Houseplants may be the single most important element of interior design: when deployed effectively, they can add depth, height, and airiness to any room. Here are 10 ingenious ways (culled from our archives) that houseplants can make any room look bigger:
Repeat a Theme
![In a room with high ceilings, twin windows are flanked by foliage, both faux and alive. The shape and texture of a potted Ficus elastica\2\17;s leaves mimics a wall sculpture and adds to the sense of symmetry created by a pair of eBay armchairs. Photograph by Jersey Ice Cream Co.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/jersey-ice-cream-co-design-rockport-maine-living-room-sal-taylor-kydd-photo-733x550.jpg)
The same idea, with a different twist: a potted plant cleverly echoes the theme. A leafy wall sculpture and a leafy houseplant word in tandem to focus attention on the view beyond the windows. See more in Remade in Maine: Jersey Ice Cream Co. Upgrades a Recently Built Rockport House on Remodelista.
Add Height
![A closer look at the same rubber plant as shown in the photo above. Photograph by Jersey Ice Cream Co.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/jersey-ice-cream-co-rockport-maine-remodel-living-room-2-733x1141.jpg)
When chairs go low, plants go high. The effect? Creating an instantly alluring corner where you want to curl up with a book.
Slim Down
![In a sunroom on Long Island, designer C.S. Valentin unified a disparate collection of desert and tropical plants in pots made by his brother, David Haskell of DGH Studio. Photograph by Jonathan Hökklo, styling by Alexa Hotz.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cs-valentin-bellport-jonathan-hokklo-alexa-hotz-20-733x489.jpg)
A clever trick, in a room with panoramic views, is to choose houseplants with slender trunks and branches.; you can look through them to see past to the garden outdoors. See more in A Colonial House in Bellport with Uncommon Style from French Designer C. S. Valentin on Remodelista.
Point the Way
![At the end of a long, narrow Brooklyn townhouse hallway, a pair of potted plants directs visitors toward the open doorway at the back of the house. Photograph by Pia Ulin, courtesy of white stair hall designed by Bangia Agostinho Architecture.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/bangia-agostinho-architecture-rony-vardi-carroll-gardens-townhouse-pia-ulin-photo-10-733x1099.jpg)
Short of painting an arrow on the wall, the floorplan couldn’t be spelled out more clearly. See more of this project at Brooklyn Makeover: A Homey Townhouse with a Modern Garret on Remodelista.
Fill Negative Space
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/elizabeth-roberts-bellport-beach-house-2-733x489.jpg)
See more in Elizabeth Roberts at Home: The Architect’s Own Beach House in Bellport, NY on Remodelista.
Light Up the Shadows
![Tried and tested, see nine of our favorite houseplants that can survive in low light in Best Houseplants: 9 Indoor Plants for Low Light. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/best-low-light-indoor-plants-houseplants-mimi-giboin-733x489.jpg)
Indoor plants for “low-light conditions” are tolerant of living in a dark apartment with one wall of windows (or possibly, one window). At the same time, their presence suggests sunlight even where little exists.
Add Color
![In an upstairs guest room/office in a Brooklyn townhouse, a large Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree assists a red chair in adding color and pattern to an otherwise monochromatic room. Photograph by Brian Ferry, styling by Alexa Hotz.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/celia-williamsburg-renovation-brian-ferry-27-733x489.jpg)
Before & After: A French-Inflected Townhouse Renovation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Peek Out
![In a small, reconfigured mews house in Hackney, London (for a family of four), architect Craig Hutchinson re-jiggered the interiors, knocking down most walls in favor of half-walls, so light could pass through. Photograph by Helen Cathcart.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/living-area-2-craig-hutchinson-hackney-flat-helen-cathcart-733x1100.jpg)
A half-revealed plant peeks out from behind a half-wall and adds depth to the space. See more on Remodelista in Small Wonder: A Bright, Reconfigured Mews House in Hackney, Design Tricks Included.
Wallpaper with Vines
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Kim-Hoyt-Fort-Greene-Gardenista-9-733x690.jpg)
To ensure the vines would cling to the stucco walls, the team applied a temporary adhesive to attach the two until the vines started to cling on their own. See more of this project at Architect Visit: A Dining Room Wallpapered with Climbing Vines in Brooklyn.
Breach Boundaries
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/summer-rayne-oakes-kitchen-cf060193-733x550.jpg)
Says Summer Rayne Oakes: no surface should be off limits to plants: let them spill over the edges of shelves. Let them jockey for space with the tea kettle. See more of her 700-plant collection in Living with Houseplants: Four Years Later in a Brooklyn Apartment.
Create a Curtain
![Begonia ‘Angel Wing’ is a cane begonia, a tropical plant that thrives in bright light and moist, well-drained soil. Its lacy flowers and foliage also can filter light, adding depth to a window. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/paris-indoor-houseplants-hallway-mimi-giboin-733x1100.jpg)
See more in 8 Houseplant Ideas to Steal from a Grand Parisian Escalier.
For more inspiration, see our curated guide to Houseplants: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design for growing tips and ideas about how to design interior spaces with plants. Read more:
- An Insider’s Guide to Getting First Dibs on the Best Ikea Houseplants
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design
- 10 Secrets to Successful Houseplants from the Experts
- 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from English Conservatories
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