Peace In The Home

Indoor Greenery Has Become the Urban Obsession Du Jour. Here’s How to Bring Your Space Up to Speed on the Trend

- Tess Paterson

While indoor gardening may smack of the ’70s, the new verdant invasion has a more curated, sculptural and bespoke persona. ‘There’s a huge return to indoor plants,’ says Johannesburg based garden designer James Barry. ‘Everyone from Gucci to Designers Guild is getting back to nature.’

With apartment living – and stress – on the rise, our need for the natural world gains ever more momentum. ‘There’s a whole new generation of chlorophyll junkies out there,’ says James. ‘I grew up surrounded by masses of ferns in macramé holders. By the time I began my own indoor collection, I was in minimalist mode – all hardcore succulents and big, thorny offerings. The good news is that we’re revisiting the plants that worked in the past, gems such as peace in the home and aspidistras. Everything’s cyclical; we’re just looking at them in a more contemporary and considered way.’

In the digital world, #succulents has over 3.6 million posts on Instagram alone. ‘I think older Millennials, in particular, are warming up to plants,’ says indoor plant curator Sylvia McKeown. ‘Our lives are heavily tech focused, and we’re finding a balance by bringing nature into our homes. We’re also open to the responsibility of caring for living things. Plants breathe life into a space in a way that simply can’t be replicated.’