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How to make a garden room in your home and benefit from this botanical self-care trend
By Megan Murray
Updated 5 years ago
This plant-inspired interior trend is all about creating a botanical oasis to benefit your mental health. Oh, and it looks gorgeous, too.
We don’t have to tell you that house plants are a staple in any stylish interiors set up. But according to Pinterest’s 2020 cultural shift report, which looks at the rising topics searched on the platform by millions of people around the world, cultivating green spaces inside our homes is becoming a self-care must.
The term ‘garden room’ has increased in popularity by 104% over the last year, and it looks to be on the rise for 2020, too. Pinterest describes the trend as “nurturing yourself with nature in your very own secret garden”. It’s like creating a mini sanctuary in your house that maximises on all the benefits of being around nature.
The phenomenon is something writer Kat Poole, is only too aware of. Poole finds the act of nurturing her house plants therapeutic, saying: “When I’m feeling stressed or anxious, the one sure way to unwind my brain is to shift all of my focus onto the green things growing around me.
“It involves both hands and no distractions; I can’t do it with my phone in one hand or one eye on the TV.”
If you needed any more convincing, garden rooms also look very cool. Think lots of shelving with teeny succulents positioned next to money plants, walls painted in calming tones, textures rugs underfoot and light-bouncing mirrors.
We’ve picked out some of the best homeware pieces out there to help you make your own.
Plant stands to create depth
Lift your leafy friends off the ground to give your garden room another dimension, not to mention make room for more of them.
Textured rugs underfoot
We adore this natural-toned rug from H&M Home which has a bohemian feel with plenty of texture and patterns.
Mimic the earth by choosing a neutral coloured rug and place it on the floor of your garden room to make it a little cosier and comfier.
Shelving to stack your plants high
The aim for a garden room is to feel completely immersed by your plants in an oasis of calm. If you’re able to put up shelves in your space, having plants dangling from above your head will add to this wonderfully.
You could opt for several longer shelves above each other, using a mix of succulents and plants to populate them, or just use one small shelf like the one above.
Make the space feel bigger with mirrors
Lots of our favourite garden room examples on Pinterest feature big, circular mirrors which help the space look bright, light and airy.
They also reflect the images of the plants, making you feel even more surrounded by your botanical buddies.
Paint the room in calming shades of green or blue
Transform the space by adding a splash of a calming colour. We particularly love pale sage greens and deep, rich navy blues.
Maximise on terrariums
Especially good if you don’t have a lot of space, terrariums require a lot of love and can be therapeutic to care for. We recommend buying a few in different sizes and even one that can be suspended from the ceiling.
Buy lots of plants!
Big, small, trailing, tall – the key to creating a botanical wonderland is getting a real mix of plants.
Personally, we love Patch Plants, an online store where you can order all manner of indoor plants, and find lots of information on how to keep them alive. Or, you can check out our edit of the best plant shops online to buy from in lockdown, for more ideas.
Images: Getty / Pinterest / Courtesy of brands
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