Plants: one large is worth more than five small

The classic mistake: multiplying small plants scattered on shelves, window ledges, low units. This dispersion fragments the room and produces no structural effect.

The professional rule: one single large plant is worth more than five small ones. A plant of 1.80 to 2.20 m, in a beautiful pot, becomes an architectural element that structures a room corner. Five 30 cm plants scattered create visual disorder.

Choosing the large plant. Five robust indoor varieties.

Ficus Lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig). The contemporary must-have. Large shiny green leaves, architectural habit. Cost: £100-300 depending on size. Needs indirect light and moderate watering. Monstera Deliciosa. Spectacular cut leaves. More shade tolerant than Ficus Lyrata. Cost: £80-200. Strelitzia Nicolai (bird of paradise). Very wide leaves, extremely architectural habit. Higher cost (£200-500), but irresistible effect. Areca or Kentia palm. Elegant tropical touch, without falling into cliché. Cost: £100-300.

Choosing the pot. Raw ceramic (terracotta, concrete grey, off-white): natural, neutral, works anywhere. Patinated metal (brass, copper): contemporary and refined, for elegant salons. Woven basket (rush, raffia): natural and warm, very Scandinavian. No visible plastic pot: if the plant is in its original plastic container, place it inside an aesthetic cachepot.

Position of the large plant. Ideal in a room corner (between two walls), near a window for light, as a vertical accent beside a low sofa. Aim for height exceeding the sofa top by 50 cm to 1 m.

Where small plants have their place. Kitchen window ledge (herbs: basil, chives, mint). Humid bathroom (ferns, peperomia). A desk for a punctual green touch. But not scattered throughout the living room.

Pierre Yovanovitch often integrates a single monumental plant in his salons, sometimes an ancient olive tree in a pot or a large Strelitzia. Pure architectural effect, dialoguing with the furniture.