Faux Greenery Styling Tips

10.15.2020

Faux Greenery Styling Tips

Sullivans partnered with Kevin O'Gara, Atlanta lifestyle and interior designer, and founder of Thou Swell blog. Find his tips for faux greenery below!

Sullivan’s is the wholesale brand behind much of the home decor, faux plants and stems, and seasonal accents you will find in retailers across the country. Their selection is vast (and growing) and I picked out some classic faux greenery and stems to share my favorite tips on styling it in your home.

It’s a great way to breathe some life into your decor and perfect to add as we approach winter and it gets less and less green outside our windows! See how I set up a few vignettes in my cousin Meghan’s new apartment dining nook.

1. Small leaves are more realistic

When it comes to faux plants, the more dense the foliage, the more realistic. Human brains are programmed to detect pattern, so with more little leaves (like on these pretty topiaries), it comes across as much more real and organic to our eyes. These are perfect!

These petite topiaries are a designer staple and so perfect for styling on an entry table with your favorite coffee table books so you’re greeted with greenery as soon as you walk in the door. These are some of the best quality ones I’ve found – I absolutely love the look!

2. Mix real and faux

One of my favorite ways to style faux plants and flowers is to blur the lines between real and fake. I do this by styling a few faux plants with some real ones in the same room. Put your faux plants up high on shelves where it would be hard to keep something alive and a fern or orchid closer to your line of sight (and within easier reach for watering). These moss balls are such a fun, easy way to add a pop of green anywhere in your house, and I love them mixed with a live orchid as a table centerpiece. The smaller moss ball fits perfectly in this cute little urn!

3. Moss is your best friend

Speaking of moss, it is your BFF when it comes to adding greenery at home. Dried moss is great for adding to the top of a planter, filling a bowl or urn, or adding a sculptural accent like a moss ball to the top of a stack of books or tray. This designer favorite adds a classic material and texture to a space like nothing else!

4. Stick with subtle, natural colors

When it comes to faux flowers, there’s a very fine line between classy and tacky. I would recommend always sticking to subtle, natural colors, and treating faux stems as a quiet accent rather than a centerpiece.

Natural details like brown edges on the leaves and variation in the flower petals also signal a high-quality fake. I’m in love with how these faux peonies look in these green glass vases!

5. Keep your arrangements simple

Often times faux bouquets incorporate so many different elements
that the look becomes overwhelming! Instead, try styling individual
stems in small groups for a sweet, fresh-out-of-the-garden look that
harmonizes with the rest of your space. In Meghan’s apartment dining
nook, I styled these cream peonies in front of her new Chinoiserie-style
wallpaper to bring the floral pattern to life in a subtle way.

Kevin Signature