Succulents are “having a renaissance, and have become a decorating staple in boutiques, restaurants, offices and apartments.”
— CURBED.com
All it takes is a quick browse around the internet or even your local department store to see that cacti and succulents are all the rage. From festival wear and kitchen ware to more than 5 million posts on Instagram, these prickly, spiny and fleshy plants have not only taken popular culture by storm, they have also become one of the most popular decorating trends today.
Once the iconic symbol of the desert Southwest, cacti and their succulent cousins are now the symbol for carefree, low maintenance living that appeals to a wide variety of tastes and styles. The plants boast such a diverse repertoire of unique shapes, textures and colors, they can be styled to fit almost any home décor from shabby chic, to tropical, to urban minimal. And with the trend toward downsizing, their often-miniscule size is perfect for smaller, more compact spaces.
And while the live plants are relatively easy to care for with their resilient nature and minimal need for water, a more economical and versatile alternative for home stagers is to invest in high-quality replicas that are often impossible to tell from the real thing. With artificial succulents and cacti, you can go from low maintenance to no maintenance at all (aside from keeping them clean and dusted), while sacrificing very little in appearance. Many succulents, by their very nature, look a bit like plastic, which makes them easily replicable with high-quality materials. Likewise, well-constructed artificial cacti are so lifelike that you would be hard-pressed to tell if they are real or not; in fact, on some, their ‘spines’ will actually poke your skin!
Invest in a variety of plant sizes and colors to fit the wide range of spaces you will fill. Some artificial succulents and plants that look particularly life-like are: aloe, burro tail, fiddle leaf figs, air tillandsia, agave, lotus, snake plants, jade plant, aloe, echeveria and mini dracaena.
Avoid arrangements that ‘try too hard,’ with overly glossy finishes or details that could be considered outdated or tacky (like those that include painted accents; gimmicky ‘extras,’ like sombreros, for instance). Opt instead for organic details like natural wood ball containers, life-like soil and rocks in the containers, and ‘imperfect’ surfaces, as they would naturally appear in the wild.
With the endless variety of succulents and cacti to choose from, there is no easier or more ‘on-trend’ way to modernize a room, add a bit of whimsy, or imbue a luscious tropical feel. However, as with any trend, the key to successfully implementing it is to incorporate products that fit the space and are not ‘forced,’ which often means using them in sparingly.
Here are some ideas:
- Create a wall ‘scene’ by hanging several succulents in planters or within a large wooden display when there is not much room for planters or to create interest on a large blank wall.
- Incorporate succulents in a glassy orb atop books for a simple table vignette
- Fill small spaces or shelves with a dainty tablescape arrangement of miniature succulents or cacti
- Include natural elements like linen, rocks, wood and succulents in dining room table settings
- Turn a porch into a luscious rainforest jungle with multiple or larger succulents and cacti grouped together
Fill an open wall with an unexpected hanging of succulents in lieu of a painting or picture. This one (above) features agave plants and echeveria (SKU181003). Below: Round metal wall hanging with succulents (SKU: 181002)
Transform a sunroom or outdoor area into a luscious tropical oasis with both large and small artificial tropical plants. (Above) Aloe plant with succulent underplanting in round planter
(SKU: 318104)
Arrangements that mimic the way succulents naturally grow add instant appeal. Add one with mixed succulents and aloe in a wooden root ball below to a bedside table or shelf grouping. (SKU: 129066)
Choose the right container to fit the space and style of the room you are staging. The arrangement above works well for shabby chic, country or even a more modern urban industrial decor. It features aloe, burro tail and succulents in a corrugated metal vase.
(SKU: 169062)
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