The humble houseplant has become a must-have home accessory in the North East, with 51% of people believing they make a home instantly stylish, but this is only one of the reasons more than three quarters of the region have adopted them into their homes.
An overwhelming majority (98%) credit house plants with positively boosting their mood whilst 91% feel a real sense of pride and achievement in being able to keep a plant alive.
The study into the UK’s green-fingered habits comes from Dulux in celebration of the new Greenhouse Palette from its ColourFutures 2022 collection. The palette champions biophilic design and brings the benefits of the great outdoors into the home with nine fresh natural tones inspired by nature.
The nine shades are made up of light natural tones of green, grey and blue and have been specifically selected by Dulux design experts to compliment the bright, airy blue of Bright Skies – its Colour Of The Year 2022.
The new colour palette is the perfect backdrop for the nation’s house plants which are more spoiled with attention than ever before. One in five (21%) of those living in the North East admit to regularly talking to their plants, whilst eight percent play music to them and 13% admit to naming their plant family.
15% have such a deep bond with their houseplants that they worry about them when away from home and four percent even admit to talking about their plants as if they’re children and six percent use plants as a practice run for a dog.
In fact, house plants have now risen the ranks to become the top ‘new home’ gift with over a quarter (28%) saying this is their go-to gift, with alcohol (19%) taking the second place spot.
Two fifths (40%) say plants are a perfect way to add an instant splash of colour to their homes, while a fifth (19%) collect houseplants, which is more than any other region in the UK.
It comes amid a boom in interest in houseplants, which has been helped along by an influx of plant influencers like Joe Bagley, who has been enlisted by Dulux to help tell the story behind the Greenhouse Palette to his 57k followers on the @UKHousePlants Instagram.
He explains: “Social media has played a huge role in the increasing popularity of houseplants.
“For me it was really instrumental in showing me that there were other people out there who shared my interests and had large quantities of plants in their homes.”
Joe’s home contains 1,500 plants and he spends £200 a month on upkeep and adding to his collection.
His interior design ethos is rooted in biophilic principles of giving nature more prominence in interiors, which in turn benefits building users.
He adds: “Being with nature provides a really welcome escape from stress – it helps you forget all the troubles of the outside world.
“We all spend so much of our daily lives glued to screens for work and for leisure, that enjoying the natural world at home is the perfect way to detox and unplug.
“I use a lot of my plants to soften up my home by breaking up the rigid, right angles you find in most interiors.”
Joe says the Dulux Greenhouse Palette provides a deft backdrop that allows the natural beauty of plants to shine through.
He says: “I really resonate with the palette because of the contrast it provides.
“The last thing you want to do is to paint a wall dark green, as all the plants would get lost. This palette, with its mixture of blues and greys, really lets the plants shine.”
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux UK says: “How we choose to decorate our homes is constantly evolving.
“The humble house plant was once derided as a naff moving-in present, but that’s all changed.
“Now they have become a really important element of many people’s interior design schemes – helping their homes look good and improving their well-being.
“The shades of our Greenhouse Palette have been specifically designed to bring the positive effect of the outside world into our homes, allowing us to enjoy all the benefits nature brings.”
The Greenhouse Palette consists of: Moon Cloud, Rich Earth, Tranquil Dawn, River Valley, Fresh Foliage, Cardamom Pod, Fossil Hunting, Calming Meadow, Denim Drift.
For more information, visit: dulux.co.uk/COTY22