heights, from tall and towering to small and trailing. This will add depth and dimension to your arrangement.
  • Use different types of containers: Experiment with different types of containers, such as hanging planters, wall-mounted planters, terrariums, and pots of various sizes. This will allow you to place plants at different levels and create interesting layers.
  • Consider plant textures and colors: Mix plants with different leaf textures and colors to create contrast and visual interest. Pair plants with broad, lush leaves with those with delicate, feathery foliage, or combine plants with vibrant green leaves with those with variegated patterns.
  • Utilize shelves and stands: Elevate some of your plants with shelves, plant stands, or wall-mounted racks. This will help create vertical layers and make the arrangement more visually appealing.
  • Incorporate trailing plants: Add trailing plants such as pothos, ivy, or string of pearls to spill over the edges of shelves or hanging planters. This will add depth and create a cascading effect.
  • Mix in decorative elements: Enhance your plant arrangement by incorporating decorative elements such as rocks, pebbles, moss, or small figurines. These elements can be placed at different levels to create additional layers and visual interest.
Basket of Summer Flowers Centerpiece

Do you ever stop and pick weeds or wildflowers from the side of the road? Have you ever even considered doing so? Discover the beauty of wildflower arrangements. Learn how to create stunning floral arrangements with freshly picked roadside weeds.

Plant Decoration Ideas

Using all these techniques, my plant decor on the blue trunk started out looking something like this in the photo below. I started adding height with an old painter’s step stool and placed a plant into a recently found vintage crock. See more in the Cottage Farmhouse Decor Trending Finds post.

Plant Decor on Old Rustic Blue Trunk in Cozy Corner Nook Living Room

Plant Decor Living Room Nook

Then, I dismantled it all and started over…

I decided I wanted this plant decor nook in the living room to be up against the window instead of the bookshelving. This would give the plants more light and leave more open space for a chair that we would also like to add to this space at a later date.

Plant Decor with plans and terracotta pots on blue trunk.

*On a side note, I am not a plant expert and often struggle to keep thriving plants. Today’s post is simply written to inspire those of you like me who would like to add some plant decor to your home using vintage and rustic details in cozy spaces.

Plant Decor Vessels

Once the rustic blue trunk was positioned, I started looking around the house for unique vintage-style plant vessels. Here is a list of plant decor inspirations that I found to decorate my new plant corner with.

  • Terracotta Pots
  • Old Suitcases
  • Soup Tureens
  • Vintage Platters
  • Vintage Crocks
  • Trophies
  • Cloches
  • Bud Vases
  • Pitchers
  • Watering Can
  • Cake Stand
  • Plant Spritzer
Green Plant Decor in Blue and White Tea Cup with Tiny Terracotta Pots in Hand

Because this blue trunk and plant decor now sit in front of a wall of windows, it’s challenging to get well-lit photos for this post. The color of this trunk may also vary depending on the time of day the photos were taken.

Plant Decor Selection

With all of my plant decor vessels gathered around, I chose plants that would work nicely among these unique basins. Selecting plants from a Myrtle Topiary to a miniature Jade plant.

Blue trunk with plant decor in living room.

If you have a small space, remember you don’t have to have large plants like ferns and spider plants. There are so many options available today, such as miniatures, air plants, succulents, topiaries, and more.

One of my favorite places to visit to get spring-inspired for my indoor and outdoor plant decor is Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine.

My plant selection remains simple. As we are not here much in the summer months, so I will need to transport our plants to our home in Maine sometime soon.

Seasonal Plant Decor

Forsythia

Plan to leave room for seasonal flowers and fresh-cut blooms to add to your plant decor collections. Here, I added some cut forsythia branches into a glass vase framed with a garden stand that I picked up at a yard sale for our living room book nook.

Forsythia in Plant Decor Corner Living Room Book Nook
Pansies

A vintage berry carrier that I found while out Thrifting with the Gals was recently filled with pansies for spring. Because it’s still below freezing in the evenings, this vintage plant decor will move from the porch to our cozy book nook in the living room.

Seasonal blooms are an easy way to incorporate the colors of the season into your interior design.

Plant Decor Home Accents

Add a few individual plant decor necessities to your living room plant decor, such as:

  • Watering Can
  • Gardening Gloves
  • Water Spritzer
Forsythia branches and plant decor water spritzer in book nook.

I think Demijohns would add a beautiful texture paired with plant-decor nooks, too. These three demijohns sit on our coffee table in the living room, just next to this book-nook corner.

Vintage Marketplace Decor Finds in Corner Book Nook Displayed

You may also be inspired by this Vintage Marketplace: Infinite Unique Decor post.

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope you found loads of plant decor inspiration, and maybe you’ll even find an upcoming roadside freebie that inspires you, too.

Box of Pansies on floor and person watering them.

Gratefully Vintage

If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments below. And be sure to share this blog post link with your friends who are also vintage enthusiasts.

Do you have a flair for all things vintage, too? I would love to see and feature you in our Reader’s Showcase Series. A place for you to share and be recognized for your talents and passion for all things thrifting, vintage, and antique decor-related inspired by your time here with Dabbling & Decorating. Email me at annck@dabblinganddecorating.com

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10 Comments

  1. Michele - vintage home designs says:

    I love all of these great ideas for using plants in your home decor! Thank you so much for sharing my faux topiary DIY Ann. I really appreciate that!

  2. Hi Ann! That trunk was such a great find! Love the blue paint! You did a great job styling it with plants!

  3. Rachel Harper says:

    Ann
    What a great roadside find.

  4. I really like the blue chest and cannot image finding that free crock also! Living in FL we would never come across anything like that. I buy a lot of blooming plants to use inside until they look unkept and then plant them in the flower bed outside. We can do that pretty much year round here except high summer which I take off from gardening anyway. Love the berry baskets filled with pansies and sweet planted tea cup.

    1. Thanks so much Pamela! We don’t run across free crocks very often here either… I wish I could plant more outdoors, lucky you. Thanks so much for stopping by today and loved seeing your note!

  5. I love them all! Did you just leave the plants in their pots with the berry basket?

    1. Yes! The pansies are in the flat bed trays still from when I purchased them at the nursery and I just water straight through them. Thanks so much Cathy, this was a fun little spring uplifting project.