Talking to...
Catherine Heraghty
If you’re into interior styling at all, you’ve no doubt heard of The Stables, the Sydney-based boutique interior styling company. Known for creating simple, timeless and unique design solutions, their styles are both beautiful and functional.
It just so happens that here at The Sub Branch, we’re mates with the Creative Director, Catherine Heraghty. Catherine is passionate, stylish (naturally) and damn-good at her job. We sat down with her to ask her thoughts on plants, pots and styling the home with greenery.
1. There’s a fine line between having a lot of plants in the house and it not looking like a jungle. How can people keep their home looking stylish?
At The Stables one of our number one rules is to introduce greenery in every space but in a subtle way so the other furniture, artwork and accessories are still a central focus. Greenery is a must as it brings a certain energy to any space that you can't get from other styling elements! Our general go to when styling is opting for large foliage or florals in dining spaces, in the kitchen, and on occasional pieces such as sideboards or consoles. If you have the opportunity to style open shelving anywhere in your home a beautiful trailing plant gives the styling a whole new dimension!
2. Trends come and go, but plants (hopefully) outlive trends. What are some indoor plants that are versatile, but still bring ambience?
When it comes to actual plants, we are certainly not experts but we can't go past olive trees, fiddle leaf figs and travellers palms not only for their beautiful aesthetics but for their longevity and size as well, they are the perfect addition to a main living / dining area or an entry. You may need a bit of a green thumb to upkeep them though! Devil's Ivy is another favourite of ours as it tends to grow quite easily In the right conditions and is always a beautiful feature to any open shelving.
3. Does a vertical garden work in any space?
Vertical gardens are particularly successful in commercial spaces such as offices and workplaces as they tend to liven up areas that can tend to feel too clinical and cold due to task lighting etc. When it comes to vertical gardens in homes we tend to suggest using them as features externally in courtyards or on fence lines where the kitchen splashback is a window, this way you always have something beautiful to view and it enhances the feeling of brining the outdoors in.
4. What are the rules around pots? Are you better off finding a pot to suit a plant or vice versa? What role do pots play in indoor styling?
Pots play a big role in Interior styling, particularly if the client is a plant lover! You want to source pots that show variety and work in with your interior concept. Think different textures, sizes, colours and materials! When purchasing pots keep in mind the size of the plants you will want to put in them but we would always say to select the pots first that work with your interior or exterior scheme then focus on filling them with plants that will thrive within the conditions of the location.
5. What are some common mistakes people make with indoor plants? What do people need to remember when styling with plants?
Common mistakes we see often are simply using plants that are not suited to the conditions! So clients will end up having to replace them time and time again rather than finding a plant type that will thrive in the space that they have. So something to remember when styling with plants is to do a little research first into what will work best within your space to ensure longevity!