Does greenery in the kitchen, and particularly above the cabinets, look outdated? It is an often asked question by homeowners who love being surrounded by house plants. This question comes to mind especially when you’re visiting someone else’s home or attending open house viewings.
The artificial, plastic greenery of 20 years ago is definitely outdated, dusty, and fake looking. But greenery, both artificial and real, has now changed for the better, and in many kitchens it gives a very welcome boost to the sometimes drab interiors. The space above kitchen cabinets needs aesthetic attention, and greenery is your best choice to fill the gap.
However, keeping it simple and clean is the key to making the surroundings look uncluttered and beautiful.
THE DARK OUTDATED KITCHEN
Older kitchens usually have a lot of space between the ceiling and the top of the cabinets, and these areas can certainly be improved and brighten up by some carefully placed greenery.
These days, the “faux” plants look terrific. And if they are up high and people can’t touch them, they will look absolutely real at a distance.
If you are looking for a real, low light plant, the prolific climber Philodendron Scandens, also called Sweetheart Vine, is ideal.
It is an easy to grow, perennial evergreen plant suitable for indoors. The dark green leaves are glossy and heart-shaped, and in time, the Philodendron will grow right up over your cabinets and down the other side.
The vine should be planted in a pot with a stake to start it growing, and when in the house, it should be watered once a week. It is disease resistant and requires indoor plant fertilizer just once a year. Philodendron will live for about 10 years with very little attention on your behalf.
You don’t want any clutter above your kitchen cabinets, so a collection of “faux” plants can work very well, and it will make the space look light and brighter.
Because the space above the kitchen cabinets is difficult to reach, it is advisable to have some varying well-positioned fake plants, which are almost an art form when placed the right way.
Try some ivy garlands interspersed with artificial ferns for a really authentic look. The main maintenance is to take them down once a month for washing and dusting off.
THE LIGHT MODERN KITCHEN
Above the kitchen cabinets is not an area for storage as it is an area that attracts grease and dust, from cooking and food preparation.
If you have a lot of light, branch out and put a few herbs up there. Purchase a stable kitchen ladder and you will be able to cut off some herbs as needed.
If the area is under a skylight or direct light, it is perfect for your herbs as they won’t be decimated by the usual garden pests found in the outdoors.
You will be able to grow some basil, thyme, parsley, chives, rosemary, and more. All the contrasting greenery will look very attractive above the cabinets and the herbs will only require watering once a week.
Faux herbs are a better alternative than real ones, just display them anywhere you like, and there’s no upkeep necessary!
These potted Faux Herbs from the Nested Fig come in a clay pot and curved glass cloche. You can choose between Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, or Parsley. The glass cloches topping herbs will definitely have a place in modern kitchens!
It will be easy to introduce some fake greenery to this space, as the established herbs can be interspaced so that everything looks real. Someone might accidentally water an artificial plant without even realizing it because the greenery will look so real!
If you have a high space in the area above the cabinets, buy a section of the lattice (plastic lattice is fine), to measure. Twine it through with some “faux” ivy and this will look really authentic and fabulous at night under the kitchen downlights.
IS GREENERY IN THE KITCHEN OUTDATED?
Kitchen décor has changed a lot over the years, but greenery never goes out of fashion, and actually “faux” greenery has improved enormously over the last 20 years.
An artificial pastoral style vine wallflower will look great cascading down over your end cupboard, and it does look incredibly real. It certainly won’t attract the bugs and will need to be washed about once a month.
Also, a small Fiddle Leaf Fig which looks very real and several pots of Figs could be interspersed along the tops of your cabinets to add some relief to the hanging baskets.
There are a number of real looking products that can be ordered online and delivered to your house, and the best thing is they are relatively inexpensive. So you can buy quite a few and store them for when you want to change the décor of your kitchen.
It is noticeable that the use of artificial greenery in home décor is creeping into many floral displays, most likely as a cost-saving initiative. So to use it in your house is perfectly acceptable and a fun way to rotate your decorations.
GREENERY IN KITCHEN DÉCOR
Most kitchens are high traffic areas, so it does make perfect sense to rotate your plants and greenery both real and fake.
Many modern kitchens are built to catch the light with a conservatory-like glass area that lets in large amounts of light, not present in the houses of past eras. These large lit spaces lend themselves to lots of greenery.
But because the areas are bright, it is necessary to change your plants, both artificial and real, around in order to hose them down and get rid of the grease and pollution.
Most people will enjoy this challenge and will love making the changes to their kitchen décor. However, for some older people, it may be too hard but you can always outsource the task and get a younger person to do it for you.
There are so many lovely indoor plants that you will be spoilt for choice when changing them around, and there is also an amazing choice of vases and urns for your artificial ivy and climbing plants.
Fresh inspirations for your kitchen décor and greenery can be obtained online or through reading house and garden magazines.
GREENERY FOR SMALL SPACE KITCHEN
Some kitchens are very small, especially in the new apartment buildings, but they can also be improved by adding greenery. If you have a dream garden in mind, you really don’t need a large space to make it a reality.
The space above the kitchen cabinets can be turned into a vine wall using artificial polyester plants. And once it’s installed, it will look amazing and you can still fit some pots of herbs into the gap in front of it and these will be used in day to day cooking and can once again, be rotated.
Herbs can be planted in a simple mug or cup to create a homely feel to your kitchen area. So if a much-loved mug gets a chip in it, don’t throw it away, use it to pot your herbs.
Anyone can grow fresh herbs and flowers at home, even if they don’t have green thumbs, so there’s no excuse for not starting your indoor herb garden. Check Click & Grow for more information and 100% natural products that require no watering, fertilizing, and no care at all…!
Another idea for a small space is a water garden, made in a glass vase or mason jar. Plant them with small stones, water, and weeds, sometimes you can even plant a fern as long as it is a water-friendly plant. This garden can also be changed around and will look great on top of the kitchen cabinet.
And if you get really good at the water garden, you could keep a fish in there, for those who are confident to try a fish as a pet.
GREENERY IDEAS FOR ABOVE KITCHEN CABINETS
If you are interested in gardening, you can make a terrarium. This is a very simple DIY project and will add greenery to your kitchen area.
Ideal plants for a terrarium are succulents, violets, and moss, and other plants with similar watering needs. It’s better to have an open terrarium as it prefers drier conditions.
And you can always add a few stones to give it a different contextual structure. Once it’s completed, it will look great up on top of your cupboards.
If you have a high space under the ceiling and above the cabinets, put up some hanging baskets. Depending on the length of the area, get about six hooks installed at even spaces across the area and buy some hanging baskets to hang from the ceiling.
Line the baskets and fill them with ivy, trailing vines, and ferns using different colors and textures. These will look spectacular hanging in the space. Make sure that you get some new ones ready so that you can alternate them when they die off or when you get tired of them.
You may even get some African Violets ready, as they are very hardy indoor plants and will provide a bit of color in the spring.
Hanging baskets were very popular in the 70s and disappeared for a while, but have made a comeback. This is so fortunate because they are useful in filling spaces otherwise unutilized, with eye-catching displays.
To Conclude,
There are now so many greenery options available, which serve as a beautiful decoration for your kitchen area.
The additional benefit of real plants in the kitchen is that they also purify the air, they will add oxygen and consume carbon dioxide while providing you with a more desirable humidity level as they expel much of the water absorbed from the soil.
But I am convinced that also a mixture of real and fake plants is a perfect combination. Greenery above kitchen cabinets will never be outdated as it lifts the eye away from the ordinary to something a bit more beautiful and calming.
What makes it even better is to keep changing the greenery around so that your guests will never know what to expect when they come in the door.
