The Joys (and Pain) of a Garden Room Filled with Plants

I really hope I’m not getting repetitive, but when I see rooms full of plants and green velvet sofas, I just want to share. And drool a bit. And dream of pottering amongst all of this greenery on sultry summer days. With bees abuzzing. And then imagining taking afternoon tea in my very own hothouse, with finger sandwiches and gin in my Earl Grey. Hic. And the reality is, I used to have a garden room of my own, and I left it behind in my old house. I used to have a wicker sofa (exactly like the one at the bottom of this page) and I took it to the recycling centre. I know! That is absolutely criminal. I tried to sell it but no one was buying. And I just didn’t have room for it. No lie, I even shed a tear as I left it behind.

Asthall dining chair £190. Asthall table £440. Both from Neptune.

Truth is, three years ago the current craze for houseplants hadn’t even reared its beautiful head. Green was hardly ever seen. And no matter how much you love this look, if you do want to have your own indoor jungle, it takes more than an a couple of hours maintenance a week. Believe me I know. Plants have to be inspected almost daily if you don’t want to be overcome with pests. Then there’s the watering, the misting, the cutting out of all the brown bits (especially with ferns), and the re-potting. But hey, it’s gotta be worth it for a room like this.

Suffolk Rectangular table in Cactus £880. Long Island dining chairs in Emma sage £340 Chatto armchair £725. All from Neptune.

But what you can’t see in a photograph is the sense of peace so many plants amassed together bring. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for this. All I know is, it was my happy place. I’d take a book in there and not read a word. I was always content to just sit. It was my favourite place for breakfast. For lunch. And for a glass of wine. Guests always gravitated there. It’s the only room I miss.

George large sofa in Isla Mallard £2,040. Tuscany rectangular table £1,740. Asthall armchair £310. All from Neptune.

And now and again, I wonder what I would have done with it had we stayed? There’s no doubt it would have undergone a transformation since the trend emerged for all things botanical. And these recent images from Neptune are giving me inspiration aplenty.

Hudson rectangular table from £1540. Harrington dining chairs £265. Corinium large jug vase £25. Sage emulsion 2.5l £37. All from Neptune.

Ideas to Steal

1.Paint the exposed brick walls the same colour as the window frames. Yes!

2.Or paint the window frames black even. Maybe.

3.Invest in the comfiest, deepest, velvet sofa. Yes!

4.Change all of the planters (plastic, metal, terracotta, whatever) for baskets. Yes!

5.Hunt out some retro botanical prints and then frame them. Yes!

6.Add a giant, crystal chandelier. Yes!

7.Change the floor tiles for something patterned and Moroccan in style. Yes!

Chatto two-seater sofa from Neptune.

8.Find another wicker sofa. Oh yes please!

All images courtesy of Neptune.

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