BRING YOUR HOME TO LIFE

Is the colour pink just for women? No. Are plants just for women? Of course not. Living in London I'm not blessed with having acres of green space, well...any green space for that matter - so indoor plants are really important to the aesthetics of my flat and my personal wellbeing.

I'm pretty sure many guys out there have dipped their toes into the idea of owning plants. I mean, hands up if you have once had a chilli plant? Ok, hands up if it died?! What about one of those plants with big red leaves that you only see around Christmas time? Exactly. My point is, that many of us already love plants and can appreciate their benefits of having them decorate our homes. So this post is to help direct those of us that need to know where to buy minimalistic plants suited to men and for the sceptics, to just think 'maybe this guy has a point' either today, tomorrow or years down the line (when you have manned up!)

For me personally, I just haven't had any direction on what plants are best for men - as I'm not a bouquet kind of guy. The Joy of Plants is my go to destination for plants that suit my style - I love the minimalist style and the quirky scientific style pots.

At home, my living space is also my workspace, and I have now worked from home for the last 3 years. Initially I treated my home desk like I used to treat my corporate desk...piled up with papers, 3 cups of half drunk coffee, post-it notes galore and a keyboard full of crumbs. All the mess was just stressful and getting me down and I found myself seeking other work spaces, although theres only so many coffee shops you can plonk yourself down in before that environment seems worse that the one you have just left at home. 

My solution was to renovate my home office desk. I mean its not difficult, I wasn't building a new desk from scratch! All it took was a bit of pride, a bit of elbow grease, some polish and most importantly some inspiration. What's extremely important to me is to make my workspace as relaxing as possible. I have done this by simply removing all the clutter and replacing the piles of papers with some cacti (not for eating this time *Dinner Date joke)!

It's weird because I always assumed that the only way flowers or plants would ever be displayed in my home would have been when I let my girlfriend move in and she adds the woman's touch to my bachelor pad!

Now, I just add to my plant collection every month or so because I have found so many benefits of owning these little green things. My life is very fast paced and occasionally work can get on top of me. But one thing that I'm militant about is having a clean and tidy home. For most people, that moment your bum touches your office chair at 9am on Monday morning, a small part of you dies! It is the total opposite for me - I'm most at ease and relaxed when I'm sitting at my desk.

Does owning plants make you more attractive to your partners? Much like flowers give off their scents, I feel that I'm giving off an air of confidence and also a bit of vulnerability which all women love, right? I mean who doesn't like a guy that can 1. Look after himself without mummy's help and 2. Can care for something such as a plant, dog or pet pygmy goat? Is it that you are showing a nurturing, caring, loving side of you? I certainly think so.

Lets be honest, we all want our homes to look as best as they can and there are some that are more homely than others. These seem to be the ones that focus on the small details, such as indoor plants.

Thejoyofplants.co.uk inspires people to brighten up their homes and their lives with a bit of green.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Flower Council / The Joy of Plants via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Flower Council / The Joy of Plants.