Inspired by botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey’s beautiful home, we’ve been thinking about using plants as art and curating them in your home. We caught up with Matt Richardson – the founder of independent north London botanical plant and flower studio Urban Flower Co – to chat about the ways in which plants can be used as a vibrant substitute for artworks in the home.

The Living Wall

“These are such a great way to make a statement, and are essentially a piece of living art. There are a few ways they can be created. You can keep things fresh with a self-maintained wall of leafy greens; mixing up the shades and textures, and allowing it to grow as wild as you like. An alternative is to use fresh blooms that will age and decay over time. I think for me this is one of the most beautiful and painterly ways to use plants as art – I find the life cycle of flowers endlessly fascinating.”

The Standalone Plant

“If you have the floor space, a bold standalone plant is a great way to make a statement. For me, I’d say the bigger the better! Depending on what you choose, it’s a great way of bringing colour, shape and character to a room. Cheese plants are very popular, and I’m a big fan of Kentia Palms. Or if you’re looking for something striking that requires less maintenance, perhaps an Aloe Vera plant or a ‘Cowboy Cactus’.”

The Bonsai

“Bonsai is a Japanese artform with a fascinating heritage, and these trees for me are the ultimate way to combine botany and artistry. It takes a lot of skill and dedication to maintain one, but it’s a plant with character, age and a story. They make a structural focus in a room, and personally I’d say the weirder the shape the better!”

The Hanging Plant
“Hanging plants are a great way to draw the eye upwards, and can make a room with low ceilings feel more spacious. Either I’ll select one piece to hang as a statement, or if I’m displaying more than one, I like to hang them at different heights so that each individual piece can be shown off. The Urban Flower Co’s aesthetic is unstructured and focused on texture, and I think with hanging plants there are so many ways to play with fullness and cascading shapes, to make something really whimsical.”

Read more: Verdant: a collection of properties featuring lush botanical interiors

My Modern House: botanical stylist Yasuyo Harvey has created beautiful interiors on a budget in the London suburbs