Image: Design Soda

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If you read Interiors blogs regularly you may have come across Ikea a fair bit recently, not only have they been collaborating with some amazing brands on fabulous design, but their in-house team have been knocking it out of the park with everything from the new Stockholm range to artisan hand painted tableware and beating-Superfronts-at-their own-game geometric cupboard fronts. Not to mention their hilarious spat with a top fashion house who appear to have taken a heavy dose of inspiration from their famous 30p bags but for thousands of pounds. Well, I don’t like to be left off a bandwagon ever so I’m here to talk about Ikea today too, but what I’m talking about is far more small scale than any of the above, it has nothing to do with cutting edge design and everything to do with faking the botanical trend impressively whilst filling your home with cat-safe copies of in vogue plants. 

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Image: Design Soda

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I have to be honest, I’m not much of a fan of faux flowers in general but with plant growth so hit and miss in our house (they don’t exactly die but often seem to be in that hinterland between growth and giving up!) I have considered going faux. And I’ve been really impressed by my trips to Ikea recently. We only live a ten minute drive from our local Ikea so I’ve been making the most of the design moment ikea have been having this year and visiting monthly (partly because I’m still waiting for those bloody useful bags redesigned by Hay to drop!). I’ve picked up quite a few pieces I’ve been super happy with over the last six months but one which has been a real surprise to me has been in the faux foliage department.

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Image: Design Soda

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Eucalyptus

I first bought some faux eucalyptus a few months ago, sold at £2.50 per sprig, to solve the perennial problem I have of finding them super pretty for styling but always having to put them out of reach as they are deadly to cats. Having had a discussion with Juan from BorealAbode last week on Instagram after he bought some too, I’ve learnt that there are over 700 varieties of Eucalyptus so your trust in them looking real may depend upon the varieties you commonly use. I love the smell of Eucalyptus (who doesn’t) but if a plastic version allows me to place them wherever I want (and there’s always essential oils) I can live with that. 

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Image: Design Soda

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Fig Plant

I was really impressed with how the Eucalyptus looked in our bedroom, providing the right pop of greenery without needing water changed etc so the next time I visited I had a little further look at the faux section and I bought a faux fig plant. They also stock a fiddle leaf fig (completely poisonous to cats) but I found this smaller fake more impressive. One concrete pot, some soil and a play with leaf arrangement later (you have to do this if you want to dupe a real plant btw) and I honestly don’t think you’d know this plant was fake until you were at least at touching distance. 

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Image: Design Soda

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Ginko

Last week we popped to Ikea in the evening as a child friendly antidote to having had to stay in all day for various blogger mail deliveries to arrive. Ted loves an Ikea visit, the playground, the kids area where he plays house, the meatballs (of course!) and I happily came home with a stem of foliage that I can’t identify but know is very pretty! I’ve cut a few of the leaves off to use later as it was the perfect thing for this green Aurora vase Dartington sent me. I’d love to know what it is, I’m calling it fancy ivy but if you know the correct name do let me know in the comments below.

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Image: Design Soda

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Monstera Leaf

And finally, this is a bit of a cheat, it’s a monstera leaf from a cheese plant, another un-cat-friendly houseplant (are you picking up a theme here!). Well, I didn’t actually buy this one from IKEA but they do sell them in Ikea, and far cheaper than I paid for it, had I of known I’d happen upon one in the Swedish Superstore I would definitely have bought it there. So, that’s it my run down of my favourite Ikea plant cheats, you can find links to all of the items mentioned below, happy shopping, I’d love to hear your tips on faking it with plants in your home.