10 Best Living Room Plants to Green Up Your Space

After a well-thought interior design, choosing your color themes, and complimenting furniture among other details to curate your indoor space; the look and character of your living room could use befitting living room plants to complete its look. You can easily take your picks from a wide array of easy-to-care indoor plants based on the variety of living room plants you fancy the most.

Living room plants relatively thrive from exposure to low light, and infrequent watering, whether you are a beginner or seasoned plant parent the following 10 best living room plants will bring a touch of greenery and nature to your space.

1. Kentia Palm(Howea forsteriana)
2. Pothos(Epipremnum aureum)
3. Chinese Evergreen(Aglaonema commutatum)
4. Fiddle-Leaf Fig(Ficus lyrata)
5. ZZ Plant(Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
6. Rubber Plant(Ficus elastica)
7. Money Tree(Pachira aquatica)
8. Snake Plant(Dracaena trifasciata)
9. Peace Lily(Spathiphyllum wallisii)
10. Spider Plant(Chlorophytum comosum)

What to Consider When Picking the Best Living Room Plants

It goes without saying, not every potted plant can grow optimally indoors. It is crucial therefore to watch out for the following traits when choosing the best living room plant. The best plants to decorate your living room ought to tolerate low light exposure, not every plant you purchase will be placed near your south-facing windows where there is sufficient access to sunlight. Being cognizant of this, every indoor plant you add to your portfolio, especially to your living room, should thrive under low light.

Due to less evaporation, given that living room plants will not be overly exposed to direct sunlight, the watering of indoor plants should be kept to a minimum. Plants which use a lot of water and get thirsty quickly are not ideal for incorporation into your living room because of their high care demands.

Indoor plants for the living room should not be extremely tall or fast-growing. If such plants reach their maturity quickly, you will have a short time to enjoy them and you will be out to look for new plants in no time. Best living room plants should at least last a minimum of three years before you consider replacing or renewing.

The following top ten living room plant picks should suffice for you!

Kentia Palm(Howea forsteriana)

Kentia Palm is the best living room plant, especially when you have a large living room space. Kentia palm can grow to an impressive height of 40 feet (12 meters) when fully mature. To get great results with Kentia Palm, plant it during spring to ensure there is enough space within its surrounding to allow its fronds to spread freely.

Kentia palm should be watered once a week and exposed to medium to bright but indirect sunlight to a tune of 4-6 hours daily. Humidity is crucial to this living room plant, should you need humidifiers in your living room to achieve this, it is important you provide a humid environment for your Kentia palm.

Pothos(Epipremnum aureum)

Pothos has pointed, heart-shaped foliage, with a dark green shade capable to compliment any interior design effort. Its hanging vines can grow at a high speed adding between 12-18 inches monthly. For the best experience with pothos, you can easily guide its vines to your preferred direction within the living room, either through the walls or letting it hang on a bookshelf.

Pothos can tolerate moderate to low light exposure, watering once a week but only when the soil fully dries out. Pothos plant care can be easily executed by a beginner plant parent without any fuss since pothos is an undemanding living room plant yet a must-have in your space.

Chinese Evergreen(Aglaonema commutatum)

Chinese Evergreen also referred to as Aglaonema is an easy-to-care living room plant. If you are looking for a plant decoration in the living room space, you will not go wrong with the Chinese Evergreen.

Chinese Evergreen comes in a range of colors; from green with whitish stripes, to red and silver. The plenty of color options give you the opportunity to pick the right Chinese Evergreen that matches your living room theme. Exposure to moderate to low light, watering once a week, and avoiding soggy soil are the growing conditions to adhere to when tending to Chinese Evergreen.

Fiddle-Leaf Fig(Ficus lyrata)

Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata) is not new to the interior design world, loved and adored in equal measure by interior designer professionals. Due to its dark green foliage and growing style, Fiddle-Leaf Fig can easily be the focal point of your living room.

Fiddle-Leaf Fig can transform your living room from ordinary to a masterpiece when placed strategically within your space. Fiddle-Leaf Figs can be sensitive to environmental changes, so expect a shed of leaves first weeks but once it adjusts to the environment it will grow well afterwards.

ZZ Plant(Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ plant) is a native to Africa and is the most trendy living room plant, due to its ability to thrive under low light and minimal watering.

Its dark green foliage adds the desired green tone texture to indoor spaces and brings the right feel of nature to your living room. Being a succulent, it is prudent to reduce the watering drastically and limit it to when the soil dries out completely to avoid damaging your greenish ZZ plant.

Rubber Plant(Ficus elastica)

Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica) is a popular choice when it comes to indoor plants for the living room. Though it is a speedy grower, the Rubber plant requires moderate to bright indirect light, with watering kept at once a week.

Its burgundy-colored foliage not only makes it a unique living room plant but it brings character and nature's magical touch. The rubber plant is associated with stimulating a positive mood and boosting your productivity and energy tremendously.

Snake Plant(Dracaena trifasciata)

Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata) which can also be referred to as mother-in-law's tongue is a hardy indoor plant, which can easily thrive as a living room plant. Snake plants can be watered once a week to once bi-weekly depending on how soon the soil dries out. Exposure to minimal light is more than enough for your snake plant to grow and color your indoor space.

In addition to being an easy-to-grow living room plant, snake plants have immense benefits ranging from; aesthetic appeal, purifying the living room air, getting rid of toxins, and also boosting your mood and mental health significantly.

Peace Lily(Spathiphyllum wallisii)

For beginner plant parents, Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)  is a good place to start in greening up your living room space. The plant can easily communicate to you if it is underwater, when it droops, that's a cry for water. Interestingly when watered, it easily revives itself back to life.

However, if you are also a pet parent, then it is advisable to keep your Peace Lily plant as far as possible from them; because it is harmful to pets. The highlight of a Peace Lily plant has to be its whitish blooms, which can brighten the living room and add some contrast to it.

Spider Plant(Chlorophytum comosum)

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum) can effortlessly add a unique touch and character to your living room, with its dangling foliage the plant can easily become the focal point of your space.

Growing Spider Plant as a living room plant is effortless, the plant requires access to low light and prefers to stay on the drier side, water it only when the soil feels dry enough.

Money Tree(Pachira aquatica)

Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica) cannot go unnoticed in any living room space due to its striking braided trunk. Watering once a week and giving your Money Tree access to bright indirect light daily will enhance its growth to a magnificent height of 8 feet within your living room space.

Bring a good luck charm to your indoor space with a great living room plant; the Money Tree is considered a symbol of good luck and prosperity in some cultures.

Though there is a myriad of living room plants to choose from, it is prudent to go for plants that are able to withstand low light to moderate and bright indirect sunlight and minimal watering throughout the year. Decorating your living room with the aforementioned living room plants transforms an ordinary living room space and gives it life and texture.

Based on your preference aesthetically or your interior design plans, the above top ten living room plant picks should come in handy; green up your indoor space and bolster your mood, increase productivity and purify the air, and rid your living room of any unnoticeable toxins.

Header Image by @Indoor Modern Wood Planters Featured Image by @Dorringthon Reid.