Fluff your Faux
7 TIPS FOR FLUFFING YOUR FAUX PLANTS
How green is your thumb? Mine is spring green.
Not the deep evergreen of a person whose plant care would turn even Midas’s touch to a beautiful shade of green. But not the crinkly, broken green that is threatened by yellow or (gasp!) brown leaves. My above-average luck with plants has me jumping up and down with the growth of new leaves …
…and shaking my head as I clip off the occasional yellowish-brown leaf.
Plants are one of the BEST ways to add life and warmth to your interior. Even the most stunning room benefits from the addition of leafy greens. Enter (ominous drumroll) the FAUX plant!
There ARE good faux plant options out there. And there are ways to make your faux plants look more realistic.
Here are 7 tips for amazing faux plants:
1. Start with the Shopping
- Look for natural-looking leaves that are not shiny.
- Test for flexible leaves that are moveable. If the leaves are difficult to manipulate, keep shopping.
- The leaves, stems, and trunk (if applicable) should have color variation. Nature doesn’t paint with solid colors so your faux should have natural-looking shading.
- You get what you pay for! A realistic faux plant might give you some sticker shock but its worth will continue for years to come.
2. Location, Location, Location
- Placing a light-loving plant in a dark corner is a dead give-away that your faux is fake.
- Do a little research to find out the type of plant that you are working with and find a location that the real version would love. If the plant loves shade, move it to a darker area. If it is a faux tropical plant, find a sunny spot and “plant it!”
3, Container Magic
The container that you choose for your artificial plant can go a long way in giving it a designer look. Very often the pot that holds a faux plant is too small. If too small, place in a larger, decorative container. By scaling up on the size of the container, you will balance out the plant and give it the creative touch of your personality.
Compliment your home design scheme by mixing up the textures of your containers. I love mixing ceramic pots with woven baskets, pots on legs, and container with varying heights.
4. Plant Fluffing 101
Nature is beautifully asymmetrical. It is beautifully imperfect! Faux plants are notoriously symmetrical. Don’t bring a faux home and plop it as is. Time to ZHUZH! Personal note….ZHUZHING is one of my favorite words! Even the dictionary gets it with its definition “to improve in appearance by slight adjustment.” When decorating a home, ZHUZHING is the only word that works!
It is important to “play” with the leaves to replicate the beautiful randomness of nature. Most important is to twist the leaves up, down, and even around so the “growth pattern” looks natural. Nothing says “fake” more than seeing the plastic veining on the bottom of a leaf.
ZHUZH the leaves until holes are hidden, veining is covered, and leaves look like they are healthy and reaching for the sun. Don’t try for perfection. Manipulate the leaves toward a natural look.
5. Don’t forget the base
Moss, rocks, sand, even real dirt placed around the base of the plant will help “naturalize” your faux plant. Depending on your container, you may need to add some under-stuffing in the form of newspaper or kraft paper. Then cover with your natural elements to create organic realism.
6. Keep it clean
Dusty artificial plants scream “I’m FAKE!” Periodically wipe down the leaves with a damp soft cloth. If you are in a hurry (or there are lots of small leaves), a quick dusting with a blow dryer on a cool setting will do the trick.
7. The buddy system
One of the best ways to make a faux plant look real is to find a real plant buddy. Blend them into an existing plant garden for a seamless conservatory vibe.
Fiddle-leaf fig plants are very popular now but are very finicky in real form. Kind of like me if the temperature is not a perfect 72 degrees with a light breeze. Unfortunately, the fake fiddle leaves can look REALLY fake.
I ordered a very realistic 5’ faux fiddle leaf from QVC. It was a great price and I got free shipping on that particular day. There was quite a bit of ZHUZHING involved but it is so worth it!
Full disclosure: I now have three faux fiddle leaf figs. (Say that three times fast!) If I could recommend any large sized faux plant, it would be a fiddle leaf fig. Stately and dramatic, yet friendly and warm.
Can I have one in every room? Yes, please!
Trends come and go but plants are the trend that keeps on trending! Be it real or faux, you can green up your house and your thumb with these easy tips. Now go forth and fluff your faux!
Cheers! ~Missy
