How to create a productive workspace with houseplants
Creating a productive workspace at home has never been more important. Here are some top tips on how houseplants can lift your spirits and motivate you.
Image: Thejoyofplants.co.uk
With so many of us now having left the office behind and made the transition to working from home, thejoyofplants.co.uk has teamed up with biophilic designer and expert, Oliver Heath to offer advice on how houseplants can help transform your makeshift working space into a productive and calming zone.
Bedroom
Image: Sweetpea & Willow
There’s no denying the importance of a good night’s sleep before a day at work, and houseplants in your bedroom can help improve this. Oliver Heath references how ‘poor sleep is commonly associated with lower level of productivity and reduced cognitive function so it’s crucial to ensure we’re promoting healthy sleep in our homes.’
Unlike other houseplants, snake plants release oxygen at night so if you have one they make a great addition to your bedroom to promote sleep, ensuring you work efficiently the next day.
Kitchen/dining room
Image: Dobbies
Dining tables are often the hub of the home for eating, hosting and working from home. Laptops, notebooks and documents often take priority on the table leaving little room for plants, so Oliver recommends hanging your plants in the windows.
This hack makes a clever use of little space which is often the case in rented properties and hanging houseplants creates natural textures and patterns which draw us to set up station near the window. Oliver adds ‘with high levels of natural light, working near windows and plants can reset our circadian rhythms, positively impacting mood, communication and productivity.’
Living room
Image: Thejoyofplants.co.uk
No week at work comes without a little stress so it’s integral our home working environment is restorative and relaxing. If you work most productively on the sofa, then fringing this with plenty of houseplants will make this space calming, for when you need it most. Oliver suggests Boston ferns here since ‘they introduce lots of natural movement which has been shown to help up relax and restore focus.’
Open-plan spaces
Image: Furniture Choice
With different houses comes different floorplans, and open-plan living spaces are common which sees kitchen, living and dining areas combined. In homes like these, Oliver says ‘placing your plants on open shelves are an ideal solution to ensuring a level of separation between productive spaces where an occupant can work, and others where socialising or switching off is key.’ Houseplants such as peace lilies look beautiful while removing toxins from the air, so are the perfect choice for a shelf or screen in a central position.
Which houseplants are your favourite for a productive workspace? Let us know on social! Tweet us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.