A (Probably Biased) Review of Indoor Plant Decor

Having just finished a book on houseplants myself, it’s refreshing to see that someone else has made it a point to portray houseplants as more than just an afterthought in a well decorated home, but focal points on par with a prized piece of art or a favorite piece of furniture. Admittedly, it’s even more exciting to see that the authors of such a book were my good friends Kylee Baumle and Jenny Peterson.

Oh, and before I forget - be sure to enter to win a bunch of Better Homes and Gardens magazine specials by leaving a comment on this post! All you have to do is tell me about your favorite houseplant and I will choose a winner on May 12^th.

There are many books that tell you how to grow houseplants, but Indoor Plant Décor is probably the first one I’ve read that actually tells you how to have fun with them. The result of their approach is one really fun book with original ideas on nearly every page. Tabletop moss gardens, wall-mounted feed troughs filled with houseplants and repurposed chairs stuffed with succulents just the tip of the iceberg. Among other DIY projects (one of which is the driftwood and mistletoe cactus piece from my last post), there’s even a staghorn fern-planted ‘Rainforest Drop’ of sorts!

Apart from those creative DIY projects, Kylee and Jenny show the reader how to utilize plants and their containers to suit your individual decorating tastes – even if you have no idea what your style is! If a clean and uncluttered Peaceful Zen vibe is more your thing, they tell you how to use simple pots, earthy textures and bold plants to make your home look like a spa retreat. Strapped for cash? They also tell you how to hone your Cheap Chic style so that your arrangements look clever rather than tacky.

As stated in the title, this review is quite possibly biased. I consider Kylee and Jenny to be some of my best friends and am even on a plane en route to see Jenny at P. Allen Smith’s place as I type. But since I just scrambled to finish my own manuscript on a similar topic, I’ve still kept a keenly critical eye as I flipped through the pages and have noticed one thing might have been useful. There’s hardly any mention of how much light the plants need. But I don’t think it was really an oversight as much as it was a conscious choice to banish the stigma that growing houseplants requires a green thumb. Since just about every other book on indoor plants focuses on caring for them, why bog down a fun book with technicalities? After all, Indoor Plant Decor isn’t the kind of book you read from front to back, but rather one you look forward to browsing through for a jolt of inspiration. It’s an ideabook, not an instruction manual.

The irresistible photographs and friendly conversational tone are enough to get any self-proclaimed black thumb to take a chance on houseplants, and the two authors are quick to point out that houseplants can be expected to die, regardless of your skills or care. And I agree. The goal of growing houseplants isn’t merely to keep them on life support, but rather to enjoy them and learn more about their quirks along the way. Whether your idea of decorating with plants involves a single potted plant or a living work of installation art occupying your entire wall, the brilliant examples in the pages of Indoor Plant Décor encourage you to look at plants as more than just afterthoughts on the windowsill but rather exciting, living elements of your creative lifestyle. I give it two green thumbs up!

Want to win stuff from other blogs and read their reviews of the book? Here are some other contributors to the shindig.

Gossip in the Garden

Cowlick Cottage Farm 
 

dirt du jour
 

The Casual Gardener

Not Just a Housewife
 

Personal Garden Coach
 

Digging
 

The Impatient Gardener

Gardening Gone Wild


Technical stuff: This contest is open only to US residents. I was given a free copy of the book to review. And also because I won a contest. Yeah.