Do you want the beauty of plants and flowers in your home, but not the expense of fresh weekly bouquets? Do you have an always black thumb that leaves you with a house full of dead houseplants? Here’s how to decorate with fake plants and flowers so that they look real.
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Honestly, I wish I could buy fresh flowers every week, but my budget just can’t handle that.
I also wish I could keep real houseplants alive. But I must have the blackest thumb ever!
When it comes to indoor plants, I have killed what I have heard are the sturdiest and heartiest plants, including snake plants, ivy, fiddle leaf figs, and so many more.)
Which is why I LOVE fake plants and flowers!
But only when they look real.
Are You Team Faux…or No?
There are two polar opposite opinions on using fake plants in home decor:
- The first is that they look fake and they’re ugly, and they should never ever be used.
- The second though, is that artificial plants and flowers can add beauty and organic shapes, colors, and textures to home decor for less money and less maintenance than real plants and flowers.
I’m obviously of the second opinion.
There are so many artificial flower and plant options at so many different price points these days. There’s no reason to have artificial flowers or plants in your decor that look fake and it’s easier than you think to decorate with fake plants and flowers that look real!
So how do you decorate with fake plants and flowers so that they look real?
Tips for Selecting Artificial Plants and Flowers That Look Real
The first part of decorating with fake plants and flowers so they look real is to buy carefully. How do you do that?
What to Look For When Shopping In-Person
Look for Realistic Colors
Number one, you want to look for realistic-looking COLORS. Look for colors that would appear in nature. Look for real pinks, real reds, real greens. Just look for something that looks real like you would see it out in nature.
Look for a Realistic Feel
When you’re shopping, if you’re shopping for fake flowers and plants in person, see how they feel.
- Do they feel like they would be an actual plant?
- Do the leaves feel plasticky and shiny?
- Or do they feel sort of soft and they have all those little bits on them that real flowers and plants have?
Choose the ones that seem the most realistic.
What to Look for When Shopping Online
Check Reviews
Okay, so if you’re shopping for faux flowers and plants online, make sure you check out the reviews.
Look for reviews that are really, really good, and they say things like “realistic” and “not plasticky” or “not fake-looking” or anything like that.
Check Reviewers’ Photos
Also, check out if the reviewer left any pictures or videos of the flowers or plants in their actual space, in their actual home.
See if you can gauge how the flowers and plants look better based on those photos than the highly staged in styled sellers photos.
Listen to Your Gut
If you’re unsure about a flower plant that you’re looking at, that’s your cue to do one of two things:
- You can either put it back because in your gut that that’s not what you’re looking for and it’s not going to look great in your home.
- Or you could ask for a second opinion. Sometimes I’ll do that when I’ve got my adult daughters or a friend shopping with me, and it makes a big difference as to whether they think it looks fake or real.
Invest in Key Pieces
My last tip for when you’re shopping for fake plants and flowers is to invest in a couple or a few really good pieces.
So buy either full arrangements that look really, really great, or some stems that you can use over and over and over and over again.
For example, I like to buy a couple of pre-made artificial arrangements for bedrooms or the holidays.
I also have a big set of light pink tulips that I bought on Amazon several years ago. I love them so much that I pull them out every spring and keep them out until the fall. They’ve moved around the house a lot because they are a staple in my decor.
Where to Shop for Great Faux Flowers and Plants
Local/In-Person Sources
So as for where to shop for great artificial flowers and plants, my favorite local places are little boutique decor stores that we have sort of in our downtown area.
Some big box stores, but a select few, are also excellent sources sometimes.
I’m in Canada, so the “big box” type stores I like specifically for this are:
- Bouclair
- HomeSense
- Michael’s
- Structube
- Urban Barn
If you live in the United States or somewhere else, ask around and see where the best places are. Or just pop out, grab a coffee, and go and browse. Make a fun afternoon of it.
Online Sources
If I’m shopping for fake plants and flowers online, I like to shop, of course, Amazon, because you can often get quick shipping, you can get low prices, whatever.
But I also like places like Décors Véronneau, which is another Canadian company, and also Afloral in the United States.
I’ve got some really beautiful plants and flowers from all of the places I listed above.
The Best Trick for Displaying Fake Plants and Flowers So They Look Real
Okay, once you’ve chosen your fake flowers and plants, make sure that you put them in great containers or vases or pitchers or whatever.
So for example, if you decide to buy a fake fiddle leaf, fig tree or a fake olive tree, it comes in a very, very small pot. Because really that’s all it needs to sort of hold it and weigh it down because there’s no actual roots in it because it’s fake.
Make sure you pop that fake tree into a basket or a bigger pot or a crock or whatever goes with your home decor. Put that into something a little more substantial on the bottom so that it looks more like a real tree.
The same goes for flowers and bouquets and arrangements and things like that.
If you are putting fake flowers into a clear glass or plastic vase, you’re going to be able to see that it is not in water and that the stems are fake.
But if you put it into an opaque vase or an opaque pitcher, you won’t see that, and so people won’t really know, especially if you buy a really great fake arrangement.
Bonus Tip: Fake Water!
Another option is if you plan to keep the arrangement altogether, you could put it in a clear vase or pitcher and just use some of that fake water that you can get at your local craft store or whatever, and put fake water in with the stems, and that way it looks even more realistic because it’s in water.
Add a Variety of Greenery, Stems and Flowers
One final tip for using fake plants and flowers so that they look real is specifically related to flowers.
If you’re going to put a floral arrangement together of fake stems, make sure that you add in a few extra things like fake eucalyptus or baby’s breath or some other green stems of some kind, just like they would at a fancy floral shop. This way your fake arrangement looks like it’s a very creatively put-together, realistic-looking arrangement.
FAQs
Fake plants and flowers won’t drop their leaves, cause allergic reactions, don’t need watering or sunlight, and can be cheaper in the long run than constantly buying new real plants.
The real drawback of using fake plants and flowers in your home is that they don’t provide the same air-cleaning benefits of real ones.
Cheap, low-quality fake plants could be considered tacky. BUT high-quality ones are definitely not.
Yes! With so many awesome artificial options and their low-maintenance qualities, designers do use fake plants in their designs.
Summary
Decorating with fake plants and flowers and making them look realistic is easier than you’d think:
- Look for realistic, natural colors
- Buy only plants and stems that feel life-like
- Check reviews (and reviewer’s photos and videos)
- Put your faux plants and flowers into opaque, appropriately-sized vases, pitchers, crocks, pots or baskets
If you follow these guidelines and buy a few key pieces, you’ll be happily decorating with realistic-looking artificial greenery and flowers for years!
Takeaway: Fake plants and flowers are perfect for you if you don’t have a green thumb and all your indoor plants seem to die horrible deaths!
Let me know in the comments whether you’re team real or team faux. I’m super curious about where everyone falls on this debate! Oh, and if you have any favorite places to get awesome fake plants and flowers, share those with everyone below too!
