Indoor plants

Best Living Room Indoor Plants

 
Ulla Rothschuh Osorio
By Ulla Rothschuh Osorio, Biologist. April 11, 2024
Best Living Room Indoor Plants

The best indoor plants for the living room include the male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum), polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya), song of India (Dracaena marginata), moth orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.), Australian umbrella tree (Heptapleurum actinophyllum), areca palm (Dypsis lutescens), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), Monstera, fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata), Aloe vera and fire croton (Dracena fragrans).

Plants are an essential element to balance any space, having a great impact on our well-being. This is because greenery helps stabilize our emotions and feel in closer to nature. Since they are where we spend a lot of our time trying to relax or feel at home, it is particularly important to have the right houseplants for our living room. In this thedailyECO guide, we share the 15 best living room indoor plants with photos.

You may also be interested in: Best Aromatic Indoor Plants
Contents
  1. Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
  2. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
  3. Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica)
  4. Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
  5. Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
  6. Song of India (Dracaena marginata)
  7. Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.)
  8. Australian umbrella tree (Heptapleurum actinophyllum)
  9. Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens)
  10. Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
  11. Monstera
  12. Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)
  13. Aloe vera
  14. Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans)
  15. Fire croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
See more >>

Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)

Ferns are one of the most popular plants for living rooms because they are both beautiful and very hardy. Especially if you have kids, their leaves can be tugged with great force and remain intact and they will easily withstand change sin temperature. This durability is seen by the fact they are one of the oldest extant plants that have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.

Ferns are a type of cryptogamic plant. Learn more about what are cryptogamic plants with our related article and use the link below if you want to buy an indoor fern for your living room:

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Also known as an airplane or ribbon plant, the spider plant is known for its distinctive leaves which direct out of the plant like a spider's legs. Their shape is not their only distinctive quality. Their variegated leaves are green with white stripes which give a freshness to lighter rooms. They are a great indoor plant for a white living room which do not require a lot of sun. This means you can use them to brighten up darker corners of the salon. Spider plants are not only great for living rooms, but they are considered a great plant to absorb heat.

You can purchase your own spider plant using the link below:

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica)

Historically used for its latex in rubber production, the Panama rubber tree has recently become very popular as a houseplant for living rooms. It develops glossy leaves of about 6" (15 cm) that are of dark green color and quite thick. It grows outside as a tree up to 20 meters, but keeping it in a pot will not grow too big. It requires little care and can be kept in the living room where there is good lighting.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica)

Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

This is another of the basic plants that are very common in living rooms. Its leaves are glossy and form hanging garlands very easily, giving greater dimension to even minimal spaces. It is also one of the plants recommended by NASA to purify the air from xylene, benzene and formaldehyde, so it will be excellent for closed rooms.

Golden pothos is a type of flowering vine which can be used indoors such as in living rooms. It also means it may need to be trimmed if it starts to attach itself to certain areas. You can use the link below to pruchase your own:

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

For rooms that are warm and retain their temperature well, this plant is a great choice. The leaves have very special white, red or pink spots. It grows as a herbaceous plant that develops into to a shrub and is usually kept compact in indoor pots. It requires a high level watering, to be done 3 times a week. Such intensive care is worth it for the color it brings to the rooms where it is placed. Again, this is a great houseplant for white living rooms since it helps their color pop.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

Song of India (Dracaena marginata)

A variant of Dracaena reflexa, Dracaena marginata develops long, flat, dark green leaves, with reddish margins that rise on thin striated stems. They grow slowly, so they can be kept well indoors. They only need indirect light and moderate watering is required once a week. For the pot, it should be reduced in size because that is how they develop best.

Learn more about the best partial-shade plants you can grow at home, most of them also in your living room.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Song of India (Dracaena marginata)

Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.)

To give an elegant and opulent look to the living room, orchids are the top choice for many. In moth orchids, flowering lasts 2 to 3 months, meaning they can be used to decorate the environment for a long time. They are relatively easy to care for, taking into account that they should be placed near a window because they need indirect light. They should be watered by immersion once a week.

Although it is tempting to place it in a decorative pot, it should always be placed in transparent pots because the roots also photosynthesize. We limit their growth if we place them in an opaque pot. They come in many colors, so you can choose the one that best suits your space.

While you may not be able to buy them for your living room, check out our related guide to discover the rarest orchids in the world.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.)

Australian umbrella tree (Heptapleurum actinophyllum)

This plant develops leaves from the tip of the stem, facing downward like an umbrella. They withstand drafts so it is excellent for living rooms that have open windows or in entrances that receive wind. It needs to be near an indirect light source. While they are considered a tree, they can be a great indoor houseplant for living rooms if you have a large corner in which you can place them.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Australian umbrella tree (Heptapleurum actinophyllum)

Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens)

The Dypsis lutescens or Areca palm one of the most popular living room plants to be kept indoors. When we look at their beautiful palm fronds, we can see why. This is a type of palm tree that will give a holiday touch to the living room. Fortunately it does very well indoors, as long as it is placed near a window.

Use the link below to purchase your own:

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens)

Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

For a very low-maintenance houseplant we have the saguaro, a columnar cactus that grows tall, but doesn't take up much space. Watering is minimal because it is succulent, but it needs plenty of light. The best location will be near a living room window, where it receives at least 6 hours of constant light and should never be in complete shade.

The saguaro's prickly spines mean we need to be careful if we have pets or children in our living room. If you want to choose one without this problem, take a look at our list of spineless cacti plant species.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Monstera

If the living room has little light or windows, you should opt for a shade plant. If there is enough space, a Monstera deliciosa can be used which has large leaves of approximately 12" (30 cm). If your living room does not have much space, the best option is Monstera adansonii. This latter plant grows as a pendant or climber and has small leaves. They are plants that grow very well in low light conditions without compromising the beauty of their striking leaves which have holes through them. These holes are why it is sometimes known as a Swiss cheese plant.

Discover more about the different types of monstera plant with our related guide.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Monstera

Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

It grows as a small upright tree, with large, shiny and leathery leaves with thick veins. It should be located near a source of filtered natural light that will not burn the leaves. It grows up to 20 m high, but you can control the growth to a desired height by keeping it in a container. They are normally used 2 meters high for interiors such as living rooms. It needs warm temperatures, never lower than 15ªC/59ºF. It breathes a lot, so it helps keep the rooms with good humidity.

Learn about how to care for another type of fig plant with our guide to caring for a creeping fig.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is another type of succulent plant which has very low-watering needs. It is easy to grow indoors, although in its native habitat it grows in full sun. It tolerates low light conditions very well, requiring even less watering than when kept outdoors. A single cluster can be kept in a small pot, or in larger pots to have several plants.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Aloe vera

Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans)

Another type of beautiful ornamental plant for living rooms, the cornstalk or striped dracaena does not need a lot of light, ideal for living rooms with little sun. The leaves have wide stripes in two colors of green, are flat and wide, and fall downward. They stand on a firm trunk with a paper-like external texture, light beige in color. It can be had as a medium-sized tree up to one meter high or a small one to keep in a planter as a centerpiece.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans)

Fire croton (Codiaeum variegatum)

The reason for the common name of Codiaeum variegatum is its beautiful leaves which look like licks of flames. Another great way to add a bit of color to your living room, the fir croton can have yellow, red or orange leaves with little green. They are long and elliptical in shape, occupying almost the entire plant with an inconspicuous stem. They are completely indoor, so they can be kept in sitting rooms without problems. It needs warm temperatures, with moderate watering once a week.

If you have decided that none of our list of the best indoor plants for living rooms aren't for you, you may want to change your criteria for choosing. Do so with our article on the best aromatic indoor plants which sort them by scent.

Best Living Room Indoor Plants - Fire croton (Codiaeum variegatum)

If you want to read similar articles to Best Living Room Indoor Plants, we recommend you visit our Indoor plants category.

Bibliography
  • Buczacki, S. (1997). Caring for garden plants. Spain: Tursen.
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Best Living Room Indoor Plants