New study reveals more than half of Britain use houseplants to improve wellbeing

The surging popularity of houseplants in the past few years shows no sign of slowing down. That’s why luxury bedroom retailer Feather & Black has been inspired to conduct a study via OnePoll to find out how people use houseplants in their interior design.

A recent study revealed that on average people have 6.5 houseplants in their home, with the highest percentage of the population (32%) owning between 3 and 5. 21% of people own 1 to 2 houseplants, while 19% have a collection of 6 to 7 plants in their homes. A staggering 1 in 20 (5%) of the population claim to own over 20 houseplants.

The survey data also revealed that more than half of the population (54%) add houseplants to their interior design to promote wellbeing and relaxation. Houseplant therapy is especially popular among Gen Z with 36% claiming to use houseplants for mindfulness. 47% of people simply feel the desire to incorporate nature into their home, while 38% of respondents said they incorporate houseplants into their decor for aesthetic purposes only. Air purification (29%) and mood boosting (25%) rounded out the top five main reasons for decorating with houseplants.

The poll also indicated that one in ten (11%) men use plants to boost creativity. That explains why 7% of men keep their plants in their home office. In comparison, fewer women get plants in order to boost creativity with only 5% of women claiming to do so. Millennials and Gen Z are the age groups that are more likely to use houseplants to boost creativity. Similarly, in regards to productivity, 10% of men use plants to their advantage compared to 2% of women.

When deciding how to decorate with houseplants, more than a quarter of people (27%) turn to friends and family for ideas. While the majority of respondents don’t feel the need to search for inspiration at all (35%), those that do turn to Instagram (16%), print magazines (12%), Pinterest (12%), online magazines (11%) and TikTok (8%) to seek out the exquisite ambience they wish to recreate.

While Instagram remains the most popular platform for Gen Z (32%), a quarter of Gen Z plant keepers (25%) find their houseplants decor inspiration on TikTok. Unexpectedly, quite a big proportion of 25-34 year olds (19%) look for houseplant inspiration in print magazines, despite the general perception that younger generations rely heavily on social media.


Other key findings from the study:

- The orchid has been voted the UK’s favourite plant, followed by cactus, peace lily, spider plant and aloe vera.

- The majority of the population spend between £1-50 on their houseplants collection while 1% of Brits splash over £500 on their houseplants. Gen Z were the biggest spenders when it comes to houseplants.

- 1 in 10 (11%) people claimed they value their houseplants the same way they would a pet.

- Nearly 1 in 10 (13%) adults polled admitted they talk to their houseplants. Younger generations, particularly 25-34 year olds, are more likely to talk to their plants than older generations, with 1 in 5 (19%) claiming to do so. That’s nearly double the amount of those aged 55 and over who speak to theirs (10%).

- 7% of people name their houseplants. That trend is especially popular among 25-34 year olds, with nearly 1 in 5 (17%) claiming to give their plants a pet name.

- An impressive 21% of 24-34 year olds name their houseplants after their favourite authors. The names of book characters are first choice for 17% of 18-24 year olds and 22% of 25-34 year olds – most likely relating to the rising trend of physical books reading among Gen Z. Film characters and celebrities also prove to be a good source of names for 25-34 year olds, with 19% opting for Hollywood namesakes.

- The most popular place for displaying houseplants is the living room (50%). Other popular spots are the kitchen (23%), hallway (7%), bedroom (5%) and bathroom (4%) and home office (4%).

- 4% of people run Instagram accounts dedicated to their plants – men (8%) are more likely to do so than women (1%).

- 63% of people regularly forget to water their houseplants – something that is more likely to happen if you’re between the ages of 25 and 44, where 2 in 3 (75%) in this age group people frequently forget this task.

- 1 in 5 (18%) arrange care for their house plants while on holiday – men are more likely (20%) to do this than women (16%).


Laura Burnett, Buyer at Feather & Black said: ‘’There are numerous studies suggesting that plants have multiple health benefits, and our study’s findings add weight to the importance of incorporating houseplants into interior design. Seeing that such a significant proportion of the population uses houseplants to improve wellbeing and even boost their mood will hopefully encourage people to expand their greenery collection.’’



About Feather & Black

Feather & Black is the ultimate destination for inspirational bedrooms, style trends and beautiful furniture collections. With thoughtfully crafted beds and bedroom furniture, luxury mattresses, super soft bed linen and charming accessories, they help customers create beautiful homes.


Credit

Please credit this research to Feather & Black: https://www.featherandblack.com/inspiration/the-houseplant-a...


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