The living home: Add life to your space with indoor gardens, water features and aquariums

IT’S amazing the difference the addition of a simple pot plant can make to a space. Chelsea Clark shows you how to add life to your space.

Herbal medicine

IT’S amazing the difference the addition of a simple pot plant can make to a space.

A hit of colour from a flowering or variegated plant can transform a dull corner in an instant, while a simple fish bowl not only creates interest on a sideboard or table, but creates a feeling of calm and peacefulness.

Now multiply that effect tenfold and you have an idea of the impact that large-scale examples will have in your home.

As our houses become more compact and last century’s great Australian dream of a huge block of land with plenty of space for a backyard and garden becomes all but a distant memory, we are beginning to recreate the outdoors inside.

An indoor garden under a staircase is a clever use of space that extends the garden from outside to indoors. Picture: Designer Staircases

Vertical gardens, water features and aquariums blur the line between the inside and outside, not only providing a healthy dose of nature to a space but serving a practical purpose, too.

The right plants provide cleaner air, water features help cool a space and growing your own herbs on the kitchen window sill adds a wonderful fresh aroma and saves you money at the same time.

If you’re a believer in feng shui the benefits of bringing nature into your home are well understood.

An aquarium adds life and colour to your indoor space.

“Water is calming, soothing and relaxing,” says feng shui expert Jodi Brunner. “Its healing sound can de-stress after a hard day at work and bring us closer to nature.”

Plants are another feng shui must-have, with larger species such as ferns or palms considered especially useful when placed in the southern or eastern parts of the home.

INDOOR GARDENS AND GREENWALLS

“The benefits of featuring a large number of plants indoors go way beyond the aesthetic appeal,” says Mark Paul from The Greenwall Company.

“Greening your home can help insulate, keeping the heat out during summer and the warmth in during winter.

“Plus greenwalls are great for reducing noise, acting as an air filter to trap dust, and, of course, do their part in reducing the carbon effect.”

A greenwall provides a splash of life and colour between rooms.

The trend to vertical gardens isn’t new, but where they were once found only in high-end or commercial properties, now this style of gardening is filtering through to the mainstream, with affordable options and smaller sizes available.

Mark uses smaller panels when constructing greenwalls so designs can be easily customised to fit specific shapes and sizes. Lightweight planting material made from 94 per cent recycled material takes the place of soil.

“Alternatively, you could opt for a pseudo greenwall option where plants are potted but installed to grow together to give the appearance of a greenwall,” he says.

Greenwalls are increasingly popular for apartments.

A greenwall can be installed inside or outside.

Weight, he warns, is an issue.

“We avoid the use of soil as it can be very heavy, especially when wet — this weight can cause damage to wall structures and roofs so it’s very import to choose a soil-free garden.”

If a vertical garden doesn’t suit your house, a simple indoor garden might. Mark says the plant choice for both should be similar.

“When it comes to designing a greenwall I recommend keeping the plant species diverse,” he says.

“Not only does it give more texture to your wall but a variety of plants will work and grow better in a community. When looking at plant selection for indoor gardens the main considerations are similar to greenwall gardening.

“Both come down to lighting and water, which are important to make sure plants grow and thrive when placed indoors.”

AQUARIUMS

Remember that scene in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet when Leonardo DiCaprio first sees Claire Danes through the glass of a giant fish tank filled with exotic species?

While we can’t guarantee they’ll encourage romantic moments, large-scale aquariums are a talking point in a home.

The growing trend has even inspired a US television series called Fish Tank Kings, shown here on Foxtel’s National Geographic Channel, where extreme fish tanks are built into the walls and sometimes even the floors of luxury homes.

“People see them as part of their dream home, like a full-scale home theatre or a car turntable,” says Trent De Francecso from Sydney’s Pristine Aquariums.

Large-scale aquariums are a talking point in a home.

Aside from providing a centrepiece for your room, a well-positioned built-in aquarium can help bring natural light into a dark space.

“We worked on one project where the inclusion of the aquarium actually allowed water views to extend through to parts of the home that otherwise wouldn’t have had them,” says Trent.

Obviously not every budget will stretch to built-in tanks, but Trent says some of the benefits of larger models can still be achieved with standard fish tanks.

“An aquarium of any size can have a really relaxing effect on a space,” he says. “I know a lot of people like to put their babies in front of them — the colour and movement, as well as the water, is incredibly calming.”

WATER FEATURES

If an aquarium isn’t your style, an indoor water feature might be the answer.

No longer only reserved for outdoor living terraces, water features are moving inside with many homeowners now electing to include a “wet wall” or smaller, water-based design features in indoor living and dining areas.

Greg Essery from Living Water Design says indoor water features are often used in aged care facilities for their calming effect.

Indoor water features, like this from Living Water Designs, have a calming effect.

“The sight and sound of these types of features can be incredibly mesmerising and peaceful,” says Greg.

“With the hectic lives we all lead it makes sense that more people are incorporating them into the family home as well.”

Water features designed for the indoors can range from small, waterfall-style installations to fully enclosed bubble walls, which look like an aquarium without the fish.

One of the most popular styles is the “wet wall”, which features water cascading vertically down a glass wall panel.

Running water is good feng shui and has a calming effect. Picture: Living Water Designs

Greg says maintenance on an indoor water feature should be carried out about every three months and involve cleaning the filter and replacing the water.

He also says water features can be useful in the homes of allergy sufferers.

“The water can act as an air purifier and trap dust and bacteria, so they’re great for asthmatics too,” he says.

More: The Greenwall Company, greenwall.com.au; Living Water Designs, livingwaterdesigns.com.au; Pristine Aquariums, pristineaquariums.com.au

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR AN EDIBLE GARDEN

Herbs are ideal for growing indoors because they don’t require much space and can thrive on sunlight from a bright window.

Choose a spot that receives at least four hours of sunlight a day, ideally near a wall
to hold heat.

A bit of greenery indoors can make a huge difference to the feel of a home.

Use high-quality potting soil that drains well and choose planters with holes in the base for better drainage.

Feel underneath the soil to check if the roots are dry to determine how often the plants should be watered — it could be every few days or as long as a week.

Herbs that thrive indoors include basil, chives, oregano, parsley and rosemary.

Picture Thinkstock

Source Williams Sonoma, williams-sonoma.com.au

Originally published as The living home: Add life to your space with indoor gardens, water features and aquariums