The Way Plants are Displayed Can Date a Room

When I am at a thrift store, I always check for vintage decor books to help get my creativity flowing.  I don't like only having images in my head that are only from current retailers or designers.  The vintage books give me images that I am not expecting.  I've been noticing that the way you display plants can become passe.

The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, 1970

Better Homes and Gardens The New Decorating Book,1981

House Beautiful Decorating Style,1992

Natural Color Palettes, 2000

My mom and I talked about plants in decorating from previous decades, and she had a list of plants that were so "in" in the 70s and 80s: spider plants, piggyback plants, Boston ferns, terrariums.  We also got to talking about Gunne Sax dresses and avocado green upholstery with gold flecks.  Who would have thought that certain house plants could be as trendy as Gunne Sax and avocado green???

Apartmenttherapy.com, How to "Punch Up" This Chair?

prettysmartgirlart.blogspot.com, That 70s Girl

Plants are very good for the air quality in your home.  Even still, I just threw away my last one today.  I felt guilty every time I saw it start to droop, and I feel like taking care of a husband, three boys, a Neighborhood Watch program for 300+ homes, and a decorating business is enough.  But I will work in plants again.  NASA, in a study from 1989, has found that plants like Mother-in-law's Tongue is great for filtering formaldehyde and benzene, and peace lilies help with trichloroethylene.   Here's some inspiration for current decor trends with plants:

flickr.com, midcenturyjo's photostream, mother-in-law's tongue

www.decor-design-staging.com, How to Decorate Kitchen with Green Plants and Save Money

www.homedit.com, Few Steps to Decorate Your Home with Nature

Just be careful.  This is typically how plants are displayed in homes:

www.jennasgarden.com, The Great House Plant Census of 2010