Having plants indoors is the easiest way to bring nature’s beauty to your home. These beautiful greenies have a magical way of improving the overall mood and helping your health by purifying the air. If you have some living room plant decor ideas, you will be happy to hear that learning how to arrange plants in the living room is a skill you can master in just a few easy steps! This article is for all of you who want to have your own indoor jungle and learn how to decorate a living room with plants but don’t know where to begin. Let’s start!
General Rules for Arranging Plants Indoors
Before you begin, you will need to familiarize yourself with the plants’ requirements and needs. Each green friend has different demands when it comes to watering, light, fertilizing, and pruning. First, you need to assess where each plant can grow. For example, if you have many windows, you will need to select mostly those species for the living room that do well in bright indirect light. If your living area is shaded and has few windows, the plants that handle the low light conditions would best match your dwelling.
If you are a beginner, the amount of information thrown at you can appear somewhat overwhelming. Our green pets are very different in terms of the frequency of watering, the size of the pots, and overall maintenance routines. Don’t worry! To make things easier for you, we have prepared some general rules to arrange your plants in the best way:
Plant Size
Plants for the living room can be strategically grouped according to their size. Whether small, large, tall, or short, it has a place in your little dwelling.
Large Plants
Large plants are praised for their impressively large leaves and branching. However, working around them in the house design might be tricky. Oversized plants are excellent focal objects to be placed in an uncluttered room corner or an empty space between furniture. Palms with elegant leaves such as Areca, Kentia, or Parlor; tall full-sized indoor trees like Rubber and Fiddle-Leaf Fig are spectacular large plants to place indoors.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Shoulder-to-shoulder placement of plants with nearby furniture;
- The chosen plants must be at least three ft. (1 meter) below the ceiling.
Tips:
- Consider pruning the top branch to encourage side-branching for trees almost hitting the ceiling;
- For palms with droopy old leaves, fit the whole plant in the imaginary 3x3 ft. (1x1 meter) square by cutting them.
Small Plants
Small plants can be perfect for creating a green carpet on tables, windowsills, or waist-level furniture. You can pick a beautiful green pet from Cacti, Succulent, Aloe, or Orchid family. Aside from their beauty, these plants are easy to take care of and can be quite forgiving if you forget to water them for a week or two.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing plants in a shady or relatively dark area;
- Overcrowding the furniture top;
- Putting small plants directly on the floor.
Tips:
- Place tiny succulent plants like Echeveria in groups of three or any other odd number;
- Place small plants on furniture of at least knee-level height, such as coffee tables.
Tall Plants
A tall plant can be classified as a large but relatively slender green pet perfect for cramped spaces. This category includes pole-trailing vines, such as Pothos, Monstera, and Philodendron, as well as tall, sleek Dracaenas, full-sized Lucky Bamboo, and Birds of Paradise.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing tall plants in a spacious area where they are unlikely to fill the broad space;
- Grouping slender plants of the same height.
Tips:
- Consider placing tall plants directly on the floor or in a living room with high ceilings;
- If the leaves of Birds of Paradise or Monstera are rubbing against a piece of furniture, we suggest cutting them.
Learn about the Visual Weight of the Plants
Visual weight refers to the effect the leaves have once they grow, and the plant reaches its adult stage. Some leaves can appear climbing (trailing), and others are moving downwards (hanging) or sideways. The leaf direction and overall growth are essential in interior decoration. The leaves create a main lead line, which our eyes use to interact with the rest of the ornamental details in the room. For instance, hanging plants tend to focus your eye on the floor, while tall ones shift the focus to the walls and curtains. You can determine the desirable focus points in your living area and choose the visual weight to match it best.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Putting two large-foliage plants side-by-side. It interferes with the perceptible aesthetic composition.
Tips:
- Highlight one corner with stunning plants and the other with a different visual weight. For example, place a large tree on a dull corner and a smaller or medium-sized bushy plant on the opposite side;
- Giant Ferns or Peace Lilies are standout plants perfect for a clutter-free floor.
Texture Is Important
If you define yourself as a maximalist or a minimalist, you can use this knowledge about your personality to your advantage in the decoration process. Indoor plants have a variety of fantastic leaf patterns and textures. The ones with a milder appearance would be a better choice, if you are a minimalist. If you’re a maximalist, consider bushy and colorful vegetation with bold patterns.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Grouping plants with different sun or watering requirements;
- Combining a succulent or a cactus with a plant more than twice its size.
Tips:
- When applying the triangular composition, select a large, medium, and small-sized plant to make a more radical look;
- Linearly organize similar plants for a neat and symmetrical look.
Grouping and the Rule of Three
You can optimize your plants’ locations by grouping them. You can use the rule of three (group them in odd numbers such as three, five, seven, etc.). The idea behind this rule is to give you a better sense of combining the height, the colors, and the textures. The combos created by the rule of three will appear more natural and appealing to the eye. The trick is to mix the colors, shapes, and textures and avoid placing plants with similar attributes, such as color or height, next to each other. However, if you go with the same leaf shapes, your green ensemble will benefit from it!
The Importance of Color
The variety of colors and patterns is probably the most amazing part about indoor plants. The rule of three mentioned earlier can be used to combine the colors. There are primary, secondary, and signature tones.
The primary color tone will dictate the room’s overall palette, so it’s best for taller plants. The medium-sized flora can be brighter or darker, depending on the furniture and the color of the walls and curtains. The smallest plants can add contrasting color hues to the table and enhance the luminance in the room.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Mixing plants with the same color or grouping similarly-colored plants in equal quantities (for example, five purple, five red, and five white roses);
- Placing plants in front of the background of the same color as the foliage.
Tips:
- Primary colors should complement the leading shade of the room. For example, green-lilac-white are excellent combinations in a toned-down or pastel-dominated room.
Give a Chance to Colorful Pots
Once you are done choosing the plants you like, you will need to decide the color of the pots that will be used for them. This will be the final touch in decorating your living room. In this selection, the sky's the limit. You can choose only one color or mix and match and select different colors for each vessel. If you feel that colorful containers seem a bit overboard, consider the room’s primary colors and play with their lighter or darker shades.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Selecting bold and big pots when it's outside the overall aesthetic. Bright colors tend to pull attention, so select a nude or muted color pallet to shift focus to the plant's beauty;
- Putting a large pot in a tight space.
Tips:
- If your plant is still young and will grow bushy, place the original pot in an oversized planter. It creates an illusion that your plant is bigger, which defines more space;
- For hanging plants, you may choose crochet plant hangers, a trendy aesthetic element these days.
Choose the Right Spot
Now it’s time to choose suitable locations for your green pets. Even though the location should be appealing, it should also provide your plant with the necessary lighting and humidity level. Tall plants can be placed on the floor, close to the windows, or next to the sofa. The medium-sized ones can go on the shelves, the bookcase, or the fireplace (if you have one). The small greenies can be placed on the coffee table or put in hanging pots and attached to the ceiling.
Bench
Benches and tall stools with variable elevations and designs are great for adding layers to your decor. Like oversized pots, they help small plants appear big and get more appreciation than they would, standing on the floor. You can place young plants or small-sized bushy green pets on top of four-legged furniture.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing many plants on one bench, especially for spherical shapes that take up space (Peace Lily, bushy varieties of Fern). We recommend placing one plant per little bench.
Tips:
- This plant arrangement works well in symmetry. For example, you can place two benches at the side of a television or a bookshelf;
- Experiment with the height to get the most out of your plants' placement.
Small Table
Decorate your coffee or console table in the living room with a small potted plant. Since there are usually a lot of other objects on the table (i.e., books, mugs, TV remote), it's best to use tiny plants like Orchids, succulents, or Aloes to keep it neat and simple.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing big and bushy plants on the table near the TV. The foliage will block the view and get in the way.
Tips:
- Place up to 3 types of succulents with varying sizes and shapes. You can turn to the perfect trio for small space — Aloe, Sansevieria, and Echeveria;
- The succulents can be grouped and planted in one dish to make a mini-terrarium.
Window
Window sills are often a missed opportunity for adding some greenery to the living room. Various plants, including aromatic herbs, flowering annuals, or succulents, can be put in the frame. You can also place taller green pets behind the little ones to maximize sunlight exposure.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing taller plants before the smaller plants;
- Putting a thick and nontranslucent curtain.
Tips:
- Plants with trailing habits can be suspended and cascade down to the floor to create a stunning natural curtain;
- Small sun-loving plants should be placed closer to the window to avoid the giants casting shadows on them.
On a Shelf
Sneaking a mini-garden into a shelf improves the aesthetic value of bare wooden or metallic furniture. The unique combination of non-living objects and the stunning foliage will catch everyone's attention.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Overcrowding the shelf with many big and bushy plants.
Tips:
- Small-sized succulents can be squeezed into bookshelf gaps;
- Consider placing a drooping vine on a shelf if you want to add a slightly dramatic effect.
Corner
The four empty corners of the living rooms can add a sense of awkwardness to the space. However, they provide a great opportunity to place something nice in the house, and tall or big plants are perfect for this! The height and the leaf size usually lure attention and add a casual juxtaposition of indoor elements and living plants.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing oversized plants in spots where they will be touching the sofa or other pieces of furniture;
- Putting smaller plants below the waist level.
Tips:
- If you have smaller plants that are fuller and bushy, place them on elevation, like a stool or a side table, to raise their position.
Floor
You can add some color to bare floors by picking a new houseplant. Large and bushy perennials with unique leaves are a spectacular choice; even a single ornament placed on the floor will be an elegant decor.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Displaying small plants in a small pot;
- Overcrowding bushy plants.
Tips:
- If the plant takes up a lot of space, don't add more green pets. Too many plants in one spot can create a messy jungle look;
- Floor placement is recommended for centerpieces.
The Available Light
Light is the primary energy source for plant food. Therefore, it's vital to consider the light situation when arranging the plants indoors. Who would want a green pet suddenly die due to improper placement? To avoid this problem, check the points which should be well-planned before decorating your living space with plants.
Places With Bright Light
Some indoor plants, although treated as shadow-loving, thrive when placed near a light source. Succulents, indoor Palms, Monstera, and other indoor trees grow better next to a window. This placement ensures the continuous growth of green leaves.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Hoisting down the blinds in the daytime;
- Blocking the full window view.
Tips:
- Rotate your trees monthly to help their foliage grow uniformly;
- Consider placing plants as living blinds to reduce the luminosity of the room.
Places With Low Light
Spots behind the furniture, a part of the wall or curtain, and the furthest area away from the window often receive the least light. However, some plants can thrive even in low-light conditions. We recommend looking at Peace Lilies, Anthuriums, Orchids, or Ferns to put in the shaded area of your living room.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Placing your plant in a spot with not enough light to read. It's a tell-tale sign that the available light won't be enough for a green pet, and you should look for another location.
Tips:
- If the plant exhibits legginess, prune the long branches and move your green pet to a spot with more light;
- If a plant is hidden behind shelves, you can place a stand or a stool to elevate it to get enough light.
Benefits of Having Plants in Living Room
Despite the increasing popularity of indoor plants during the last several years, some may second-guess when deciding if our green friends can live within four walls with us. The answer is yes! In fact, it has been proven that indoor flora can improve our quality of life. Here are the most known benefits:
Air Quality Improvement
After inviting a few green visitors to your home, it will only take about three weeks to notice that the air quality in your house has improved. Plants can provide more oxygen, filter the air and remove toxins.
Stress Management and Mental Health
Gardening has always been known to reduce stress and have a positive effect on mental health. Much like reading and fishing, caring about plants can give you peace of mind. You will feel closer to nature and much more still in stressful situations. 
Ideas to Avoid in Your Plant Arrangement
Once you have set up everything and feel ready to enjoy the beauty of your indoor plants, you may experience some limitations or issues as you get used to them. Remember that this is a natural process, and plenty of solutions exist. Here are some of them:
Struggling with the Maintenance
If you feel like you never have the time to water your plants or care for them, you might have selected the ones that don’t match your lifestyle. You can solve this by choosing low-maintenance species that won’t take too much of your time. The best candidates would be cacti and succulents. These tough cuties take care of most of their needs by themselves.
Lack of Provided Sunlight
If the light is coming from the dark curtains or shadowed areas, keep in mind that without bright illumination within at least 2-3 hours, most plants won’t be able to survive. You can troubleshoot this issue by choosing curtains in brighter colors or purchasing some LED grow lights to spark up your room.
Be Сareful with Сlutter
This is by far the biggest trap. Have you ever had a friend that got so caught with decorating that their space doesn’t look, feel and seem like a house? Remember, even though your home has to reflect your unique style, you should be careful not to clutter it. Don’t get too carried away, and stick to the plants that speak to you the most! 
Best Plants for Living Room
The best plant will vary depending on the living room. However, to help you choose, we composed a list of the most popular green pets depending on several characteristics.
Floor plants
If you have large empty spaces in the living room, consider filling them with one (or many!) of these plants that do well when placed on the floor:
- Peace Lily;
- Boston Fern;
- Sansevieria;
- Alocasia;
- Schefflera.
Large indoor plants
Brighten your living space with these majestic and all-time favorite houseplants:
- Fiddle Leaf Fig;
- Weeping Fig;
- Citrus trees;
- Rubber tree;
- Areca palm.
Standing Plants
If your room is compatible with tall plants, you can't go wrong decorating your dwelling place with these top picks of standing plants:
- Dracaenas;
- Ponytail Palm;
- African Milk tree;
- Money tree;
- Indoor vines (Philos, Monstera, Pothos).
List of Best Plant Ideas for Living Room
Besides the decorative part, selecting your perfect green candidate can be difficult. Let’s explore some living room indoor plant ideas that will help you transform your place!
Most Beautiful Plants
Even though all plants are beautiful, a recommendation or two can still help in finding the best indoor plant ideas for your living room. Here are some gorgeous options to pay attention to:
- Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) and Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens): These are the most famous indoor plants, mainly because they are tall and lush; they give a tropical feel to any space.
- Monstera plants: The Monstera genus has many species (the most popular ones being deliciosa and adansonii). Their beautiful leaves will always be the center of attention!
- Fiddle Leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) and Amstel King ficus: Tall and resilient, these plants will make your living area look very classy with their amazing foliage!
Most Healthy
Sometimes you just don’t want to spend too much time babysitting your plants... And that’s okay! Here are some low-maintenance options for you to consider:
- Snake plants: This plant will be your best friend. It doesn’t require much care, and its long leaves make the space look fresh and elegant.
- English Ivy (Hedera helix): These sturdy plants with elegant leaves and long stems won’t be a fuss at all.
- Ferns: Lush and bushy, these plants will immediately fill up the vacuous space. As a bonus, they are really tough when it comes to pests.
- Spider plant: This beautiful plant boasts green and white leaf tones and would be another great choice regarding health and sturdiness.
Most Popular
Let’s take a look at the winners of the popularity contest! Here are the plants that get chosen a bit more often than others:
- Lucky Bamboo: A sign of wealth and luck, this plant is one of the most popular species when it comes to indoor spaces. It is also easy to maintain.
- Pothos: A vining species with gorgeous shiny leaves. This low-maintenance plant is a beginner’s ultimate choice!
- Orchids: A classy pick with elegant flowers that will make you swoon (they are available in many colors too).
- Anthuriums: This plant is likely everyone’s favorite because of its vivid flowers and the jungle vibes it gives to any living are
Tips on How to Decorate a Living Room with Plants
Here are some tips to sum up all the living room plant ideas and help you decorate your home most effectively:
- Know your style and avoid the clutter: It is pointless to follow the trends and choose plants that don’t speak to you just to appear stylish. Try to keep what makes you feel good and get rid of the clutter.
- Assess the lighting in your living space: Check the light coming from the windows. Its accessibility will significantly affect the plants’ growth and watering schedule.
- Think of your lifestyle: Do some research and select low-maintenance plants if you cherish your time too much to take care of them constantly.
- Use the rule of three to your advantage: Group the items to organize the space more efficiently. However, please don’t overdo it!
FAQ
What Indoor Plants Look Good Together?
Mix plant species with 2-3 different shades to follow the rule of three and avoid a disagreeable sight. Variegated varieties of Monstera impose a striking appearance with a purple-colored variety of Calathea, Alocasia, or False Shamrock.
How to Arrange a Group of Plants?
Arrange a group of plants in uneven or odd numbers if you work with small plants like succulents. Compositions in odd numbers have a more alluring effect than the even-counted groups.
Where to Put Tall Plants in the Living Room?
Tall plants can be placed in the corner of the living room, next to a sofa, furniture, or a window. Avoid placing them in tight spaces where the branches touch the furnishings or the ceiling.
