The pair of unexpected cacti in our last post got us
thinking about houseplants and how much life and interest they bring to a room, especially when paired with antique and vintage pieces.
The big marble coffee table in our loft is styled with a trio of
Phalaenopsis or Moth Orchids potted in Spanish moss, bringing some much needed height and
vertical drama to the otherwise horizontal display of trinket boxes, small porcelain accessories, books, and sculpture scattered around them.
A column makes for a chic and elegant plant stand that can
fit just about anywhere. The fluffy looking plant happily perched near this
sunny window is known as a Ming fern, though oddly enough it's a relative of the asparagus and not a fern at all, while the vintage birdcage on the
windowsill keeps company with a sweet African violet cheerfully basking in
the sun.
The little sunroom through the French doors to the left is
packed to bursting with all kinds of plants, palms, and vines. This tiny high
ceilinged glass room could be thought of as sort of giant walk-in terrarium, but
its come to be called simply the plant room, as it’s proved a perfect spot to
winter palms or rebud orchids, including the pink and white ones in the first
shot.
Antique Baltimore chairs flank a juniper bonsai tree atop on a
Moroccan style accent table in this eclectic vignette. Produced mainly in
Baltimore from 1820 to 1840, this style of chair incorporates Classical influences, like the curved back of the ancient Greek
klismos chair as seen on the left, and elaborate hand painted and gold gilt details that result in a fantasy of the ancient Greco-Roman world by way of early American folk art. In its more heavily
distressed condition, the chair holding the mandolin harp with its elegant
deer-like legs and graceful gold gilt details almost resembles a relic from
ancient Rome.
Many of the plants featured here including the orchids, Ming fern,
and even the cactus that got this whole topic started have been purchase over
the last few years from the Parkside Orchid Nursery in nearby Upper Bucks County, our favorite
source for orchids that often carries other interesting houseplants as well, and definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.
