Why Millennials Love to Decorate With Plants
The indoor plant trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon. What’s drawing millennials to green décor in droves?
It’s difficult to imagine the home of a young person today without a monstera (Monstera deliciosa, also known commonly as the Swiss cheese plant) or a missionary plant (Pilea peperomioides). There’s such a boom in indoor plants that Amazon launched its own seed and plant store in 2018 (a 110cm-tall lemon tree is one of the Spanish store’s bestsellers). And this trend is still on the rise. Leroy Merlin, a French multi-national company specialising in construction, décor and gardening, says that by halfway through 2019, it had already sold 10% more plants in its Spanish stores than in the previous year.
Urbanisation is one of the main reasons why millennials are filling their homes with plants. According to a study on cities by the London School of Economics, 66% of people in the world will live in urban areas by 2050. This means that young people today are more likely than their parents to live in apartments without gardens, in urbanised environments. In that context, plants help them to connect with nature.
Urbanisation is one of the main reasons why millennials are filling their homes with plants. According to a study on cities by the London School of Economics, 66% of people in the world will live in urban areas by 2050. This means that young people today are more likely than their parents to live in apartments without gardens, in urbanised environments. In that context, plants help them to connect with nature.
Some might say that we can’t give all the credit for plant décor to those born between 1981 and 1996, the so-called ‘millennial’ generation. We saw ferns and ivy adding movement to the clean lines of midcentury furniture in the 1970s. Then we saw cacti in the 1980s and many potted plants in 1990s kitchens. But now we’re seeing a real boom.
For example, plant exports from the Netherlands, the world’s largest producer, increased from 5.5 billion euros in 2000 to more than 8 billion euros in 2016, according to an article entitled ‘Instead of Houses, Young People Have Houseplants’ in The Economist.
“Unfortunately, that title makes perfect sense: unlike houses, indoor plants are affordable,” says Joseph Thompson, director of operations at Underleaf. Specialising in landscaping and gardening, the company has just opened a store at the Columbia Road Flower Market in London, one of the most famous in the world – it was opened in 1869 – that hundreds of young people visit every Sunday.
For example, plant exports from the Netherlands, the world’s largest producer, increased from 5.5 billion euros in 2000 to more than 8 billion euros in 2016, according to an article entitled ‘Instead of Houses, Young People Have Houseplants’ in The Economist.
“Unfortunately, that title makes perfect sense: unlike houses, indoor plants are affordable,” says Joseph Thompson, director of operations at Underleaf. Specialising in landscaping and gardening, the company has just opened a store at the Columbia Road Flower Market in London, one of the most famous in the world – it was opened in 1869 – that hundreds of young people visit every Sunday.
“I believe the increased interest in plants among young people is a combination of many factors, one of which is the need to create a personal, warm space, a place of peace and wellbeing where you can protect yourself from a world that’s perceived as hostile. The plants fit perfectly in that environment and, in addition, bring a sculptural touch to the décor for little money,” says Spanish blogger María Vázquez of Dr Livinghome (pictured), a millennial plant fan with more than 14,000 followers on Instagram.
In addition to aesthetic issues, there are social conditions that have pushed the interest in plants in millennial homes. There is a socio-economic paradigm: living an urban lifestyle in small, shared houses without gardens, plants give the illusion of friendlier and cleaner spaces in many cities.
“One of the main drivers of horticultural industry growth is that more and more people are living in urban environments that do not have enough vegetation. Our mission is to help cities become less grey and more green in a sustainable way. We still have a long way to go!” says Julia Schönfeld, founder and director of Underleaf, whose clients include Five Guys and Tommy Hilfiger.
“Indeed, there is the tendency to use broadleaf plants, which fill spaces with green and life, to achieve a healthier and fresher appearance, though in reality it is nothing more than an aesthetic trend,” says Joaquín Millán of the international architecture studio OOIIO. “It’s not possible to make the space healthier just by putting in plants. It is friendlier, but not more ecological. This green fetish has been introduced into architecture more for a visual and psychological effect than for a specific technical contribution.”
“One of the main drivers of horticultural industry growth is that more and more people are living in urban environments that do not have enough vegetation. Our mission is to help cities become less grey and more green in a sustainable way. We still have a long way to go!” says Julia Schönfeld, founder and director of Underleaf, whose clients include Five Guys and Tommy Hilfiger.
“Indeed, there is the tendency to use broadleaf plants, which fill spaces with green and life, to achieve a healthier and fresher appearance, though in reality it is nothing more than an aesthetic trend,” says Joaquín Millán of the international architecture studio OOIIO. “It’s not possible to make the space healthier just by putting in plants. It is friendlier, but not more ecological. This green fetish has been introduced into architecture more for a visual and psychological effect than for a specific technical contribution.”
Sara Jiménez, head of the garden section at one of the Leroy Merlin Spain stores, also agrees that this search for wellbeing is the main reason young people have plants at home.
“Young millennials have developed a genuine interest in interior decoration. Partly because of trends from social networks, it has become a priority to have a cosy and well-decorated home. And, beyond having it, you have to show it,” Jiménez says. “Several Zen tendencies have also become fashionable, such as feng shui. This philosophy holds that you should live in environments that provide energy when you get home, which mainly comes from plants in the house.”
How to look after the plants you’ve been given over Christmas.
“Young millennials have developed a genuine interest in interior decoration. Partly because of trends from social networks, it has become a priority to have a cosy and well-decorated home. And, beyond having it, you have to show it,” Jiménez says. “Several Zen tendencies have also become fashionable, such as feng shui. This philosophy holds that you should live in environments that provide energy when you get home, which mainly comes from plants in the house.”
How to look after the plants you’ve been given over Christmas.
Milicienta is a YouTuber with more than 110,000 subscribers to her channel about cacti and succulents. Her videos with tips on caring, watering and resurrecting plants have accumulated five million views. She calls herself a ‘succulover’.
Many of these ‘plantfluencers’ who inspire the love of plants every day from their social networks are influenced by the growing concern over climate change and sustainability. The Global Millennial Survey 2019, from international consulting company Deloitte, says that climate change, environmental protection and natural disasters were the biggest concerns among millennials globally.
“Caring for plants and seeing them thrive can serve as an antidote to some of the environmental problems we face; however, we must be careful, because buying more indoor plants will not fight problems such as pollution or global warming. In fact, the horticultural industry also has a long way to go to improve its ecological credentials. For example, we are looking for alternatives to plastic pots, but it is currently difficult to find practical solutions,” Schönfeld says.
Many of these ‘plantfluencers’ who inspire the love of plants every day from their social networks are influenced by the growing concern over climate change and sustainability. The Global Millennial Survey 2019, from international consulting company Deloitte, says that climate change, environmental protection and natural disasters were the biggest concerns among millennials globally.
“Caring for plants and seeing them thrive can serve as an antidote to some of the environmental problems we face; however, we must be careful, because buying more indoor plants will not fight problems such as pollution or global warming. In fact, the horticultural industry also has a long way to go to improve its ecological credentials. For example, we are looking for alternatives to plastic pots, but it is currently difficult to find practical solutions,” Schönfeld says.
Millennial writer and guru Jia Tolentino is another young woman who loves succulents in her home. A few months ago she wrote an article for The New Yorker entitled ‘The Leafy Love Affair Between Millennials and Houseplants’, talking about how she became obsessed with cacti and similar plants.
“And then, about a month and a half ago, I emerged from a late-winter whirlpool of generic millennial-era anxieties about climate change and capitalism, and I found, to my great surprise, that I had become a new person – one who could think about nothing but plants,” she wrote, also pointing out that some young people are experiencing a sense of paternity with their plants … in the place of children.
Find local home renovation experts in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“And then, about a month and a half ago, I emerged from a late-winter whirlpool of generic millennial-era anxieties about climate change and capitalism, and I found, to my great surprise, that I had become a new person – one who could think about nothing but plants,” she wrote, also pointing out that some young people are experiencing a sense of paternity with their plants … in the place of children.
Find local home renovation experts in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
In closing this discussion about young people with exotic plants but no houses – and to contradict Tolentino a bit – we look at Rivas-Vaciamadrid, the town in Spain with the youngest average age, 37.1, and the fifth-highest birth rate in the country. Many young families move there for its affordable housing. Leroy Merlin has a store there, too, and has noticed a remarkable increase in the sale of plants among young people.
“The increase in sales is more focused on plants that need little care, such as cacti and succulents. Buyers are aware that there are times of the year when they can’t take care of plants as needed, but they don’t want to give up on having plants at home. Cacti also have the aspect of being collectible, as there’s a great variety in the market at affordable prices,” Jiménez says.
“The increase in sales is more focused on plants that need little care, such as cacti and succulents. Buyers are aware that there are times of the year when they can’t take care of plants as needed, but they don’t want to give up on having plants at home. Cacti also have the aspect of being collectible, as there’s a great variety in the market at affordable prices,” Jiménez says.
While the popularity of cacti is strengthening, the challenge for small stores is now to look for all kinds of multi-coloured plants with surprising colours and patterns to meet the demand of young people seeking to spark new online trends. “The new hit is caladiums, with their spectacular colours and patterns,” say Urban Jungle Bloggers.
Tell us…
Are you a fan of indoor plants? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments section.
Tell us…
Are you a fan of indoor plants? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments section.
Millennials are a new type of plant consumer with new tastes. In 2013, Igor Josifovic and Judith de Graaff (pictured) founded Urban Jungle Bloggers, a blog for plant lovers that has more than 900,000 followers on Instagram, which was born out of an Instagram community about homes with plants (or vice versa).
“We live in a super digital and accelerated world where our smartphones and social networks dictate the speed of our daily lives. We also face excessive information consumption and the constant ‘fear of missing out’ [FOMO],” Josifovic says. “Plants counterbalance this fast digital lifestyle, because they require mindfulness and patience. They remind us of natural cycles.”