One of the most important aspects of owning indoor plants is their placement in your home. While many indoor plants require strict lighting (limiting where you can put them), some are a little more lenient. Therefore, you can decorate your home with indoor plants a little easier.
Most indoor plants require bright, indirect sunlight, so it’s best to place them in areas where they won’t be exposed to direct sunlight. Shelving near an east or west-facing window, hanging from the ceiling, or sitting on a windowsill are all excellent yet simple placement ideas for indoor plants.
The rest of this article will go over various simple placement ideas for indoor plants, which indoor plants work best in each placement, and some extra care tips to keep in mind. Let’s get started!
1. Windowsill
There’s nothing better than seeing a bunch of plants sitting on a windowsill. It’s a simple yet perfect place to put your indoor plants to ensure they get the necessary lighting.
However, the direction the window is facing is essential to consider. While most indoor plants do best in either east or west-facing windows, you must research your specific indoor plants to see if a windowsill is a suitable place to put them.
East-Facing Windowsill
Since the sun rises in the east, plants in an east-facing windowsill will receive direct, yet soft, sunlight. These plants won’t be exposed to harsh sun rays during the hottest point of the day.
Plants that are best for east-facing window sills will receive direct sunlight in the morning, and bright, indirect light throughout the day—which is what most indoor plants prefer.
Some of these plants include:
- Monstera deliciosa
- Ferns
- Devil’s ivy
- Pothos plants
- Fiddle leaf fig
West-Facing Windowsill
Opposite east, a west-facing window will give your plants direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day—the afternoon. The plants in a west-facing window should be more equipped to handle the intense afternoon sun.
Your indoor plant must be able to handle hot, direct sunlight. Otherwise, it’s best to keep it away from a west-facing windowsill.
Some of these plants include:
- Snake plant
- Mint plant
- Jade plant
- Cactus
- A string of pearls plant
- Aloe vera plant
- Jasmine
North-Facing Windowsill
North-facing window sills are the best option for plants that need very low light, as this direction receives the least amount of light.
If the only windowsill available for your indoor plants is north-facing, you must know your specific plants’ lighting needs. Plants that need lots of direct sunlight should steer clear of this window.
Some of these plants include:
- Spider plant
- Snake plant
- Peace lily
- Monstera deliciosa
- Nerve plant
South-Facing Windowsill
If you have indoor plants that require strong, direct sunlight, a south-facing windowsill is an excellent, simple placement idea. South-facing windows receive the most sunlight, so you have to be careful which plants you put on this windowsill, as it’s easy for plants to get scorched leaves.
Luckily, many indoor plants do best in south-facing windows, and you may already have them in your home!
Some of these plants include:
- Aloe vera plants
- Jade plant
- Cactus
- Rosemary
- Croton plant
2. Shelves
Whether you have shelves designated for your indoor plants or empty spaces on your shelving, both are excellent places to put plants. This is especially true if you have shelving near windows.
Popular Shelving Options
There are many shelving options you can choose from—some simple and others more unique.
Some examples include:
Floating Shelves
Floating shelves are a great accent piece in your home, especially if they’re showcasing various houseplants. However, if you use floating shelves, you need to make sure the shelf can hold the weight of your plant and that it receives enough sunlight.
Using indoor plants that have low-light needs is typically best for floating shelves.
Floor Shelves
Floor shelves can mean a variety of things, but it mostly boils down to a shelf that sits on the floor. While bookshelves can technically go into this category, you can get floor shelves specifically for plants, and these shelves can be tall, short, or somewhere in between.
If you have many indoor plants, having a shelf for them is a simple yet great idea.
Bookshelves
Bookshelves in your home are great for storing various books and knick-knacks, but they also work as great placeholders for indoor plants. Not to mention, adding a beautiful indoor plant to a mundane bookshelf really brightens it up.
However, be careful about the lighting needs of the plant!
The Best Plants for Shelves
While there’s no rule for which plants you can or can’t put on shelving (unless it’s a big monstera plant, of course), some plants look exceptionally better on shelving than other indoor plants.
Some of these plants include:
Snake Plants
Snake plants look good in any location, but what makes them great for shelving is that they’re very low-maintenance. So you can put them on shelving in pretty much any lighting area and not have to worry about them dying.
Philodendron Plants
Philodendron plants look great on shelving (especially top shelves) because they grow long, so the stems and leaves can hang down the side. This makes them an excellent decorative piece in your home.
Pothos Plants
Like philodendron plants, pothos plants grow long, windy stems. These plants add beautiful decoration to shelving.
Nerve Plants
Nerve plants are easy to care for and have low-light needs, similar to the snake plant. They make for great shelf-sitters, no matter where the shelf is in your home.
There are also specific plant stands that can be tall shelves. However, I’ll get more into this later in the article.
3. Ceiling
You’ve probably seen people that have plants hanging in baskets around their homes. This is a very “boho style” that’s grown in popularity throughout the years and makes for a great accent piece in any room.
However, whether or not this will work for your plant depends on where you want to hang it and the window placement around it.
The type of plants you have is a significant factor in determining whether you can hang them from the ceiling. Bigger plants should be kept on the ground (for risk of the hook coming out of the ceiling it’s hanging from), and too small of plants won’t look that great hanging. You have to find a happy medium with your plant size.
The best indoor plants to hang from a ceiling have long stems that will flow over the pot—creating a nice, decorative look to the room.
Some of these plants include:
- Philodendron plant
- Pothos plant
- Hurricane plant
- Ric Rac cactus
4. Stands in Empty Corners of a Room
If you have bare corners in your living spaces, dressing them up with a big indoor plant is a good idea. While you can place the plant’s pot on the floor directly, using a simple plant stand can liven up the place drastically.
So, instead of cluttering up the corners of your room, placing an indoor plant there can create a more welcoming, inviting space. While bigger indoor plants are typically what people put in empty corners of a room, you can use smaller plants (or even several small plants together), depending on the plants you have.
Before choosing a plant to place in an empty corner of your room, it’s essential to consider the lighting needs. You’re probably okay if the corner of your room receives adequate sunlight for most plants. However, a dark corner will only damage the plant.
Here are some indoor plants to consider putting in empty corners of your room:
Monstera Deliciosa Plant
The monstera deliciosa can get big, so they’ll need the space an empty corner offers to grow to their full potential. This is especially true if it starts to grow sideways. The leaves on this plant grow large, so it’ll definitely draw your eye when you walk into the room.
Money Tree
Money trees are known for their positive effects and bring those around them good luck. However, they’re also beautiful additions to your home. This plant is great for corners, as it prefers bright, indirect light and can even survive and adjust in lower lighting conditions.
Snake Plant
Snake plants are fantastic in any home, and while many stay small, some can grow up to 12 feet (3.7 m) tall. These plants make great additions to your home’s empty, bare corners.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
A fiddle leaf fig plant grows tall and is low-maintenance, making them the perfect addition to any room. Putting this plant in an empty corner is excellent because of its simple yet beautiful look.
You could also place a plant next to your TV to add an extra splash of green. If you would like to learn which plants are best suited and to understand why they make a fantastic addition to your TV, check out my other article: 14 Best Plants To Put Next To Your TV
5. Bathroom
Bathroom decor can be bland. However, placing indoor plants around a bathroom can liven it up considerably. However, if your bathroom is the type that has no windows, this is not the simple placement for you.
Some places in a bathroom to consider for your indoor plants can include:
- On the windowsill
- On the toilet’s tank
- In a basket on the wall
- Hanging from the ceiling (near a window)
- Hanging in the shower (be careful with the placement and type of plant for this)
- On the sink
Here are some great plant options for around your bathroom:
ZZ plant
ZZ plants need lots of indirect sunlight, which is likely all your plants will receive in a bathroom (unless it’s on a windowsill).
Snake Plants
Snake plants, as mentioned, are very low-maintenance. So even if your bathroom lighting is less than ideal, it will likely survive.
Air Plants
Air plants are great options for a bathroom because they don’t require any soil and are simply beautiful to look at!
6. Bedroom
Indoor plants have many benefits, including improving your mood and relieving stress and anxiety. That’s why having them situated around your bedroom is a must.
There are various simple placement ideas you can go for, including:
- On your nightstand
- On a shelf above your bed
- On your dresser
- On the windowsills in your bedroom
- Hanging from the ceiling
Here are some great plant options to put around your bedroom:
- Snake plants improve the air quality of your home, and they’re known for relieving stress and anxiety—perfect for a bedroom!
- Like the snake plant, peace lilies purify the air and are very low-maintenance.
- Lavender plants are known for relieving stress and even migraines! They’ll also add a beautiful pop of color to your bedroom.
7. Kitchen Counter
Having plants around your kitchen (one of the most high-traffic areas in the home) is a great idea. And the kitchen counter is the perfect place to display your beloved houseplant.
Placing indoor plants around your kitchen makes the area feel cleaner and more inviting. You can have smaller indoor plants as a centerpiece on your kitchen counter or slightly bigger ones near the edge. Just ensure the lighting of your kitchen is ideal beforehand.
Some of the best kitchen plants include:
Lavender
Placing lavender on your kitchen counter is an excellent idea, as it not only adds a pop of color to the room but it repels bugs, including mosquitos!
English Ivy
English ivy is a beautiful plant, and it grows long stems and leaves, so you can expect beautiful leaves reasonably quickly. This makes it an excellent accent piece in your kitchen.
Basil Plant
Growing herbs (like basil) in your kitchen is great because it’s pleasing to the eye but also practical. So, placing a basil plant on your kitchen counter is a great idea.
8. Coffee Table
If you can’t figure out how to decorate your coffee table, adding a few of your favorite indoor plants is a great idea—especially if your living room has excellent lighting. Utilizing the space on your coffee table (or even end tables) is a nice, simple way to dress up your living space.
Small to medium-sized indoor plants are the obvious choice for this simple location, which I’ll discuss below:
Jade Plant
Jade plants resemble small trees, so they’ll look great as an accent on a coffee table. This succulent, and many other succulents, work great in living areas of your home.
Snake Plant
Smaller snake plants look great on living room coffee tables, as they add a little color while also purifying the air.
9. Plant Stand
As mentioned earlier in the article, plant stands are a great investment for plant lovers with several indoor plants. Having a plant stand for your plants is a simple way to display them in any room.
Plant stands can range from really big to really small shelving, so depending on the type of indoor plants you want to put on them will determine how big of one you’ll need.
All indoor plants look great on plant stands, but some look exceptionally well.
Here are two types of plants you should definitely consider placing on a plant stand:
Succulents and Cacti
Smaller plants, like succulents and cacti, are great for plant stands—especially if the stand is placed in front of a window.
Pothos Plants
Pothos plants look great on slightly bigger plant stands, as you can drape the growing stems over the edge.
