In the last few years, indoor plants have had a renaissance. As well as adorning our homes, we have taken our love of all things green into the workplace.
We’ve come a long way from a sad spider plant in the corner. Interior design for offices increasingly focuses on how the best office plants can improve productivity, purify the air and encourage better employee wellbeing. It’s a practice that now has its own interior category - biophilic design. And with organisations as illustrious as NASA confirming the benefits of plants, the decision to add a palm or fern is fully justified.
In this guide, MPL reveals the best plants for office setups and workplaces, explains how plants can be low maintenance and highlights past projects where we have weaved the best plants for the office into our stunning designs.
Why Office Plants Matter
When MPL designs office fit outs, including the best office plants is now part and parcel of creating enriching environments. As well as adding colour, there’s a slew of scientific evidence backing up how people’s wellbeing and productivity can be improved when plants are incorporated into their environment.
Improving Air Quality
In 1989, NASA’s Clean Air Study resulted in a comprehensive list of the best office plants for purifying the air. Those identified were proven to remove airborne pollutants, including benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene and ammonia, with the toxins absorbed by leaves and transferred to the plant’s roots, where they safely biodegrade. In fact, indoor plants can remove up to 87% of air toxins, and suppress mould spores and bacteria by as much as 50 to 60%.
Boosting Mood and Productivity
As well as absorbing air pollutants, the best office plants can boost employee output. It was a benefit discovered by the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology. Professor Alex Haslam measured the productivity levels in two different office types in the UK and the Netherlands – those that were described as ‘lean’ and free plants, and those that were ‘green’ with plants as part of the décor. The professor concluded that office plants can make workers 15% more productive. Conversely, a separate study found poor indoor air quality decreases workplace productivity by 10–15%.
A different experiment entitled ‘the effect of indoor plants on human comfort’ found people who spent 5 to 10 minutes in a room with houseplants felt happier and more satisfied than those in a room without plants. Further research by the Department of Landscape Architecture, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, found indoor plants positively affect objective functions, particularly in terms of relaxed physiology and improved cognition.
Adding Aesthetic Appeal
We decorate with paint, wallpaper and plants. You read that right! The best plants for the office are those that add colour, as well as form and texture. MPL has previously written about the benefits of using colour in the workplace and green is one of the best for office environments. From deep forest and emerald to lime and chartreuse, plants will add a pop of colour wherever they’re added.
The perks of plants aren’t limited to just colour. Their naturalistic beauty creates a warm welcoming environment, while leaf shapes can be chosen to complement a design theme. Take a look at our refit of The Purcell Rooms to see how different biophilic elements result in a warm, tropical atmosphere.
Best Office Plants
If you’re wondering what the best office plants uk are, read on. Our comprehensive list caters for all workplaces and commitment levels.
Low-Maintenance Office Plants
Your employees don’t have to be Monty Don to successfully coexist with houseplants. The deep green foliage of the ZZ plant is super-attractive but it is one of the easiest to grow, thriving in low light. The marble queen pothos can handle erratic watering, as can the cast iron plant – an aspidistra with variegated leaves.
Air-Purifying Plants
The NASA Clean Air Study found the peace lily was the best office plant for air purification. It also said the parlour palm, the lady palm, the variegated snake plant and many types of dracaena had exceptional air purifying qualities.
Plants for Desk Spaces
Having a desk plant is a great way to boost your mood and connect with nature. Look for compact specimens that won’t take over, such as the jade plant, aloe vera (whose leaves can be snapped to produce a healing gel), peperomia and low-maintenance cacti, such as devil’s tongue and bunny ears.
Tall Plant Displays
Floor-standing pots with tall plants can add height and drama to a workplace. They can be placed in key locations to draw the eye or even grouped together to create a privacy screen. The best office plants to add height include kentia palm, corn plant, areca palm, weeping fig, parlor palm, majesty palm and monstera deliciosa.
Small Office Plant Ideas
Small can be just as beautiful and beneficial. Here are the best office plants and display ideas for compact spaces.
Vertical Gardens
The evolution of pots and display systems has made it possible to add plants to vertical surfaces. Pocket systems are becoming more popular but many of our clients prefer living walls. They make a bold design statement and as this one we installed for our client Arden proves, do not require much upkeep. A moss wall draws all the moisture it needs from the air, with no watering required.
Hanging Plants
Plants that grow down instead of up can add greenery without taking up valuable desk or floor space. Some of the best office plants with a trailing habit include strings of hearts, strings of pearls, philodendron, English ivy and spiderwort. Place on shelves and on top of cupboards – as we did at No. 5 The Heights – or adorn a drop feature ceiling, as we did for YoooServ in Reading.
Compact Plant Displays
Some plants can be arranged like a work of art for a striking but small display. Air plants (tillandsia) do not require any soil, so can be grouped together in a small bowl and placed on a coffee table. Another compact idea is to add a terrarium to a shelving unit or reception desk.
Office Plant Care Tips
Houseplants are living things, and will need nurture and nourishment to survive. A little research at the start of your office plant journey will increase your chances of success. You should consider:
Choosing the Right Office Plants
The best office plants are chosen with care, with thought given to the office environment. Aspects including light levels, temperature and humidity should be gauged before any plant is selected. If in doubt, consult with a plant care guide, horticulturist or garden centre.
Setting Up a Care Schedule
Watering is watering, right? Wrong! Some plants like top watering, others prefer to drink from their roots up and some prefer being totally submerged. The frequency of watering also matters – little and often or hardly ever? And to mist or not….and don’t forget to dust the leaves (a layer of dust prevents a plant from absorbing light and can inhibit photosynthesis).
Plant care can actually improve wellbeing, however, as a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found. When participants were given two different tasks: repotting a houseplant or completing a short computer-based task, those who completed the indoor gardening task had a lower stress response to those who’d worked at a screen. Researchers concluded tending to plants could reduce both physiological and psychological stress.
Sharing plant care among a team is a great way to ensure everyone benefits, just be sure to provide the necessary tools: watering cans, misters, gardening scissors, pruners, a moisture meter, plant food and houseplant potting mix.
Using Planters and Pots
Planters and pots are not just for the garden. Instead, they can become focal points inside the workplace. This is evident at our refurbishment for Lanes Infrastructure, where hanging baskets, small pots and bespoke planters that top storage units add a jungle vibe. If you’re worried about plant care, the best plants for an office can be grown in self-watering pots and planters.
Adding plants to your office is a quick way to improve the working environment. Your air will be cleaner, staff more motivated, aesthetics uplifted and output enhanced. Keep up the watering and routine care, and the best office plants will reward you for years to come (the oldest living pot plant is at Kew and turns 250 years old in 2025) – a small investment with a big dividend.
Talk to MPL about commercial office refurbishments and interior design for shops with a focus on biophilic design and house plant placement.