The kitchen has long been the heart of the home, full of life and warmth. Through the years our kitchens have trended away from small, practical spaces to larger, lighter, entertaining spaces that can feel a little cold and clinical if we don’t intentionally decorate it to feel homely.
Whether you’re working with a small kitchen in a city flat or a large modern, open plan kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows, artificial plants can transform your space from cold or dark to bright, lively, and a place you can’t wait to spend time. Best of all, this transformation can happen in just a few minutes and for an incredibly affordable budget.
Unlike real plants, your artificial plants won’t wilt from the changing heat of your cooking or die if you forget to water them or tuck them into a dark corner. If you’re ready to transform your kitchen with artificial plants, read on!
8 Ways to Transform Your Kitchen with Artificial Plants
1. Statement Trees
If you have the space, a statement artificial tree is a must-have. They instantly add interest and transform your kitchen, infusing it with a relaxing, exciting, or tropical feel, depending on the plant.
Position your statement tree by a window or against a plain wall so it stands out from the other furnishings in a pot that complements the color palette in the room. If you have space, don’t be afraid to go for something with voluminous foliage, but if you’re short on space, there are still plenty of options for you. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Artificial Ficus Tree – perfect if you’re looking for something with plenty of foliage. These trees work well in any style of kitchen, from traditional to ultra-modern.
- Artificial Palm Tree – palm trees have an effortless, relaxing feel, that works surprisingly well in kitchens. Just make sure you’ve got the space, as they can be wide.
- Artificial Lemon Tree – artificial citrus and fruit trees like this artificial lemon tree makes a cheery addition to any kitchen, helping to brighten the room even in the depths of winter.
- Artificial Eucalyptus Tree – Eucalyptus has been hugely in style over the past few years and it certainly isn’t going anywhere soon! Artificial eucalyptus trees are the perfect addition to any neutral-colored or jewel-toned kitchen, bringing their famous calming green to the space.
- Artificial Bamboo Tree – this timeless classic is incredibly versatile, and a welcome addition to any kitchen, especially those looking for a statement plant but don’t have the room for something wide.
- Artificial Olive Tree – these trees are becoming more and more popular for entryways, hallways, dining rooms and kitchens thanks to their muted-green leaves and petite faux olives. They’ll bring the warmth of the Mediterranean to your home no matter the temperature outside.
For other tall artificial plant and tree options, see our blog post here.
2. Group Small Artificial Plants
If you haven’t got the room for an artificial tree, try grouping small artificial plants to create symmetry or vary the colors and textures in the room. Three of the same plant in a row never goes out of style, but if you’re planning to group them together in a corner, try varying the size or type of artificial plant to add dimension.
Here are a few of the best small plants to group on countertops and windowsills:
- Artificial Lavender – lavender has a tendency to grow too large to keep inside, but artificial lavender removes the fragrance and growing challenges and gives you a beautiful plant for any kitchentable or windowsill. Pair yours with slate or woven planters to nail the country-kitchen look.
- Artificial Herbs – herbs have a natural place in the kitchen, but keeping real herbs alive for cooking is best left to the accomplished gardener. Those little plants you find at the supermarket are almost impossible to keep alive for more than a week (especially if you actually want to use the leaves!). Instead, opt for the artificial version. Place them in little metal buckets or wooden planters for a rustic look, or choose a smooth white or black pot for a modern look.
- Artificial Boston Fern – these small ferns are ideal to fill an empty corner in the kitchen if you feel drawn to forest foliage.
3. Work with the View
If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful country kitchen looking out onto fields beyond, blocking the view with plants on your windowsill would be a crime. However, if you’re in central London and face another flat or, as can happen time to time, a building site, use your artificial plants to give the illusion of living in a greener space and some privacy.
For those with a beautiful view outside their kitchen, use small artificial plants on the windowsill to ease the transition from inside to outside, but make sure they don’t hide the best of your view.
Here are some of the artificial plants we love if you want to complement rather than hide your view:
- Artificial Boxwood Topiary Ball – place these in small planters or standing alone on your windowsill for a refined finish.
- Artificial Herbs – style these as we touched on in our last point and you won’t go wrong!
- Artificial Heather – the smaller the better here, and style as we suggested for lavender in the last point.
- Flowery Window Box – fill a window box or trough with artificial flowers and other foliage
If you typically have a sheer curtain in the kitchen to offer privacy, consider swapping it for an artificial plant with voluminous foliage to allow in the light but hide your activities from the people across the street. If you don’t have much pot space, try an artificial trailing or climbing plant and use translucent window suction cup hooks to arrange the foliage climbing up the window.
If you have space, we love using:
- Artificial Ferns – our Boston Fern is 45cm tall, so ideal for giving you some privacy in the bottom third of your window.
- Artificial Snake Plant – at 65cm tall, our artificial snake plant effectively fills your window space while still allowing in plenty of light around it’s iconic leaves.
- Artificial Monstera – our artificial monstera is ideal if you’re looking for something with dense foliage. The dark, wide leaves will block out the outside world without blocking all natural light. At 60cm tall, it’s ideal for any kitchen window facing the street.
4. Try Hanging Plants
Counter space is often at a premium, so consider utilizing vertical space if you don’t have room for a standing plant or plants on the worktop. Hanging plants in a window, an old serving hatch, or from the ceiling if it’s high enough is a great way to give your kitchen a greenhouse or jungle feel. If you rent and can’t drill into the wall or ceiling to attach a hanger, try tying a few of our artificial hanging willow vines and hang them instead of a heavy plant pot.
If you aren’t restricted by weight or places to hang plants from, we love:
- Artificial Classic Leaf Hanging Basket – this plant is covered in petite leaves that gives it a soft, feminine look.
- Artificial Hanging Fern – hanging ferns help you feel far away from the hustle and bustle, even when it’s right outside your doorstep. This particularartificial fern looks so realistic it’s sure to fool all your friends and family. If you prefer a hanging fern with a classic fern shape, this Fresh Fern artificial hanging basket will be right up your alley.
- Artificial String of Pearls – real string of pearls can be delicate and fickle, but artificial string of pearls is—as you’d expect!—much more robust. Hang this delicate plant over the edge of your cupboards or from a hanging planter.
5. Spice Up Your Spice Rack (Plant Shelves)
If you have small shelves in your kitchen to display your herbs and spices, or if you have the space for a few small shelves, consider putting them up or reworking them so you have space for more than just your cooking necessities. Here, you can house spices, signs and photos, and plants. A small trailing plant on the top shelf will draw the eye up, making your kitchen feel more spacious, and small artificial succulents are great space-savers.
Alternatively, use two or three shelves as dedicated plant shelves. This can add much-needed life to your kitchen and is a great alternative to artwork. Use artificial succulents, cacti, and other small artificial plants.
6. Add Greenery Above the Kitchen Cabinets
A lot of kitchens have a foot or two of space above the upper kitchen cabinets, and while newer kitchens are adding additional cupboard space, most people leave them to collect dust or for their shopping bags. Fortunately, it’s easy to make these areas more appealing by using artificial plants in that dead space.
Here are some of our favorite plants for above cabinetry:
- Trailing Plants – trailing plants hanging down over the edge of cabinets never goes out of style. Try artificial ivy, artificial string of pearls, and trailing varieties of ficus.
- Artificial Boxwood Topiary Ball – place these incrementally along the top of your cabinets, about a foot or so apart. Not only will the color and texture add new dimension to your kitchen, but the circular shape will too.
- Garlands – garlands are a much more traditional way to adorn your cabinets with greenery, but if you’re looking for something that will run continuously along the top of your cabinets, this is a good choice.
7. Add an Artificial Green Wall
Artificial green walls are the ideal solution if you want to ensure you’re surrounded by greenery but don’t have a lot of space to work with. They are essentially panels (generally about 50x50cm) of dense foliage you fix to the wall to make a big impact in a small space. Of course, if you’ve got the space, an entire green is even better!
For a tropical feel choose our Yellow Oasis Artificial Green Living Wall panels, for a forest vibe, choose our Garden Fern Artificial Green Living Wall panels, or for a Mediterranean feel, choose our Mediterranean Fern Artificial Green Living Wall panels.
For more information on how to choose and buy artificial green walls, click here.
8. Use Complementing ContainerColors
To add faux plants but keep the focus of the room one the entire picture of your kitchen rather than drawing the eye to the plant, try using planters and pots that have a complementary color palette to your kitchen. If you have a bright tile, you could try using the same colors for your planters. Alternatively, use the neutral color in the room to make the foliage of your artificial plant the focus.
On a practical note, resist placing light-colored planters in areas of the kitchen that may get splattered. Besides the danger of placing an artificial plant close to the stove top, especially if it’s a gas stove, any splash zone will mean you have to wipe your planters clean frequently. If you use your kitchen stove or sink heavily, consider using darker colored pots and avoid porous materials.
For more ideas and information on choosing the right planters and pots for your artificial plants, read our guide here next.
Artificial plants allow you complete freedom to decorate your kitchen with plants in any way you want. You aren’t going to face wilted leaves after draining your pasta in the sink, you won’t find your plant dies just days after being placed above your cabinets, and the plants you arrange in the dark corner of your worktop won’t be going anywhere, either. To start shopping for your kitchen transformation, click here.
