DECORATING WITH HOUSEPLANTS

Al Carrell: Now Stuart, somebody has come in here and done a very tasteful job of redecorating this but it looks a little bit bleak.

Stuart Travis: It needs foliage plants.

A.C.: And what would you do in the way of foliage plants?

S.T.: Well, I think it's very important to realize that foliage plants should be part of your furnishing. People should select the plants based on the need for the space as opposed to having a plant and just having a...needing a place to set it.

A.C.: When I go out and buy a plant, Stuart, it's usually in a pot. And I just bring it home and put it out. Is that the right way to go?

S.T.: Your containers are often more important than your plant. I think that the best look is going to be to select the container that goes with your furnishings and goes with your art work, and go with that as a set throughout your home.

A.C.: What would you recommend as placement for the plants in this room?

S.T.: The client here wants to have foliage at eye level and they also want to have foliage in front of their window. And so what I would do it select nice tropical plants that are not too big to go on these speakers, because they serve as natural pedestals. And then I would select a larger floor plant for in front of the window. And I think that you could use a couple of other accent pieces but that's about it for this room.

A.C.: Well now Stuart, I see you've already done you plant magic in here, in the kitchen. Tell me what you did, what you accomplished.

S.T.: In the kitchen here, we used plants as low hedges on the backs of these washers and dryers to minimize the fact that you do have a washer and dryer in the middle of the kitchen. It's a small home and this was an excellent idea, to put greenery at eye level.

A.C.: I never even noticed the washer or dryer. I thought it was just a little work space there.

S.T.: Well the plants are a big part of that actually.

A.C.: Now Stuart, here's an exotic looking bedroom, but it doesn't have very many of your plants in here. Did you fall down on the job?

S.T.: No Al, it's very important to remember that less can be more. In this example, we just needed a tall, slender plant for the corner. It's a south facing window, so we can use a high light plant. Once again, it's very important to make sure you have the right plant for the right light, or you're set up to fail in the first place.

A.C.: And now a final word about plants. You want to get a decorative pot and you want to raise the plant up. So I'm using an inorganic material in under there. Then I'm taking a plastic saucer, putting that in there to protect the floor. Now the pot goes in...the grow pot goes right in on top of that. Now to hide everything we're going to use some moss around here and that will make it look like a million bucks. And now we've come up with a professionally finished product.

Episode 36 1996 - 97 Season

| Winterizing Your Home | Cola to Kill Mice | Brick and Vinyl Siding | Driveway Oil Spots | Decorating with Houseplants | Paper Plate Paint Catcher | Furniture Polish Recipe | Adjustable Rate Mortgages |

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