From fiddle leaf figs to front-door wreaths, faux greenery is having a moment
Let’s face it: faux plants have gotten a bad rap. Sun-bleached and dust-covered, stuck in the corner of waiting rooms and grandmas’ houses across the country, they’re often seen as a tacky design choice that will never beat the real thing. Well, we have good news for brown thumbs everywhere—faux doesn’t have to be your foe.
Just a few years ago, interior designer and owner of Fig & Dove Colleen Waguespack would have never opted for fake greenery over the real thing. Now, she’s a convert. From boxwood wreaths to pre-lit garlands, she’s embracing the change head on.
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“Truly, it’s one of the things that I would say, as a designer, my mind has changed so much about,” Waguespack says.
Live plants will always be the standard to beat, but harsh Louisiana weather doesn’t always make that possible. Over the years, faux plants have been steadily improving in quality. Fade-proof materials, natural variations in color, and differences in sizes and shapes of leaves can make faux greenery almost indistinguishable from the real thing—and save you a headache.
“Living in a climate like Louisiana, keeping fresh anything on the front of your house is absolutely impossible,” Waguespack says. “You just can’t keep things alive here. It’s just too humid, it’s too hot.”
Imitation greenery also comes in handy in the winter months. Everybody loves to get in the Christmas spirit early, but throwing fresh garland on your mantel right after Thanksgiving dinner can leave you with a wilted, brown display by December 25. By embracing faux, you could have décor that lasts for years to come.
If you’re missing the smell and feel of the real thing, however, Waguespack offers a surprisingly simple tip: mix faux and real together. Opt for the convenience of a fake Christmas tree, for example, and fill any gaps with fresh greenery.
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“That’s probably the most popular tip we’ve ever given online, which I was shocked by because I didn’t think it was a big deal,” she says. “There’s nothing wrong with threading artificial greenery and real greenery together.”
Whether you’re decorating for the holidays or want a stress-free fiddle leaf fig, Waguespack assures us that there are many options for going green without the hassle.
“There is plastic-y looking, terrible artificial greenery out there, but then at the same time, there’s also really high quality, well-done greenery,” she says. “Some faux greenery looks so realistic, you would never know the difference.”
For more information on Waguespack’s designs, check out figanddove.com or follow her on Instagram @figanddove.
