The West Elm decor is beautiful, but I simply don't see how one would care for those plans. Would you have to take them off the wall every time you water them? It looks like there isn't any drainage either, so do you have to take the plant out of the container every other day?

Have any of you actually ever purchased those sorts of plant boxes?

The room in No. 3 is to die for.

Pretty but, I could NEVER live with white walls!!!! They freak me out. It says "unfinished" to me, not when other people do it, but in my home. I think this is psychological more than aesthetic.

I've tried having hanging plants inside, and they are difficult to water without making a mess. I only have one hanging plant now, and it's fake, and there to "hide" the air conditioner. I'm not sure how I would manage plants attached to the walls.

http://dodiegoldney.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/sunshine-and-space-chickens/

I do love that plants provide a sculptural feel, and yet feel airy in a room at the same time.

http://dodiegoldney.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/procrastination-and-perfectionism/
http://dodiegoldney.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/looking-at-the-overlooked/

I think even in a non "white wall" theme, plants add to the over all aesthetic feel. I've had friends come to my place and later say how after seeing my plants they realized it was an easy element to add, one which they had never considered, but always feel makes the difference in the end. Plants are that missing design element you never knew you needed but absolutely is necessary for a peaceable environment.

Number 3 has been on top on my inspirational file for a very, very, very long time.

I WISH I was living with white walls! Instead mine are an off-white, nicotine stain sort of color. Blegh. Someday.

I've had my eye on a huge potted fern, but I'm pretty sure my cat would eat it.

I'm on the prowl for nice hanging containers (that preferably have a watering plate attached). Can anyone recommend a source?

I assume the actual plants are in removable plastic containers, so you could take them over to the sink and water.

That isn't too different from how I treat my orchids (mostly phalaenopsis). They're in decorative pots on the windowsill, and I water them in the sink, let them drain, and replace.

we live with the white walls in our rental loft & will never live with anything else; it allows to have a lot of color in furniture, dishes, & so on + to create mood boards on walls = change surrounding colors often

I've been actully thinking of getting a few large plants! Ficuses?

Ficuses are very temperamental and fickle. They have to be in just the right light with just the right amount of water, or the leaves drop like crazy.

White walls + plants are therapy to the eye and soul. The new mix of soil + fertilizer on the market makes it easy to grow almost anything. Water indicators also prove invaluable to those who are prone to over water.

To the rest of us out there who couldn't be bothered with the hassle of the upkeep. There is a vast variety of life-like silk plants that fool the eye.

Off topic but where can one find that chaise rocker in pic #3?

You're right, redyapper, those wall planters are beautiful, but care of the plants takes a bit of doing. I have not used these particular planters, but I have used other kinds of wall units. First, they need to be placed where you can reach them, probably by standing on a step stool or ladder; looks like there might be space behind the sofa in the room shown, otherwise you'd have to move the sofa to water. No, you don't remove them from the wall, you simply climb up there, using a small watering can (so you can lift it easily, and carefully direct the water,) pouring slowly so water doesn't go over the edge. You don't need a container with drainage, all you need to do is check the moisture in the plant before you water, to make sure it's not too wet. You can do this with a small wooden dowel, or kebob skewer; poke into the soil, like testing a cake, then feel the skewer - the skewer should be only faintly damp before you add more water. For more tips on watering, I have some videos for you at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-8InSamYQ - check out all the videos if you can.

Dodie, I followed your blog links - you have some beautiful plants! Hanging plants in the house is not hard at all, what you need is to set the plant in its grow pot (the way you get it from the store) right into a water tight bowl that you can hang. Professional interior landscapers have containers available for this purpose, but you can't generally find them on the retail market (a situation I hope to rectify in the near future). However, you can buy inexpensive plastic mixing bowls, drill 3 equi-distant holes near the top, and attach hanging wires that you can get at any plant store, usually with the orchid supplies. I have some videos, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG9PImILzh8, for instance, that show watering of hanging baskets. There are also container hangars that you can raise and lower, saving you the trouble of reaching up. Not so hard when you have the right tools.

Pi, if you hang your fern up high (see my comment above about hanging plants), your cat can't reach it.

You will love having some large plants! Just do some research so you know what you're doing, provide enough light, learn to test the soil so the plant doesn't stay too wet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBBh0RPPqu0), and enjoy.

Ficus really has got a bum rap. They aren't fickle, AmyZ, they drop their leaves when the light changes, so they can grow new leaves suited for the changed light condition. Some people have had good results by spraying the ficus LIBERALLY all over with plain water for the first five days when they move one into their home, or change its location. Even if it loses leaves, just make sure it has a general moderately-high to high light, don't let it dry out, and it should be ok. For more about light, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv7-3p-nqMM.

Fake plants may fool the eye, but they don't fool the soul.