Burning Question: Faux Real?
This week’s big q is all about real vs. fake. Don’t worry, it’s not a plastic surgery debate- we’re talking about plants. Do you think fake plants of any kind are T-A-C-K-Y? Or do you think that tastefully made faux blooms, herbs, topiaries, and potted orchids can add to the illusion of freshness even if they don’t need water? Do you have a black thumb so fake plants are your only option? Or do you despise faux plants so much that you would rather go plant-less than live with something plastic or silk?
We’re excited to hear where you stand on the issue. In fact, we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated:
[poll id="12"]
We’d love to hear more about why you voted the way you did, so feel free to comment away with more details.
Image courtesy of Nathan Egan designs via Odi Et Amo.
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I definitely have a bit of a black thumb..my hubby has bought me potted plants before, and they inevitably die..oops :)
Sometimes faux plants look a little too plastic..but if they’re done well, they can be so beautiful. Pottery Barn has some new lemon tree topiaries that are sooo cute!
Oh gosh….I have been in the design business long enough to remember when fake ivy was used everywhere!!! Especially on top of kitchen cabinets. Then it came that I would go in homes and we would “fight” with clients to get them to remove it! They would be SO dusty!
I can’t stand fake plants, but then again I am blessed with a green thumb. Plants just don’t die on me. Instead they get bigger and bigger to the point I get sick of putting them into huge pots just to accommodate them and end up passing them on.
They get just as dusty as fake ones. I carry them outside on rainy days and let the rain clean them.
If they need dusting and there hasn’t been any rain for a while, I take them outside and use the hose with a fine spray to clean them. I don’t see why this wouldn’t work for fake plants too, for those that like them.
I didn’t know where else to post this, but it’s regarding the Bumbo. While I know many people use them, I decided not to get one after speaking with a physical therapist I work with. I understand Clara is still young (only 9 weeks), but that picture you have of her in her Bumbo is exactly why my colleague doesn’t like them. The seat is too low and far back, making it difficult to encourage proper posture for wee ones. I know you would never leave Clara by her lonesome in it, but make sure you’re helping her sit properly when she’s in it so she doesn’t slouch. When you start giving her solids, I would recommend using her bouncer seat (if she has one) since they often can be manipulate into different positions until they can support themselves sitting up in a booster seat or high chair. I know you get tons of advice, and unsolicited at that, but I just wanted to share that bit of info.
Hey Amy B,
Thanks for your concern! We’re all about everything in moderation, so Clara probably spends about 10-15 minutes every few days in her Bumbo because she loves it! Of course we’re sure that she has good posture and isn’t leaning forward and we would never leave her alone in it! Our doctor even gave us the ok to use it since Clara can hold her head up so well (she’s one strong baby- she’s been doing that since she was two weeks old and has even been rolling over since three weeks!). As for when we feed her, we plan to hold her and then use a booster seat with a full back and a tray out front when she’s big enough (no Bumbo feedings will occur). Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
I would say everything in moderation!
Would you guys be willing to do a “day in the life of” post? I’m curious what your lives look like on a day-to-day basis now that you are both full time on the blog. Also – how/when do you make decisions about posts and projects? Do you discuss it over dinner? Do you have “staff” meetings?
Have a great weekend!
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
We actually have a day in the life post on our to-do list. Admittedly, that list is a bit long, but we can’t wait to tackle it. Stay tuned!
xo,
s
I wouldn’t have fake plants in my house just like I wouldn’t have fake fish in a fishbowl or fake children sitting around the table. I would take the time and effort to learn how to care for the real thing! There’s more to life than just appearances.
I voted “wouldn’t be caught dead” but that’s not entirely true. I do avoid them all together but mostly it’s because they collect dust like nuthin’ else and I HATE TO DUST. Plus I am actually pretty good with plants so I have managed to keep a few dozen house plants alive for about 6 years now.
Here’s how I feel about fake plants: meh.
I don’t want them in my house because I know they are fake and that would bother me. But you? You go ahead and have all the fake plants you want because I am not about to ‘yuck’ your ‘yum’!
I think fake plants are significantly less tacky than the pots of dead leaves and flowers I would have otherwise ;)
Of course, there’s fake and there’s FAKE. The more real-looking, the better!
I wouldn’t choose fake plants or flowers for myself, not because I think they are ugly or tacky, rather because they become one more thing to eventually hit the landfill.
We choose glass food storage, reusable shopping bags….real plants. When & if my real plants die they head out to the compost bin. Fake plants could not go this route.
Waiting for an orchid to show itself again, I put a
fake one in amongst the very healthy looking leaves,
most of my friends don’t notice the difference. Other
than that no fake flowers for me.
I never thought that I would have a fake plant in my apartment. However, I went to Ikea, picked out what I thought were three real plants. Then I took them home and watered them lovingly for three days, until I realized that they were totally fake. I’m not sure what came over me, but what now are obviously fake plants looked and felt so real to me at the time! I blame Ikea-fever.
Something just feels so wrong about dusting a leaf…
I live in Arizona… my pot shelves are 25 ft off the ground..I have to do a circus act to get out there to clean.. so I definitely have faux plants out there…I have 8 ft tall trees out there…hahahh… I would be very interested to know what other people put on their pot shelves..
POTS???????
I have a black thumb. I swear, I can kill plants just by looking at them (LOL!) anyone who has unknowingly bought a plant for us, has seen the plants die. so they know not to bring us plants anymore. I just can’t get it right: I either water them too much or not enough!
I do confess to having a couple of fake flower arrangements around, but they were gifts from hubby when silk flowers were popular (early-mid 90s?). And I have a weakness for gifts from hubby. ;-)
I think fake plants look great; in stores and other people’s homes. Once they are in my own house, however great the intention and initial appeal, they make me utterly insane until I through them out.
Besides, I love nature a little more than the average person so I love to bring the real thing as close to me as possible.
I have a number of fake plants in my house, especially the basement that has very little natural light. Winners, Home Sense and even Walmart have some really well done fake plants.
I generally get the creeps from faux plants… but I admit I have some faux pussywillow stems in a vase when I don’t have fresh flowers and I have a couple moss topiaries that I made on the mantel. Other than those, that’s it. Maybe it’s just the faux green plants and flowers that bother me- it’s hard to make those look real. And just on principle, the idea of having a fake plant sitting there collecting dust kind of seems to defeat some of the purpose of having a plant around anyway.
I remember before we bought our house, the previous owner had tons of faux ivy EVERYWHERE… it was horrible looking and it gave me the creeps. That sort of thing should definitely be avoided, in my opinion!
Faux flowers have come a long way and the high qaulity ones can be amazingly real-looking. I bought a few arrangements from a company called Fiori Belli (www.fioribelli.com) and have received many compliments on how pretty they were. I like live plants but the faux versions can be just as nice (if not better sometimes), and with a bit of dusting they last forever.
i have a few orchids around my house. when they are not in bloom i stick a life like branch if faux flowers in them to keep them looking decorative..
Christina’s post is funny! Watering fake flowers for 3 days is really cool! Don’t blame IKEA – they made good job!
As for me, i prefer real flowers, but it gets hard if you have busy schedule (I’m graphic designed of wall stickers with my own on-line shop) to look after them.. but i’m trying!
Alex
Wall’s Tale Home Decor
I wish I could afford to have real flowers at home all the time!
http://pearlsandgreentea.blogspot.com
There are some really gorgeous faux blooms (with the fake water in the vase too of course) sold from high end retailers like Neiman Marcus, Horchow, etc. but even little ones are several hundred dollars and big ones are $1000!! I LOVE fresh flowers but there is no way I could ever purchase faux blooms as an “investment piece” even if I would actually save money in the long run. I will continue to just scoop up bouquets for the guest rooms as people come to visit instead of plunking down several hundred for a faux arrangement that looks real! :)
Being as I have a couple cats that will seek and destroy live plants and flowers ( yes, have tried giving them grass to go to instead, no luck) and a husband very allergic….I go faux. I buy the best that I can afford, do not over saturate the space, and keep them well dusted and “washed” with silk plant cleaner and then bring in some real flowers when I can afford them and well despite hubby and cats, cause I love them ( even if they have to be on the top of a book case 6 feet high LOL) to balance it all out. I am a faux lover and not afraid to admit it. ,
I think it definitely depends on the quality of the faux plant. If it looks like crappy plastic, of course it will still look crappy in your home. But if it is hard to tell the difference between faux and real, then why not go for it?
Rarely do I see one that looks good. If I do then I’m all for it but most of them are tacky.
It really makes me laugh when I read comments saying that people with faux plants or silk flowers are lower middle class, or that wreaths with fake flowers are hideous, or that having fake flowers or plants is tacky, etc. If these people are SO JUDGMENTAL about others using silk plants/flowers, then geez, I’d REALLY hate to see how judgmental they must be in other areas that are important. I mean, one can have an opinion, but do they have to put others down? I’m just saying…
P.S. Sherry, I don’t blame you if you don’t post this.
I do both. I used to have all faux. Then it became completely taboo and so I went totally real. But I’m not the best about watering plants…but I love the look of plants in every room.
So, now I do both. I have some real, that I actually can keep alive and then I have some good fakes. That way when you see the real one, you assume the fake is real. :)
I agree with a lot of the people here – if there’s a good looking one, I’ll take it. But – I am picky. We also have a cat who loves to snack on anything live….plants, blooms. It’s tough to have plants, or for me to have flowers. Bitter Apple spray helps a bit, but not much.
Orchids, in particular, have been reproduced pretty well.
I can’t believe that so many people think that faux-plants are okay. Even the ones that look the most real are still plastic and awful. If you have a black thumb, try succulents or photos of greenery. Spare me your dusty fake ivy.
I love, love, love fresh potted plants–especially the bold flowering kind. But I despise my pathetic abuse of such plants. Cactus have been known to successfully die in my care. Therefore, I was among the 7% that voted “I’ll take all the faux help I can get.” Granted, seems like faux mostly does look fake, but I’m willing to learn how to go down that avenue to tastefully add color and freshness to my surroundings since the real deal is just botanical abuse as far as I’m concerned.
I have a great trick for orchids… I purchased a really nice looking faux orchid stem, and when my real orchids are not blooming I poke the faux stem into the soil, and clip it onto the bamboo stake. This is a fantastic way to keep your orchid plant looking great all year long (even during those months of no blooms), and it fools everyone… even my florist friends!
Everything in moderation. I like fake plants but not too many or else its over kill. I think there are some really cute ones out there. And they do need to be clean or else they look tacky….to clean them put salt in a paper sack and throw the plant in the bad and shake. All the dust comes off!
If I had voted two days ago, I would have said I wouldn’t be caught dead with a faux plant in my house because no matter how “real” people say they look, I’ve yet to see one that fools me. HOWEVER…ahem…yesterday, I was at Pier 1, and there were large FAUX succulents on clearance. I thought, “I didn’t know they carried live plants?” I put it in my hands. Yes…it was fake, but as I examine it visually, not one seam or blemish that I could tell as a give-a-way. One inch from my eye, I still can’t tell it’s fake. I LOVE IT!
maybe its the southern in me, but i voted that i wouldn’t be caught dead with fake flowers in my house and i mean it. fake flowers collect dust, and i know that the good Lord didn’t intend for me to have to dust/clean ‘flowers”
I know it’s all the rage to declare that one would NEVER have silk flowers or plants in their home. But isn’t that in complete contradiction to the idea of being sustainable, green and all that other stuff? If you can pick fresh flowers out of your yard that’s great, maybe even get them at the farmers’ market if they’re local. But if you buy them at a grocery store or florist, just think of all the energy being expended – the water to grow them, the outrageous transportation costs to distribute them.
Oh I know that the fake ones are dust magnets. And I know that obnoxious bouquets or too many faux arrangements is overkill. And I love fresh flowers as much as the next girl. But I do tend to look at fresh flowers as a “special occasion” thing.
I like the idea of bringing various forms of nature inside, like shells, rocks, etc. Is it OK to bring in some thin branches from trees and put them in a waterless vase? I mean, would they get weird and moldy or anything?
Nope, they should hold up really well- especially if you ensure that they’re dry and not full of ants or anything. You can even spray paint them (white ones look especially posh to us). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
ewww, fake plants! There are some indoor plants that are super low-maintenance… and I like the stick idea, too!
I had always disliked the look of fake plants and flowers, until I saw some in my mother-in-law’s house. She has the greenest thumb I’ve ever seen; her gardens are stunning and her house is gorgeous and there are beautiful silk flowers on her coffee table! I thought they were real and so nicely done so I’ve changed my tune and added a few silk flowers here and there in my home.
I’ve found that the silk flowers are a bit more attractive than my half dead spider plant I’m trying to revive! Plus, I think they’re nice if you don’t get a lot of natural sunlight and still want to add a little color and life to your home.
I used to really despise fake plants and flowers as well, but, the last time I was in Pottery Barn, I saw some very pretty hand painted flowers, and I bought them. I love them. They look real, and I put tumbled river rocks in the bottoms of any clear glass vases I use, so you can’t see the bottom of the stem. I think using the fake ones are okay, as long as people touch them to see if they are real or fake when they visit. That’s the true test.
Are we pretending that you don’t have to dust LIVE plants? Of course you do – if you want them to look great. So, really really good “permanent” plants (like our company makes) still need a bit of maintenance to look good. And, you should move them around – a dead :) giveaway is the same plant in the same spot forever. People think our plants are live ALL the time – promise!
But, of course, you should ALWAYS use Fresh Flowers/plants at an event (whenever possible), and on the table for a meal!
Here’s my question for you! Where or where are those stools from?! I think I must get them for my kitchen. Anyone know?
I’ve emailed Nathan Egan and hope to find out.
P.S. I love real of course, but the fakies do add a nice touch.
Hey Jessica,
We’re not sure where they’re from (but perhaps you could search stools on ebay for a good variety of options?). Does anyone else have any idea?
xo,
s
Geraniums are my favorite summerflower, or actually my favourite flower in a pot. The pink and whiteish ones, jewel, mårbacka, jerusalem they are truly beautiful but I doub’t they would be pretty fake. So I guess I wouldn’t be caught dead with a fake geranium.
Besides the real flowers help cleaning the air and I did think ai couldn’t keep flowers green but i could, Once I started caring for them and reading about them.
I have The Black Thumb of Death, promise. However, I don’t have the heart to put up fake plants. Of course, there are levels to faux floral. You can purchase very nice fakes while some are close to disturbing. For me having fake flowers or plants would take away from the nicety of having them. I’d rather have my two plants that I’m trying to keep alive and look like I’m working at it. Holiday decor is a different subject.
We don’t have real plants in our house, mostly because I am constantly forgetting to water them. The only actual real plant we have in our house is an aloe vera plant that I’m truly and honestly shocked hasn’t died yet.
We do have two fake arrangements in our house, both with sentimental value. One was part of the backdrop my mom set up for my bridal shower and the other was an arrangement someone gave to the family at my dad’s funeral. Neither has a home in our home yet (we’ve recently rearranged our entire house), but my plan is to put them in some out of the way places for some color.
I am also guilty of having some clearly fake flowers that go in a vase by our front door. I realize they look fake and it might look tacky, but the vase looks a bit odd without something in it and it’s just too neat looking to move somewhere else in our house.
Someone commented above about holiday decor and I wanted to chime in. I’ve actually never lived in a house with a real Christmas tree. Growing up we had a fake tree, because of a family situation, and when I moved out, I bought a small 3ft fake tree for my home. My inlaws always have a real tree, but have occasionally complained about the mess, so I’m glad I never had the desire to go real.
I have found a few indoor plants that do well for me (I am not good with succulents though). I love the life they bring to a room and *hopefully* they are helping clean the air in our house. I never say never, but I will NEVER have fake houseplants :)
My biggest problem with real plants is that my cats chew on ALL of them. So I have to find ones that aren’t toxic for cats, and even then, the kitties devour them until they look terrible. Has anyone ever found safe solutions for keeping cats away from plants? We tried behavior mod but they still chomp when we’re not around.
Anyone have any tips for Erin?
xo,
s
I just saw a product at the pet store the other that is supposed to do just that. It’s a chemical spray that your pets supposedly find distasteful so once it is sprayed on something, your pets will leave that something alone (I’m so sorry, I don’t remember the name but I’m sure you could just ask the clerk at any pet store)
Another alternative to real or fake flowers are preserved flowers. Forever Green Art specializes in using a kid/pet safe preservation method to extend the life of REAL plants. These plants look and feel real because they ARE real. After being preserved, Forever Green Art plants require no sun, soil or water and will stay fresh and beautiful for years. These plants offer all the beauty and freshness of “real” plants while still offering the maintenance free ease of fake plants. What a fascinating concept! You can find more information and purchase these plants at http://www.interiorsbydms.com/category/forever-green-art.html