Artificial plants by room

The right artificial plant for a room depends on three things: how much floor or surface space you have, how much direct sun the room gets, and whether it is steamy. Below is what works in each room of the house, with the plants we suggest and the pitfalls to avoid. Heights and spreads are as arranged in our photos.

Living room

The living room usually has the most space, so it is the place for a larger floor plant or tree. Good spots are an empty corner, the end of a sofa and either side of a sideboard or media unit.

• Corners: a tree of 120–150cm suits a room with a standard ceiling. Our 150cm twisted trunk fruticosa-style ficus tree is 60cm wide, and our 120cm Natural Look bamboo has brown natural bamboo canes and a 60cm spread.
• Beside the sofa: as a rule of thumb, choose a plant at least as tall as the back of the sofa so it doesn't look lost.
• High ceilings: a room with a high ceiling can take a much taller tree. See our large and tall artificial trees.
• Sideboards and shelves: a bushy plant of 50–70cm, such as our 65cm large leaf bamboo shrub, or a trailing plant along the top of a bookcase.

If the living room gets strong afternoon sun, keep plants that aren't UV-stabilised out of the direct light from the window. Browse our living room artificial plants and our full range of artificial floor plants.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are usually smaller and calmer than living rooms, so plants work best at a smaller scale and in quieter shapes.

• Bedside tables and chests of drawers: low plants under 50cm, or a small orchid, leave room for a lamp and a book.
• A narrow corner or the gap beside a wardrobe: upright plants take up little floor space. Our 70cm dark green sansevieria is 15cm wide.
• The top of a wardrobe: a trailing plant softens the hard edge. Our 100cm hanging maidenhair fern trails down rather than spreading out.
• A floor corner: in a larger bedroom, a 120cm tree balances the height of the bed and wardrobe.

Our artificial plants are allergy-friendly, as they carry no pollen, which is worth knowing for a room you sleep in. Browse our bedroom artificial plants.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are where artificial plants make most sense: many are too dark or too small for real plants, and nobody wants to water a plant on a high shelf. Steam is the one thing to plan for.

• Choose wipeable leaves. Steam creates a film that holds dust. Plants with plastic or real-touch leaves can be wiped with a damp cloth; silk is better dusted dry and kept away from splashes.
• Keep them out of the splash zone. A windowsill, the top of a cabinet or a shelf above the towel rail is better than the edge of the bath or the shower.
• Watch the window. A bathroom windowsill in full sun needs a UV-stabilised plant. Our bathroom range includes UV-stabilised hanging plants such as the 71cm hanging pothos, which comes as a bare stem without a pot.
• Choose a suitable planter. Our woven-effect and seagrass-style composite planters are described as suitable for humid locations such as bathrooms.

Plants that suit bathrooms include our 60cm monstera and our 55cm yellow and green sansevieria, which is 13cm wide and fits on a narrow sill. Browse our bathroom artificial plants, or read more in artificial plants for bathrooms.

Kitchen

Kitchen worktops are valuable space, so plants usually go on the windowsill, the top of wall units, open shelves or the end of an island.

• Windowsills: a sunny kitchen window fades foliage that isn't UV-stabilised. Choose a UV-stabilised plant for a sill in direct sun, or keep a standard one out of direct light.
• The tops of units: trailing plants hang over the edge and use space nothing else can. Several of the hanging plants in our kitchen range are UV-stabilised.
• Islands and breakfast bars: a compact plant of 60–70cm, such as our 65cm large leaf bamboo shrub or our 70cm money tree, adds greenery without blocking the view across the room.

Keep plants well away from the hob and the oven, and away from the sink, where they will be splashed. Cooking grease makes dust stick, so kitchen plants need cleaning more often than those elsewhere in the house. Browse our kitchen artificial plants.

Hallway and landing

Width is the deciding factor in a hallway. A plant that is knocked every time someone walks past soon looks untidy, and a wide plant makes a narrow hall feel narrower still.

• Measure the free width. As a rule of thumb, keep enough clear floor to walk past comfortably with a bag, and keep plants clear of doors that open into the hall.
• Go tall and narrow. Spiral and tower topiary suit hallways well. Our 90cm boxwood tower topiary with a spiral top is 25cm wide.
• Use the walls and stairs. A trailing plant on a wall shelf or a console table takes little or no floor space. Our 100cm hanging string of pearls is 12cm wide.
• Use a wider spot if you have one. The foot of the stairs, or a landing with a window, can take a larger plant of 100–120cm.

For a front door outside, only UV-stabilised plants will do: see our UV-stabilised outdoor trees. Browse our hallway artificial plants, or read artificial plants for hallways and entrances.

Home office

A home office needs plants that don't take over the desk. Many home offices are also spare bedrooms or a corner of another room, so plants often have to share space with furniture that has other uses.

• On the desk: a plant under 50cm, placed to one side so it doesn't sit between you and the screen. Browse our artificial desk plants.
• Behind you: a floor plant or a trailing plant on a shelf makes a more natural background for video calls than a bare wall. Our 60cm devil's ivy comes in a moss-covered pot and is 60cm wide; our 90cm yucca is a narrower 30cm.
• Shelves: trailing plants soften rows of files and books.

Browse our office artificial plants.

Conservatory

A conservatory usually gets more direct sun than any other room, and sun through glass fades foliage that isn't UV-stabilised. For the sunny side of a conservatory, choose from our UV-stabilised plants, which are guaranteed against fading for one year. Our 140cm UV-stabilised ruscus tree (70cm wide) and 120cm UV-stabilised yucca (60cm wide) suit a corner.

Standard plants can go in a part of the conservatory that stays out of direct sun, such as behind a solid wall section or under a shaded roof panel. Turn them every few weeks and draw the blinds in the strongest sun.

Dining room

The dining table and the sideboard are the natural places for plants and flowers in a dining room. Because the room is used sitting down, look at the display from a chair as well as from the doorway.

• The table: keep a centrepiece low enough to see over when you are seated. A low bowl of flowers or a small orchid works better than a tall arrangement. Browse our flowers in vases.
• The sideboard: a matching pair of plants or a single taller arrangement, such as one of our artificial orchids, balances the length of the unit.
• A corner: a floor plant or tree gives height without taking table space. Keep it clear of chairs as they are pulled out.

Open-plan spaces

In an open-plan room, plants can do a job as well as decorate. A row of tall, narrow plants, or a tree at the end of a sofa, marks the edge of the living area without a wall. Keep the heights consistent within each zone, and repeat one plant or planter finish across the whole space so the zones still feel connected. Read more about defining zones in open-plan homes.

Rooms with little or no daylight

Windowless bathrooms, internal hallways, basements and north-facing rooms are where real plants struggle most. Artificial plants need no light, so any of the plants above will work. Ferns and other shade-loving species look most at home in these spaces, and a lighter or variegated leaf stops a plant disappearing into a dark corner. Our guide to artificial plants for dark rooms goes into more detail.

Guest rooms and rented homes

Guest rooms and rented homes are often left empty for weeks at a time, which is hard on real plants. Artificial plants suit both: nothing needs watering while the room is empty, and in a rented home you can take the plants with you when you move. Freestanding floor plants and plants on shelves avoid drilling into walls. Our article on decorating rental homes with artificial plants has more ideas.

Homes with children and pets

Our artificial plants and flowers are pet-safe, as they are non-toxic. Tall floor plants are best kept where they can't be pulled over, and a heavy planter packed with gravel adds stability. Some of our olive trees carry realistic olives that look edible, so take care in homes with small children.

Plants that work in any room

Whatever the room, three things make artificial plants look their best: shape the stems when they arrive, hide the plastic starter pot inside a planter topped with gravel, bark or moss, and keep the leaves dusted. Our guide to how to style artificial plants covers grouping, scale and light, and our artificial plant size guide helps you pick a height for each spot.