Green aglaonema tree at the vent door
Nguyen Ngoc Anh, an office worker, has just remodeled the couple's room, which was used as the living room of the husband's family. The room is more than ten square meters, with desks and chairs, beds, and wardrobes that occupy most of the area. However, Ngoc Anh still tries to save a small space near the window and desk to display two small, beautiful pots.
She said that thanks to two pots of rosemary and Zamioculcas plants, her dimly lit room is now full of vitality. Thanks to it, every day, Ngoc Anh has more motivation to get up early to take care of the plants.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhi has a neat little house which is the couple's achievement after ten years of accumulation. Nhi said that the first thing coming to her mind when she had a new home must be a lovely kitchen with green wall-hanging plants and a skylight shaded by trees.
Pampering his wife, Tran Quang Hiep bought a lot of betels and let them climb on the wall connecting the living room and the kitchen. In terms of the skylight, a Vernonia elliptica tree is grown because this kind of plant can grow easily with just adequate water, lighting, and air circulation. Hiep chose this tree to guard the skylight and front fence. Nearby the kitchen, a small pot of honeysuckle is a perfect green-additional option for the kitchen space.
On the second floor, right at the set of a tea table and chairs, Nhi puts a Dracaena surculosa pot to create more colors. The colorfully harmonious combination consisting of the black, red, and white tones of a table and chairs, a dominant green tree, the mixture of light green and white of the tea set, the gray of the wall, and the color of lotus flower paintings on the wall have created a romantic and cozy space for the 2nd floor of Nhi’s house. That is also a way for Nhi and her husband to maintain the flame of love and family happiness.
Walls and skylights with green plants
Owners of many other houses also choose green plants to both decorate the home and embellish the living space. Others choose green plants as a way to decorate with feng shui, to help purify the air, or to repel insects, as those are the characteristic of green plants.
For example, rosemary has a delightful scent, helps reduce stress, and improves our moods. Rosemary is also used as flavoring such as in steak and grilled dishes to make the them more attractive and delicious. In addition, rosemary also benefits the digestive tract, gallbladder, and kidney ... Therefore, it is reasonable that people choose this plant to grow indoors or outdoors.
Besides rosemary, many medicinal plants that are easy to grow and eatables such as fish mint, basil, and polyscias are also good choices. My friend, Hong Ngoc, living on Pham Van Dong street, grows polyscias in a pot at the vent window in the reading room. In case of need, Ngoc can easily use polyscias leaves for the rare lemon-goat dish she often makes to "treat" her family every weekend.
Trees are an indispensable part of life. Being aware of this, people have always prioritized a part of the land around the house to plant trees to create shade and help regulate the air.
In urban areas, space and land are narrower, so homeowners choose to bring pots of green plants into the house, which would be both "eye-soothing", and play the role of a natural air-conditioner... Architects have a joke about planting trees indoors, that it is a way to build an "air-powered green factory" for the family.
Therefore, when being asked to design, even if the homeowner does not intend to plant trees, architects often suggest choosing a few pots of indoor plants. That is the way to make the sweet home feel lively and vibrant.
Story and photos: Hong Tam