Why bring plant life into your living room?

With Spring well and truly in the air, now’s the time of year when we find ourselves surrounded by fresh growth and natural life, as flowers bloom, trees blossom, and countless plants gain a new lease of life. All this natural beauty is quite a large part of why Spring is such a happier and more relaxing time for millions of us, so it makes sense that you’d be considering how to bring some of it into your own interiors, too (especially if you’ve already chosen a green or natural shade for your fitted sofa covers).

Incorporating plant life into your interiors is about far more than just helping them to look nice, though. They can also be hugely beneficial for you in some surprisingly specific ways.

They can help reduce stress and anxiety

Your living room should be the perfect place for you to relax – the space where you can go to calm down and unwind from the stresses of the day. Plants can be particularly helpful with this, and they’ve been proven time and time again to induce a sense of calm and serenity to a space, helping to make it a more pleasant place in which to relax.

There’s a bit of science behind this; we’re hardwired to find natural sights and sounds calming, and those feelings can be especially heightened for those of us living in big cities or other built-up urban areas. Plants, leaves trees can help us feel more comfortable and closer to nature – and what’s more, soil contains microbes called M. vaccae, which work as natural antidepressants.

What’s more, plants and their leaves can also absorb sound while diffracting or reflecting background noise, reducing the amount of subconscious stimulus that we’re subjected to in our daily lives. And while not everyone knows the nitty-gritty scientific details, the calming properties of indoor plants are well-known – it’s just one reason why they’re such a big part of the Scandi style, for instance.

Indoor plants can help us focus, increasing productivity

This might not be quite such a big concern if you’re thinking about bringing them into spaces where you’re planning to relax and unwind – but it’s such a notable benefit that to be honest I feel I’d be remiss to skip over it entirely. Numerous studies have found that people performed better at attention-based tasks when they were surrounded by plants, and one study found that productivity improved by as much as 15%. That’s probably not too important if you’re planning on sitting down in front of the telly with a cuppa in the evenings, but ideal if you’ve been working from your lounge or living room over the past year or so, as so many of us have done!

Plants can help purify the air around you

You might have already heard this one before, as pretty much everyone knows about the ability of plants and trees to draw in stale air, and breathe out fresh oxygen, which is much better for you. But while the health benefits are relatively widely known, they’re still often underestimated, as lots of people don’t realise exactly how efficient plants are at doing this. What’s also often underestimated is the sheer amount of toxins that can be found floating around the average family home, especially within (or in close proximity to) big cities.

A 1989 study from NASA, no less, found that household plants could reduce the levels of common chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde from the air. Not by insignificant amounts either – English Ivy in particular was found to be able to reduce airborne mould by 78%, leaving indoor air purer, more refreshing and energising.

Those are just a few good reasons to start off with – you might find plenty more of your own! As to which exact plants you’d like to have in your interiors, I’ll leave those decisions to you. If you’re looking for complimentary loose sofa covers to enhance that natural feel though, that’s exactly where we can help here at Cover My Furniture. We provide a comprehensive range of sofa and chair covers and more for you to choose from, so that you’ll always be able to find plenty of options to suit you.

If you’re having trouble making a decision, or you’re looking for something in particular, don’t hesitate to let one of us know. You can get in touch using the contact form on our website, or through our Facebook or Instagram. We’re always happy to hear from you!