Office and reception: well kept, with no watering rota

The first impression is made at reception, and in many companies that is where a plant stands that has seen better days. That is rarely down to a lack of effort. It is down to responsibility. This article shows why that is, what artificial plants can do in the office and where their limits lie.

The problem isn't willingness, it's responsibility

Lots of people work in an office, and almost nobody feels responsible for the plants. Where it works, there is a watering schedule, coordinated with the holiday schedule, with cover arranged for sick days. This is exactly where it usually falls apart, in the second week of the holidays. At reception you see the result first, and so do visitors.

Then there are the conditions themselves: offices are dry, often dark and cool at weekends. Interior meeting rooms and corridors have no daylight at all. There, a real plant has no chance even with care.

What artificial plants can do in the office

• They look neat and tidy for good, in places where real plants die. That is their real argument, and Bloomli claims nothing more here.
• They don't need anyone in charge of them. No watering schedule, no holiday cover, no discussion in the team meeting.
• They get through company shutdowns, office moves and home-working phases unchanged, for several weeks without any attention.
• They don't release pollen. For colleagues with hay fever, that is a quiet advantage in spring. To be honest: dust collects on the leaves, and anyone who reacts to house dust will notice it. Regular wiping is part of the deal.

What isn't true, and why it is here anyway

One argument you read all the time does not stand up to scrutiny: plants do not clean office air to any meaningful degree. The famous NASA study from 1989 was carried out in small, airtight chambers, because it was about space stations. A 2019 analysis worked out what this means for normal rooms: to achieve an effect comparable to ordinary air exchange through windows, you would need ten to a thousand plants per square metre. In a real office, the effect is practically zero, with real and artificial plants alike. Airing the room does what plants are credited with.

Anyone who advertises an advantage that doesn't exist also loses credibility on the advantages that do. That is why it is here.

How many plants for which floor area

As a rough guide, one larger plant per 15 to 20 square metres has proven itself. That is a figure from experience, not a rule.

• Up to 50 square metres: three to four medium-sized plants, for example sideboard, windowsill, a corner.
• 50 to 150 square metres: six to eight plants, plus one or two hanging elements for shelves or room dividers.
• From 150 square metres: twelve plants and up, complemented by larger statement plants at the entrance.

Where they make the most difference

• Reception and entrance. First impressions last. A larger statement plant next to the desk has more impact here than anywhere else in the building.
• Meeting rooms. Often interior, without daylight, and the room clients see for the longest.
• Corridors and waiting areas. Spaces that otherwise feel empty and echoey.
• Individual workstations. A small plant on the desk that nobody has to look after, and that makes the background look tidier on video calls.

What to look for when buying for business premises

• Stability. Larger plants need a weighted pot, otherwise they tip over when someone walks past. In a corridor with wheeled suitcases, more often than you would think.
• Leaf texture. Matt surfaces with visible veining look more real than glossy ones. Nobody at reception stands there holding the flower. From a normal distance the difference is then hardly noticeable.
• Choice of pot. A simple, high-quality cachepot lifts the effect far more than more expensive leaves. For business premises: neutral, in a colour that matches the floor and the furniture.
• Easy to clean. Smooth, larger leaves can be wiped in one go. If you add the care to the cleaning contract, dusting every few weeks, the matter is settled.
• Sunlight. Constant direct sun fades colours over time. Placed somewhat more sheltered, they last longer.

Where real plants have the edge

• They change, grow and bring a room to life.
• They measurably increase humidity in their immediate surroundings. Unlike pollutant filtering, that is not a myth, but it only works close to the plant.
• For the finding of the 2014 Exeter study, more satisfaction and performance in offices with plants, there is so far evidence only for real plants.

If you have time, light and someone with green fingers, real plants will serve you well. Artificial plants are the solution for all other cases, and at reception, that is usually the case.

Matching products

Larger statement plants for entrance and reception are in Artificial trees, Potted plants suit desks and sideboards, and Hanging plants suit shelves and room dividers. Offices are covered in more detail in the article Artificial plants in the office. For larger fit-outs with identical requirements, write to Bloomli via the Wunschbox.