Silk plant decorating

Disclosure: I received a silk plant to keep as part of a product review.

A couple of years ago I finally figured out the best way to stop killing houseplants was to stop buying them.

I know I’m not alone struggling to keep plants alive – I have good intentions, but most of my house windows face North, which isn’t good for sunlight, and the ones that do face good sun have furniture near them that isn’t suitable for supporting a plant.

Paper succulents are fun to make, and while they do brighten the corner they live in, they are no substitute for the look of a real plant.

I was happy to hear from Commercial Silk, a leading designer, manufacturer and wholesale supplier of artificial trees and plants. Their website  boasts an extensive list of plants that can be used in indoor or outdoor situations, and they have great photos and case studies to help architects and designers find exactly what they need for hotel, office, restaurant or other commercial projects.

The Areca Palm Tree that arrived at my front door was shipped in a sturdy box. Once unpacked, it just took a few moments to spread and stretch out the leaves and branches to let it take on it’s natural looking form.

The plant is well designed, and little details really make all the difference – some of the branches cross through the center, so the plant is much more realistic looking than those perfect round and symmetrical ones that you can spot as fake quite easily.

The base has a light faux moss covering, and is nicely weighted. It fits perfectly into a standard pot, and the distance from the base to the beginning of the plant also looks really balanced.

It’s a versatile plant, too – this time of year, when we have quit using the fireplace it’s a big black hole in the white washed brick wall. This palm tree fills the space and adds a fresh touch to the room. This side of the room always looks a little blank after the Christmas decorations come down, but a real plant can’t survive in this location. Silk plant decorating to the rescue!

The colors of the plant are spot in, in my opinion. I’m a pre-press tech by day, so I have a tendency to be ultra picky about colors. Colors that do not exist in nature are fine, unless they are on something supposedly resembling nature. This green is deep and shiny, with little bits of wispy brown that simulate those normal filmy leaf remains that occur at palm branches.

I’ve seen a bunch of tutorials on how to paint fake plants to either look more realistic or to take them the entire other direction and make them super decorative, but this one requires no assistance.

The only thing is may need is some decorative accents for the pot.

If you have an upcoming commercial project that requires plants, connect with Commercial Silk by visiting their website, or you can follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.

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