How to transform your WFH environment | Mindful Chef X Patch Plants

With working from home now the new norm, creating a relaxing yet productive environment has never been so important.

Indoor plants are a quick and easy way to give your home a new feel - so our good friends at Patch have shared their top tips to transform your home and WFH desk with greenery.

Plants make us more productive

By promoting relaxation and focus, studies have shown that having a number of plants in a working environment will result in a 60% improvement to your mental wellbeing.

Green is a colour our brain finds naturally soothing, so bringing a few plants into a room can immediately make it a nicer place to be. They can change how a space looks and how it feels with very little effort.

Try putting small, low-maintenance plants beside your computer screen, so you work with a calming view. We recommend Penny the Chinese money plant or Susie the snake plant.

As well as lots of fabulous shades of green, you’ll find plenty of plants in other eye-popping shades. The acid yellow-green of Pascal the neon pothos, the deep maroon of Tristan the calathea triostar or the lipstick red of Fleur the anthurium will all add wow factor. For an even more eye-catching effect, try grouping them together.

How plants make a happier home

Right now, we’re all looking for ways to calm our brains. There is no more relaxing hobby than caring for plants.

Most plants are extremely easy to look after, but the simple act of tending to them gives your mind a chance to unwind and connect with nature. Take 10 minutes to yourself once a week to water and mist your plants, or 30 minutes to gently clean their leaves, and forget about zoom for a while.

Find a desk companion in Bali or Petra. Keep her tray topped up with water and prune her fronds when they start to become unruly.

How to turn your home into an oasis - plants can fit any space!

People often think you need a lot of light and a lot of space if you want plants. Neither is true. As long as your room gets some natural light, even just a tiny bit, there’s a plant that can live there. Howard the aspidistra will do well even in very low light.

If space is an issue, hanging plants are your friend. You don’t need any spare floor space to hang a beautiful vine from the ceiling or bookshelf. Our bestselling hanging plant is Rapunzel the golden pothos.

Grouping tall plants around a favourite armchair can create a tranquil, cosy reading corner. Try Chaz the monstera and Fidel the fiddle leaf fig, both of which have handsome sculptural leaves.

Whenever you’re arranging plants they’ll always look better in odd numbers. Even numbers can look a bit formal, which is great if that’s the look you want, but for something more inviting and casual, keep it odd.

Think of plants as living decoration and the possibilities are endless. One of the best things about them is they’re completely portable, so you can rearrange your plants to fit your mood or style changes.

Another thing is placing them in suited conditions. Getting in touch with the seasons and looking at where the light comes through your home at different times of year.

Missed our live masterclass with Plant Doctor Richard? Watch it here!

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