3 Reasons for Plants in Your Workspace
The many ways plants can foster positive environments and aid in social distancing.
CEO & Lead Designer, Terra Basche, and colleague, Sarah Fretwell, assemble Philodendron Congo Rojos into a large Lush Living Wall for the Honey office – Los Angeles location.
Image by Willa Kveta.
Whether your industry is health, dining, or tech – beautifying these spaces with plants is a guaranteed game-changer. Plants produce fresh air, natural and unique beauty, as well as a host of physical and mental benefits to any environment.
As we all know, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many jobs have transitioned to remote working, while restaurants, bars, salons, etc. have created outdoor setups – patiently awaiting the okay to reopen. Office employees have become accustomed to fuzzy slippers and personalized at-home workstations, while customers expect a safe oasis. And with vaccine distribution increasing and talk of opening doors to employees/customers is trending – it’s time to re-envision your spaces to create the smoothest possible transition from those of us in our cozy bedroom offices back to early morning drives and dress shirts.
Keep reading for the top 3 reasons why plants are a key component in the post-COVID workspace!
1. Indoor plants improve air quality.
From their bright and lively aesthetic to mental and physical health benefits, plants really can do it all! Plants improve air quality in just 3 ways:
Photosynthesis: Plants absorb carbon dioxide & release fresh oxygen continuously.
Humidity: Plants can increase the humidity of any space by releasing water vapor from the pores of their leaves.
Toxin removal: Plants can also absorb other toxins/pollutants in the air, leaving your indoor space that much safer for you and your colleagues/customers. (1)
Some plants work better than others at improving air quality such as fiddle-leaf fig trees (Ficus Lyrata), snake plants (Sansevieria), peace lilies (Spathiphyllum), and spider plants (Chlorophytum Comosum). Plus, snake & spider plants are a great beginners choice for any aspiring plant parents!
LEFT: Snake plants (Sansevieria) line the balcony edge of an upstairs nook in the Honey office – Los Angeles location. | RIGHT: Large fiddle-leaf fig tree (Ficus Lyrata) sit amongst a spider plant (Chlorophytum Comosum), Philodendron Selloum, and small Picta Pothos in the Honey office – Los Angeles location.
Images by Willa Kveta.
2. Promotes focus & positive well-being.
Significant studies have found that incorporating greenery into a building can reduce fatigue as well as physiological signs of stress (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.), improve focus and task performance, all while promoting a good mood and overall positive well-being (2).
There are 2 main concepts we can point to when asked how something as simple as indoor plants can have such an extraordinary impact.
Clean Air: As we mentioned above, plants have a natural ability to filter air pollutants while improving indoor moisture levels, which has shown to support good health for employees working long hours inside.
Biophilia: the innate connection and draw humans have to the natural world. As animals ourselves, it can be difficult for our mental and physical health to be separated from the living elements for extended periods of time. However, with indoor plants you have the power to recreate natural spaces within any home, office, or eatery – facilitating an enriching environment for those enjoying the space!
3. Aids in social distancing.
If fresh air and fostering the connection between humans & nature hasn’t sold you on the idea of indoor plants yet, then let’s talk about social distancing! Unfortunately, the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought added complications for employees and customers alike. From long lines exacerbated by social distancing to separating workspaces to meet COVID requirements, plant installations satisfy your spacing needs in the most tolerable, natural and beautiful way.
At Lush Elements, we offer a plethora of indoor plant designs from living walls to air plants to patio installations and more. Here is what we suggest for utilizing plants to aid in social distancing:
Lush Living Walls & Lush Walls as zoning barriers
Lush Plants as social distance markers and barriers
Lush Patio installations for increased outdoor engagement & creation of outdoor “rooms”
Sonos employees stand side by side their new Lush Living Mobile Wall.
Lush Living Walls & Lush Walls as zoning barriers
Keeping employees and customers comfortably six-feet apart is not always an easy task. Distance barriers and decals do not make for the most aesthetic addition to your space. Rather than subjecting your space and your people to dull placeholders, let’s use plants to facilitate social distancing while creating an environment filled with ease and relaxation.
To the right, we have a mobile Lush Living Wall made for a long time client of ours – Sonos. A few years back, Sonos came to us looking for a solution to providing privacy without the need for heavy, cumbersome cubicle walls. We designed a double-sided, Lush Living Wall divider on wheels. While this exact wall was made prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the perfect example of how we can utilize plant walls as zoning barriers. That's right, you can move it easily for all of your social distancing needs (such as guiding a queue or spacing out employees/customers) AND it provides a sound barrier, air-purifying capabilities, and climate enhancement for the whole space!
Below are more visual examples of the various ways plant walls can be used in restaurants and office buildings. Each idea can be applied to any indoor environment needing to keep individuals safely at a distance, tailored to your space and needs!
Something we want to note here is the difference between Lush Walls and Lush Living Walls. With Lush Living Walls (pictured above), individual tropical plants are uniquely arranged onto the “wall” of choice (whether that be an actual wall within your building, the outer/inner sides of cubicles/booths, or even this divider on wheels) mimicking the wonders of plant-filled forests and jungles.
Lush Walls, while similar in function, are actually preserved designs composed of a variety of mosses and foliage that do not require maintenance. As you envision any of these walls in your space, just remember their ability to be interchanged and customized, while holding the same benefits!
Lush plants as Barriers & social distance markers
Lush plants give us the freedom of individualization and movement. An area can be filled with contrasting plants from tall Monsteras to long viney Pothos with a few colorful Tradescantias mixed in, creating a dynamic environment. Choosing from a myriad of vessels, the style of the space can be defined by the color, size, and patterns of each plant! To keep things flowing, each pot or planter can be relocated with ease to change up your day-to-day scenery. Plus, placing potted plants along a counter or divider, separating work/leisure spaces (as shown below) is a great alternative to the plant wall barriers we presented earlier.
Images by Elliot Lowndes.
Potted plants can also serve as an ingenuitive tool to direct a socially distant queue in two main ways, depending on your capacity. First, plants can replace overdone floor decals as simple markers of the six-foot distance. Second, plants can be arranged in a zig-zag fashion in order to direct individuals safely in a smaller space without the liberty of feeding the line outside when it becomes over-crowded.
Like we keep saying, no matter the use – plants will up-level any space, setting you apart from competitors & showing employees how much you care.
Lush Patio installations
Lush Patio designs at Sonos Santa Barbara offices with stunning views of mountainscapes and downtown life.
Images by Elliot Lowndes.
With industries creating more and more outdoor spaces to abide by fluctuating COVID-19 guidelines, let’s talk patio installations! Fostering a serene environment is important in every part of your space, even outside! With succulents & trees galore, the type of plants and containers chosen for these spaces can transform the setting. Our designs help define an area by setting boundaries for flow and creating nooks for gathering, all while evoking a specific style or intended mood.
For social distancing purposes, Lush Patio installations can be utilized to create outdoor “rooms” as yet another way of sectioning off space to keep employees/customers at a safe distance.
As we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic – fresh air, social distancing, and maintaining good health (both mentally and physically) are all key in staying safe while enjoying the little things. By bringing plants into your home, office, salon, restaurant, etc. – you are choosing to bring life, beauty, and health into the space. And trust me, you will ALL feel it!
Sources
Cell Press. "Using the right plants can reduce indoor pollution and save energy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131121.htm>.
Nieuwenhuis, M. et al. “The relative benefits of green versus lean office space: three field experiments.” Journal of experimental psychology. Applied 20 3 (2014): 200-202.
Images
“Live Divider.” InteriorPark., 4 Dec. 2020, interiorpark.com/en/green-wall-live-divider.
Washington, Julie. “Making Social Distancing Green: Adding Living Walls, Potted Plants to Restaurants.” Cleveland, 20 May 2020, www.cleveland.com/business/2020/05/living-walls-potted-plants-can-create-required-social-distancing-at-restaurants.html.