Image source: Clair Strong

Indoor living walls have been popping up on my Pinterest feed for some time now. They look incredible, offer potential health benefits, and are apparently quite easy to maintain. But do they really work indoors? Or is it just a fantasy…

We’ve all seen living walls on the exterior of large buildings and inside high-end offices… I’ve just had one installed in one of my own projects (pictured above). A Bristol company called Just Plants installed and maintain it, but the wall itself was manufactured by Mobilane. The plants sit in little troughs and can be irrigated where there is a drainage system installed, or need to be watered fortnightly where there is no drainage in place.

But what about inside the average home?  Most of the articles online offer ideas for creating an outdoor living wall. You can even buy products online to help build your own. But indoor living walls seem a little less attainable. There are practical issues to consider. Such as; where does the water go? Can you easily reach plants to trim or replace? Is a living wall permanent? Will it cause any damage? Will I still love it in 10 years time?

If you can answer all those questions and you still want a living wall, read on for some tips on creating one for your home.

Talk to the Professionals

Before you start attaching plant pots to your walls, consider hiring a professional. They’ll be able to tell you if a living wall is feasible in your home and they will advise on the realities of care and maintenance. Professional installation will dramatically reduce the risk of damage and will ensure your living wall always looks its best.

Consider Artificial Plants

Filling your “living” wall with artificial plants may defeat the object slightly, but it could just be a smarter move. Artificial plants require little maintenance, won’t drip water all over your beautiful wood flooring and won’t die off if you go on holiday for two weeks. Plus, research suggests that artificial plants can have similar stress-relieving benefits to real plants, and they can look just as good.

Simplify It

Create a simplified living wall by displaying large leafy hanging plants in pots on high shelves. In the image above, the plants are evenly spread out, but you can create a dense look by packing the plants together. This is much easier to take down if you ever decide to update your space or move house, and the only thing you have to install is a shelf (or two).