Flower Power: Our Guide to Creating a Luxurious, Botanical Home
Later this month will be the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and with it, we shall all come away inspired to transform our homes and gardens into botanical paradises. For many, the appeal of a botanical home endures and for good reason. Incorporating floral and naturally inspired elements into an interior design can help to create an ambience of tranquillity and relaxation. However, achieving a luxurious, botanical home requires a thoughtful approach, especially if you want to keep things low maintenance. Using examples from Janine Stone & Co.’s body of work, we thought we’d share some of our tips for creating botanically inspired interior design.
1. Flora Selection
Choosing the right flowers, plants, shrubs and trees for your home can be the difference between a visually compelling space and a lacklustre one. Flowers and plants can change the overall look and feel of a space, so it’s important to select ones that complement your interior design. If you’re going for a modern, minimalist aesthetic, you might choose a few statement plants with simple, sculptural form and aesthetic. On the other hand, if you don’t want you or your house guests’ eyes to be too distracted by their presence, you might opt for lush, leafy plants with cascading foliage – that happily take a backstage presence. The latter use of plants is particularly common in modern home office environments, whilst there maybe a better opportunity to apply the former technique in an entrance or hallway of your home.
It’s essential to consider the natural light, humidity, and temperature of each room when selecting plants. For instance, succulents thrive in dry environments with lots of sunlight, while ferns prefer more shaded areas with higher humidity.
2. Wall Coverings
Botanical wallpaper and covers are another excellent way to add depth and texture to a room. Depending on the desired effect, it can create a sense of whimsy and romance or lend a modern, minimalist feel. It can be used to create a statement without overwhelming the room, or references a place in the world that holds personal or sentimental value. On a recent project, our designers commissioned a custom wallpaper that depicted the lush tropical vegetation discovered in rural Thailand. The colours are purposely muted, whilst the intricate design ensures a subtle and sophisticated final look, whilst avoiding a botanical aesthetic that feels more garish.
3. Architectural Details
Creating a botanical oasis in your home is not just about introducing floral patterns and plants to a space. The architecture itself can be inspired by nature. To illustrate this point, our design team previously worked with Plaster artist Rachel Dein, and commissioned her to create the mouldings for the vaulted ceiling of a contemporary-classic poolhouse, we were designing. Rachel’s casts record all the texture, pattern, and delicacy of nature in exquisite detail. Her composition can be as simple as a single stem or as complex as a field of wildflowers, leaves, and grasses. These occasions also present opportunities for our clients to be more involved in the process of design, by collecting the wildflowers or other casts themselves. This makes for a greater sense of ownership and involvement in this finished interior.
4. Natural Light
Natural light can enhance the natural texture and colours of materials like wood, stone, and metal, giving them a warm and inviting appearance. If what you want is a space that feels connected to the natural world outside, it’s crucial you select natural materials for your space and highlight them with natural light. This may mean remodelling the interior architecture to allow for a skylight or expanding the windows so they are floor-to-ceiling. When selecting window treatments, opt for those that allow for natural light to come in while maintaining privacy. Sheer curtains or blinds that can be easily opened and closed are often good choices, which will also help to soften the sun’s rays when at it’s strongest and maintain that tranquil ambience.
How To Create A Botanically Inspired Home?
Creating a luxurious, botanical home requires a thoughtful approach that requires getting to know what your definition of a botanical paradise represents. As you have seen, botanically inspired homes and interiors can be subtle and sophisticated and do not need to have the same feel as entering a greenhouse. By bringing all the elements of interior design, architecture and construction in-house Janine Stone & Co’s design team can help you consider every detail of your project from start to finish. If you’d like to learn more about our services you can download our guide here, or alternatively call us to begin your journey.
