Fake plants are never acceptable in my world of interior design. I don’t care if it’s just in a corner or up on a ledge where nobody can inspect it closely. I don’t care if you don’t have enough time to water real plants or just don’t have that green thumb. Don’t ever use fake plants.
I will sometimes forgive fake flowers or plastic fruit in some sort of stupid Rococo design if they are obviously fake: if they are spray-painted gold or entirely too exotic to be believable, or clearly ironic. If fake plants are merely fake plants, then there’s something more bearable about them. But fake plants can never, ever, take the place of real ones.
The moment I walk into a business, I can usually sense that a fake plant is lurking. That potted palm next to the bathroom. There’s something a bit odd isn’t there? A little too rigid. A little too healthy looking. Fake plants that are obvious bits of segmented plastic just hurt my sense of purpose. Why bother trying to add some life and green into a space if it is just going to remind me about how tacky and stifling the place really is? Deceptively real fake plants just make me sad. When I stroke a leaf and feel silk rather than cellulose, I feel betrayed. If a host or business owner cares that much about what his or her plants look like, why not just take the time to water a real one?
Once a week. That’s usually all it takes. Lots of plants can go nearly a month without water in case someone forgets, and no I’m not just talking about cacti. You’d be surprised how much you can abuse some basic houseplants.
The only thing that can add life and greenery to a place is an actual plant. Otherwise, you’re just defeating your purpose.
Fake plants especially creep me out in doctor’s offices and waiting rooms. Health professionals that can’t even bother to keep a plant alive by watering it once a week.
[...] I stopped in the new Pix on Hawthorne today (formerly Bar Pastiche). Bar Pastiche had a darker, more elusive ambience than the new Pix has now and I remember it having a bluish cast to it. I never noticed the exposed vents in Bar Pastiche, but in the new Pix they are highlighted. The designers of the new Pix used the line created by the bottom of the vent to add bushy garlands of fake flowers. I know I wrote a tirade about fake plants earlier, but I said they were ok in a few select cases. Hipster decorating is one of them. [...]
[...] And what about fake trees? Everyone knows how I feel about fake plants, but I also used to cry when trees got cut down. Fake trees are lighter and easier to deal with. Some already come with their own lights. They are more expensive, but they seem more efficient. A cut tree costs about $25-35. They sell full-sized fake trees at Fred Meyer’s for about $130. You can just use the same one every year instead of searching out, cutting down, and buying a new tree every year. In the end you probably end up saving. In spite of this, I say go for the real tree. I hate fake plants so much that I’d rather kill a real one. Real trees smell so amazing and look quaint and adorable rather than tacky and sterile. Don’t forget that raw materials go into fake trees too. Plastic is definitely not a renewable resource. To read the terrifying truth about fake trees, you can go to your trusted source, the National Christmas Tree Association. [...]