Adding greenery to your living room with indoor plants not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the space, but also purifies the air, boosts your mood, and much more. When choosing the best indoor plants for your living room, consider factors like the light conditions, your decor style, and how much maintenance you want to provide. We’ve compiled this list of 18 of the top indoor plants to liven up your living room.
Succulents
Succulents are ideal indoor plants for the living room because they are low maintenance, come in a variety of shapes and colors, and work with almost any decor style. Some top options include:
Snake Plant
The snake plant, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue or sansevieria, is one of the toughest indoor plants you can grow. It requires very little water and can tolerate low light conditions. Snake plants have stiff, upright leaves that add great architectural form to your living room.
Jade Plant
Jade plants have round, fleshy leaves that range from deep green to red. They are believed to bring luck according to the Chinese tradition of Feng Shui. Place your jade plant in bright, indirect light.
Echeveria
With their symmetrical rosettes of thick, colorful leaves, echeverias make a stunning addition to modern, boho, or eclectic living rooms. They come in shades of green, pink, orange, yellow, and more. Provide your echeveria with at least 4 hours of sunshine per day.
Aloe Vera
Known for its healing gel, aloe vera is also a chic living room plant. Its spiky leaves add texture and its medicinal properties purify the air. Aloe thrives in bright, direct light.
Tropical Plants
Tropical plants are always a good choice for the living room since they add a sense of the exotic. They generally like warm temperatures, high humidity, and bright light. Some top picks include:
Fiddle Leaf Fig
With its large, brightly-veined leaves, the fiddle leaf fig tree makes a dramatic statement in the living room. It thrives in bright, indirect light. Keep the soil slightly moist but allow it to dry out between waterings.
Bird of Paradise
Named after its unique flowers that resemble a bird, this plant has huge, architectural leaves that instantly create a tropical vibe. Place your bird of paradise in a spot with plenty of sunshine.
Croton
Crotons have beautifully patterned leaves in shades of red, orange, yellow, and green that make them true showstoppers. Grow your croton in medium to bright light. Avoid overwatering.
Rubber Plant
Rubber plants have big, glossy leaves that can range from burgundy to dark green. They remove airborne toxins and add a tropical feel wherever they are placed. Bright, indirect light keeps rubber plants thriving.
Flowering Plants
Few things energize a living room like gorgeous blooms. Choose flowering plants that match your decor style and provide the right care to encourage abundant flowers.
Orchids
Orchids are elegant flowering plants that perfectly suit formal living rooms. The popular moth orchid blooms for months at a time if given bright, indirect sunlight and consistent moisture.
Bromeliads
With their vividly colored flower spikes, bromeliads add a fun pop of color in modern or eclectic living rooms. Provide high humidity and bright, indirect light.
Peace Lily
A superb air purifier, the peace lily also produces graceful white blooms that contrast beautifully against its dark green foliage. Give peace lilies medium to low light and keep the soil moist.
African Violet
African violets produce dainty pink, purple, and white blooms. The fuzzy leaves thrive in bright, indirect light and moderately moist soil.
Low Light Plants
If your living room lacks bright windows, go for these low light-loving indoor plants instead:
ZZ Plant
Nearly indestructible, the ZZ plant tolerates just about any conditions, even very low light. Its waxy, oval-shaped leaves add nice texture.
Pothos
An easy-care vine plant, pothos can be trained to climb up bookshelves, mantels, or cabinets to add a cascade of trailing green in low light rooms.
Chinese Evergreen
This low maintenance plant has leaves splashed with silver and works well in shady living rooms. Allow the soil to partly dry out between waterings.
Cast Iron Plant
As its name suggests, the cast iron plant is nearly impossible to kill and thrives in low light spots. Its long, pointed leaves add a nice structural element.
Air Purifying Plants
In addition to aesthetic appeal, many indoor plants remove toxins from the air. Try these air purifying plants in your living room:
Spider Plant
The spider plant removes xylene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and other pollutants from the air. Let its long, arching leaves trail from a hanging basket or high shelf.
Red-Edged Dracaena
With pretty curving leaves edged in red, the dracaena is a living air purifier for the living room. It prefers bright, indirect light.
Heart Leaf Philodendron
The lush, glossy leaves of the heart leaf philodendron filter out formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. Give it medium light and regular water.
Boston Fern
This ruffled fern is excellent for air purification, removing xylene and formaldehyde. Grow your Boston fern in high humidity and keep the soil lightly moist.
Pet Friendly Plants
If you have pets, choose non-toxic indoor plants for your living room:
Ponytail Palm
Resembling a miniature palm tree, the ponytail palm has a thick trunk topped with long, strappy leaves. It’s safe for cats and dogs.
Parlor Palm
A popular houseplant, parlor palms have arching green fronds and suit any style of decor. Kitties won’t bother this pet-friendly plant.
Spiderwort
Purple-pink flowers bloom on the spiderwort throughout the summer. The soft, grassy foliage is harmless if nibbled by curious pets.
Christmas Cactus
With its vibrant fuchsia or red blooms in winter, the Christmas cactus brings holiday cheer without endangering your furry friends.
Hanging Plants
Take advantage of vertical space and hang trailing plants from the ceiling to add airiness to your living room. Great options include:
English Ivy
Let the long stems of this popular houseplant trail down from a hanging basket to lend a romantic, cascading effect.
String of Pearls
As the name suggests, string of pearls has long stems densely lined with balls that resemble pearls. Its trailing nature looks beautiful in a hanging planter.
Wandering Jew
A low-light loving trailing plant, wandering jew has stunning leaves that range from deep green to light purple. Allow its stems to beautifully drape down.
Air Plant
Air plants don’t require soil, so you can display them in glass globes, seashells or other containers and hang them by a string or ribbon. Mist them occasionally for moisture.
Decor Styles
Match your indoor plants to the overall decor style of your living room for a cohesive look:
- For modern decor, choose succulents, cacti, or air plants displayed in geometric or glazed ceramic planters.
- In boho or eclectic spaces, go for a bold mix of leafy tropicals and flowering plants in colorful ceramic or rattan planters.
- For farmhouse decor, opt for vintage ceramic pots filled with herbs, succulents or snake plants in natural wood planters.
- In formal living rooms, display orchids or peace lilies in elegant planters like cut glass vases or polished stone vessels.
- For Asian-inspired zen decor, choose bamboo, jade plants, orchids or bonsai trees placed in stone, ceramic or wood planter boxes.
Plant Care Tips
Follow these basic plant care guidelines to keep your living room plants healthy and thriving for years to come:
- Choose the right spot in your living room for each plant depending on its light needs. Most indoor plants need bright, indirect light.
- Use room temperature water for watering and avoid cold tap water. The frequency of watering depends on the plant variety and pot size.
- Add pebbles to plant pots to improve drainage and prevent root rot from overwatering. Or, use self-watering planters.
- Keep plants away from drafts from windows, vents, or doors which can shock them.
- Turn the plants periodically to ensure even growth towards the light source.
- Remove dead leaves and flowers to keep plants looking their best. Wipe leaves with a damp cloth to remove dust.
- Feed plants in the growing seasons of spring and summer using a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength.
- Repot plants when they are pot-bound into a slightly bigger container using fresh potting mix amended with compost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What indoor plants purify air the best?
Some top air purifying indoor plants are peace lily, English ivy, red-edged dracaena, spider plant, aloe vera, and snake plants.
How often should I water indoor living room plants?
Watering frequency depends on factors like the plant variety, pot size, time of year, and your home’s humidity. Most living room plants need watering once or twice a week. Allow the soil to partly dry out between waterings.
What plants can I put in my living room with no windows?
Great low-light indoor plants include pothos, Chinese evergreen, ZZ plant, cast iron plant, philodendron, and sansevieria.
Should I mist my indoor living room plants?
Misting provides extra humidity which most tropical indoor plants appreciate. But for succulents and cacti, misting can lead to rot, so avoid it.
What are the easiest indoor plants for beginners?
Beginner-friendly indoor plants include the snake plant, philodendron, peace lily, pothos, Chinese evergreen, and zeezee plant. They tolerate low light and irregular watering quite well.
Can indoor plants really purify the air?
Yes! Extensive research by NASA has proven that many common houseplants are excellent natural air purifiers, removing toxins like benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde from the air.
What plants should I avoid if I have pets?
Toxic plants for cats and dogs include sago palm, lilies, azalea, oleander, english ivy, and cyclamen, so opt for pet-friendly options like spider plants or parlor palms instead.
Conclusion
Bringing indoor plants into your living room enhances the space visually and physically by purifying the air, providing soothing nature, and adding your own unique style. By choosing the right low maintenance, pet-safe plants suited to your living room’s light conditions and your decor style, you can easily create an indoor oasis. Just be sure to give them the proper care they need to thrive. With a beautiful living room garden, you’ll enjoy spending time in this space and reap the benefits houseplants provide.