15 Living Wall Designs for a Fresh Home

Imagine you’ve landed in the middle of a lush rainforest. As you look around, you see nothing but the vibrant greens, yellows and reds of the foliage surrounding you. You feel nothing but peace as you inhale a breath of fresh air, enjoying the natural beauty around you.

What if you could bring that rainforest into your home or office? With a living wall, you can enjoy all the incredible benefits of nature every time you walk into a room!

Read on to learn more about creating a living wall or jump straight to the infographic for our tips on how to style them.

Living Walls: What Are They?

A living wall is a vertical garden that is attached to an interior, exterior or freestanding wall. Also known as green walls, plant walls and garden walls, these beautiful gardens provide visual beauty to their space.

While some living walls are large, complex displays of greenery, others are as simple as small potted plants mounted to the wall in a vertical garden fashion. Living walls of any shape and size are perfect for those wishing to add the intrinsic beauty of nature to their home or office.

Creating a Living Wall

Before creating your living wall, you’ll need to consider the upkeep requirements of the plants you choose, as well as the ideal location for your green wall and the best way to continue caring for your wall once it is complete. Keep reading for our tips on how to create and care for a living wall.

Where Do Living Walls Grow Best?

The phrase “location, location, location” doesn’t just apply to property. Before starting your green wall, think about where you want to put it. Plants rely on sunlight for nutrients, so your living wall should be exposed to natural light. Of course, it’s important to consider the sunlight requirements of each specific plant.

For outdoor living walls, you should also think about the typical climate for your area. Temperature, humidity and light exposure all play a part in plant growth, so be sure to select appropriate foliage for your region. For example, succulents are great for sunny areas, while ferns work well in shade.

Best Plants for a Living Wall

There are many possibilities to choose from when selecting the types of plants for your living wall. The plants you use should reflect the tone and feel of the wall’s location. Mosses and boxwood can be used to create vibrant splashes of green, flowering plants can offer bursts of color and succulents can give off more subtle, sophisticated vibes. It all depends on the environment you want to create!

When choosing plants for your green wall, try to pick plants with similar sun and water requirements. Selecting plants with similar needs will allow for easier maintenance and less hands-on care.

Create lush texture with ferns: 

• Staghorn fern

• Maidenhair

• Sword fern

• Rabbit’s foot

Use vines for natural shade:

• Pothos

• English ivy

• Rosary vine

• String of pearls

Incorporate pops of color with flowers:

• Peace lily

• Begonia

• Geranium

• Lavender

Try succulents for low-maintenance care:

• Stonecrop

• Hens and chicks

• Dudleya

• Jade plant

Living Wall Maintenance

Whether you confine your green wall to a frame or leave it wild and untamed, your living wall should be built in a way that allows for easy care and upkeep. For example, complex green walls feature built-in watering systems that use hydroponics or water tanks to keep plants hydrated and happy. Others use hanging planters with multiple pockets to create a lush aesthetic.

Living walls need to be bound to a secure structure, like the frame of a house or a wall. You can either build your own frame to suit your unique style or buy it pre-made.

Just like us, plants need to practice good hygiene to stay healthy. Once your living wall is built and thriving, keep your plants clean by occasionally wiping the leaves down with a mild mixture of soap and water. This will keep away any insects and help plants live longer.

You should also consider what type of soil will work best for your living wall. For smaller spaces and home gardens, loose media soil or mats may work best. Sheet media can be used for vertical walls, larger outdoor spaces and for plants that require heavy watering.

Living Wall Benefits

Green walls and vertical gardens can bring stunning natural beauty to any location, but they also offer some other surprising benefits.

Plants act as natural air purifiers, helping to filter pollution and toxins from the air and improving overall air quality. The living wall metabolizes these toxins, releasing new oxygen into the air. After adding a green wall to your home or office, you’ll have fresh, clean air that invigorates the senses and calms the mind.

In corporate settings, living walls can offer a much-needed burst of vibrant color in an otherwise neutral environment. The visual beauty of these vertical gardens will improve employee alertness and satisfaction. You may even find your team making excuses to walk by the living wall whenever possible!

Green walls can also help lower your energy bill! In the heat of summer, large living walls cool the air through evapotranspiration, the process of water being transferred through plants into the atmosphere. On exterior surfaces, living walls can cool surface temperatures by up to 50ºF, significantly decreasing your need for interior air conditioning.

Tips and Tricks for Creating a Stunning Living Wall

Whether your living wall will be the centerpiece of your home or a stunning accent in an office or corporate building, there are plenty of ways you can style your living wall.

Living walls are the perfect way to create a sense of natural peace in your home or office. Adding lush green foliage to any space helps to clear the mind and invigorate the senses.

Every plant is different, so be sure to care for your living wall’s unique needs by thoroughly researching the species you’ll be using. Whether your living wall is fully-green or features colorful flowers, we hope this guide helps you create the fresh and beautiful look you deserve.