Plant Containers Are an Important Part of Interior Landscaping

Bringing plants into the office is undoubtedly beneficial. They bring that little bit of nature into view for office staff, who would otherwise be surrounded by mundane walls, and they freshen the air, lifting the spirits of everyone working there. But as a part of interior landscaping, the container that the plants are in can be just as important in enhancing the office environment.

The range of plant containers available is extensive, with every kind of interior design accommodated. Whether contemporary, minimalist, or traditional, there is a container available to complement the design. In fact, there are even imaginatively designed containers to complement the most audacious office art.

We have put together a short list of container materials that serve to create specific effects. From the use of natural materials to metals with a high polished effect, the range is quite extensive and includes an array of container types that any office or commercial building could want.

Natural

Natural containers make use of natural organic materials, and are most often made use of to complement a rural, homely or traditional interior office design. Amongst the range of materials used are bamboo, shells, plant leaves and even finely ground stones, all treated to ensure that they maintain their impact permanently.

The effect of interior design can be highly impressive. For example, banana leaves are woven into square boxes or round urn-shaped containers, and sport a chequered design with contrasting shades of brown and yellow. It is an effect favoured by many offices wishing to project an environmental consciousness, or the image of sustainability and a green ethos that sits so comfortably with the general public.

The Havana range of containers meanwhile, use the leaves of the abaca plant, and are hand-woven to produce beautifully formed urn-shaped containers. They boast a thread or rope type finish, reminiscent on tribal pots from Central America, thus providing a distinct design effect.

Polystone, meanwhile, is a mixture of clay and crushed shells combined with fibreglass that mimics the appearance of stone. It comes in a variety of colours and textures, and provides a primitive, minimalist effect. The impact can be acute, boasting a majestic permanency.

Ceramic

Ceramic containers provide a solid, earthy look that helps to make staff members feel more at home. Perhaps that homely feeling comes from the fact that ceramics are, in fact, made from earth, or perhaps because they are so commonly found in our own homes, hosting plants on patios and in porches.

Whatever the specific reason, the effect that they have in the office is to soften the sharp lines that usually adorn an office environment. This is particularly true with the Antoinette range of ceramic containers that is so popular.

As the name Antoinette suggests, it is a range famed for its feminine softness, with rounded edges and smooth curves, even with the taller pedestals that hold plants high. However, they come in a range of colours, as well as sizes, to match the particular theme of the office design.

Metal

Of course, metal containers are hugely popular in modern offices, providing the steely, clean appearance that so many highly competitive companies like to project. Many of these offices, for example, are contemporary in design and as far removed from homely as one can get. Metal is a perfect part of that design.

Two metals in particular are commonly available, namely aluminium and stainless steel. Both of these can come in a high shine or a brushed effect. Lacquered finishing provides that clinical high shine appearance, while the brushed surface adds texture to the container.

Also, metal plant containers can be quite imaginative in their design, breaking away from the solid pedestal style, and instead coming in decorative meshes designs, artistic perforations and even obscure shapes, adding character to the containers. These are particularly popular when the containers are complementing office art, such as painting and sculptures, which serve to enhance the image the office projects. Indeed, many interior landscaping experts believe that the containers that the office plants are placed in are actually objects of art themselves.

The important thing, of course, is that the interior design of the office is enhanced, and that the working environment is improved, so that the staff are only too happy to come to work.

Sarah Shore writes for Ambius, who offer leading interior landscaping services. Ambius provides office plants and scenting to enhance corporate environments. Ambius also has a wide range of plant containers to add a touch of personality to office spaces and to compliment the office art.

Why Silk Plants Have Enjoyed a Resurgence in Interior Landscaping

Silk has long been revered as one of the most beautiful materials known to man, boasting a natural sheen and a coolness of touch that few other materials have. For centuries, this attraction to silk has been extreme, especially in the clothing industry where pure silk dresses and shirts are so highly prized. There can be little surprise, then, that silk plants are also keenly sought after.

Once upon a time, these plants were an extravagant example of craftsmanship that won plaudits at state fairs across the country, and were the ones that hotels were happy to invest grandly in to give guests a sense of luxury when they walked through the doors. These days, they are a key aspect of interior business landscaping both in terms of large and small floral displays.

Indeed, the market for artificial plants has grown dramatically in recent decades, with a range of materials coming into favor from time to time. However, in recent years, silk has regained its place as the favored material with which to enhance the interior landscape of an office or reception area. But designers are keen to highlight that it is not just because silk looks pretty.

Quality of Plants

The quality of plants made of silk is particularly high. In the past, silk was colored and then cut into the shape of a leaf or petal, and then applied to a framework, usually made of wire. However, that simple process has been replaced by high tech precision machines that are capable of creating perfectly measured plant parts. Not only that, but the coloring has become so exact that every aspect of shading can be allowed for.

The result is that, both visually and physically, these plants have real depth to them, making them very difficult to differentiate from real flowers. In fact, the silk materials used are made in such a manner as to replicate as closely as possible the texture of a real petal, bud or leaf.

So, even touch, which was once a sure give away when identifying an artificial plant, is no longer a reliable way to tell the difference.

Durability

There was a time when the petals on silk flowers and foliage on plants would fray over time, making the plant itself look dowdy and old. But the processes involved in manufacturing these plants have been perfected, ensuring this is no longer a concern, and the plants maintain their impressive appearance for much longer.

Of course, artificial plants, tend to last much longer than real plants. They require little or no maintenance, can never die so do not need to be replaced regularly, need no watering and no feeding. Silk always enjoyed these same traits, but since silk frays less easily now, the durability of silk artificial plants is even greater than it once was.

No Fire Hazard

As a choice of artificial plant material, silk may have succeeded in regaining its place at the top table in the eyes of interior landscapers for its quality and durability, but others favor it for different reasons. With fire and safety regulations being so important for all buildings, the fact that silk flowers, trees and plants have passed a range of tests makes it an acceptable material.

Silk is a fire retardant and has passed both the NFPA 701 and the ASTM E84 tests, with the result that interior landscapers know it will not harm the fire-safety status of an office. Other materials, such as plastic and nylon can release toxic fumes when set ablaze, making them not just a fire hazard but a health hazard also.

The fact that silk plants are now considered a safe option, as well as a precise replica boasting quality and extreme beauty, makes them impossible to ignore. Little wonder then, that interior designers and landscapers are happy to use them as an alternative to real plants, and that safety officers in workplaces are happy to accept them too.

Needless to say, as far as office workers are concerned, it is the fact that these plants make the interior landscape at work so much more pleasing that matters most. The degree of creativity, reliability and durability that silk boasts makes it a favorite once again when business landscaping plans are being agreed between seasoned landscapers and their clients.

Sarah Shore writes for Ambius, one of the primary business landscaping services in America. Ambius works with companies to provide a vibrant interior landscape to produce a dynamic corporate environment. Either real or artificial plants, such as silk plants, can be used, in accordance with the business' liking.