EXPERT Will Engelbrecht, owner and designer at WillDesign.co.za
Q
Everyone is going for this botanical look. Won’t it get “old” quickly?
A
Botanical and just normal plant/leaf wallpaper is huge at the moment for interiors. Almost everyone loves it and not just a certain type of a client. It is happy, it is fresh, it is timeless and most of all the colour green goes with everything. Big design house such as Versace has an amazing opulent garden wallpaper and names like Elitis, Designers Guild and let’s not forget about Christian Lacroix sweety. I think this trend has legs.
Q
So how can I bring it into my home?
A
People tend to go for the wild jungle look in the guest toilets and for the bedrooms a subtler vibe that is softer on the eye. Indoor plants are huge – the real thing whether they are in planter boxes or hanging/suspended from the ceilings. They are literally everywhere and in every room of the living space. It looks stunning and just revives a room old or new. Weylandts/Lim/Pezula are only some of the place that house amazing planter boxes for indoors and outdoors. They are amazing for corners and funny nooks.
A guest toilet gets a lift with botanical print backdrop. Picture: Supplied
Try delicious monster leaves for dining room table decor or just anywhere in a beautiful vase. They last for up to two months and work out much cheaper then a bunch of roses every week. Nurseries are constantly sold out on these popular plants and following not far behind is one of my ultimate faves – the fiddle leaf fig tree that has made such a name for itself that even Woolworths have decided to stock them. But if you don’t want to look after leafy greens go for vintage botanical prints and floral patterns – plant and nature inspired homeware are an easy and fresh way to bring nature inside. They look stunning when combined with rattan, wicker and bamboo.
Q
I thought indoor plants had had their day?
A
Benefits from having plants inside the house (and the more the merrier):
◆ Reducing carbon dioxide levels;
◆ Increasing humidity;
◆ Reducing airborne dust levels
◆ Keeping air temperatures down and so much more.
People are living in smaller places with less garden; it makes sense to bring nature indoors.