The Best Indoor Plants for Entryways and Other Tricky Spaces
If like many of us, you’ve got the urge to fill every corner of your home with indoor plants, then you’ll want to keep reading before you start your plant shopping. Some areas in the house can have awkward layouts, like hallways and stairwells, and finding the best plants for those spaces can be kinda tricky. Other spots, like entryways, may have unfavorable conditions for more delicate indoor plants.
Some Indoor Plants Just Can’t Hack it in the Entryway
Sudden temperature changes or cold drafts can really stress out your plants or even kill them. At your front entryway, there’s gonna be a lot of drafts coming in! Other tricky areas of the house, like hallways and basements, tend to have lower sunlight levels. While those aren’t ideal conditions for many common indoor plants, don’t let that stop you from filling your house with copious amounts of greenery! You just gotta pick the right plants for the right rooms—and luckily, we already did that for you.
The Best Plants for Entryways: Chinese Evergreen
Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, Margaret Thatcher is the Iron Lady, and Chinese evergreen is the Cast Iron Plant. While something tells me this trio wouldn’t have the best chemistry, there’s no doubt that this tough-as-nails indoor plant will do great in the entryway of your home. The Chinese evergreen can stand up to a slight draft and it can tolerate low light levels too. Their colorful, variegated leaves are so on trend. We're particularly fond of the white frosted First Diamond or the cherry pink speckled Lady Valentine.
Indoor Plants for Basement Rec Rooms: Pothos
Okay, so we’re not talking about a totally windowless basement here. We mean those basements with the awkward rectangular windows that are way high up on the ceiling, right at ground level. They’re a fraction of the size of a typical window, but they’re a window nonetheless, and where there are windows, there can be plants! Pothos is the perfect plant for the basement, as it thrives in lower light conditions. Place it high up on a shelf or windowsill, so its trailing vines can hang down. As a rule of thumb, darker-leaved pothos varieties like Green Queen pothos tend to do best in dimmer areas.
The Best Baby Nursery Plants: Calatheas in Hanging Baskets
Anyone who’s been around a baby for more than five minutes knows that babies love to grab things and put them in their mouths. So obviously, you won’t want to put any plants with toxic sap in your baby’s nursery. To make sure both your baby and your plant stay extra safe, opt for a non-toxic plant-like Calathea and put it in a hanging basket! Babies are interested in bold color contrasts and love to stare at things with bright spots or stripes. Try the Calathea Dottie, with dark leaves streaked with hot pink, or the Calathea Rattlesnake with its distinctive spotted leaves.
For Bright Light Stairwells: Peperomia on a Floating Shelf
Stairwells are tricky because they tend to be a bit narrow, and they’re pretty high traffic areas of the home. If your stairwell gets a decent amount of sunlight from a south-facing window, put up a floating shelf on the wall and place a Peperomia on top! These low-maintenance houseplants are cute and small, so they don’t take up tons of room. Even better, they’re super tough and resilient, so if you accidentally knock it over while zooming down the stairs, it will most likely make a full recovery. You’ll love Peperomia Watermelon—it looks just like a bowl of little mini watermelons growing on long, red stems!
For Medium-Light Stairwells: Tradescantia on a Floating Shelf
If your stairwell is blessed with a bit of natural light from an east or west-facing window, opt for a plant with slightly lower light requirements like Tradescantia. Again, you’ll want to install a little floating shelf somewhere that isn’t likely to get bumped on the way down the stairs. Tradescantia makes a fantastic plant for medium-light stairwells, and its stunning jewel-toned foliage never fails to impress. Try the Tradescantia zebrina, with maroon and shiny silver stripes on every leaf, or the subtly elegant Tradescantia albiflora albovittata, which has longer, light green leaves streaked with soft white striations.
The Best Plants for Narrow Hallways: Sansevieria
It can be hard trying to put plants in a narrow hallway—similarly to stairwells, they’re kind of an awkward shape, and you run the risk of bumping into them. Sansevierias are definitely the best indoor plants for hallways because they have an upright growth habit. This way, they barely take up space, yet they can grow so tall and lush! Even better, they’re tolerant of low light, and they require infrequent watering, so they’re a great indoor plant for beginners. For something cool and sophisticated, try Sansevieria Whitney, with its cool emerald leaves with subtly textured mint stripes. For something more zany and fun, you’ll really get a kick out of Sansevieria Twist—it looks like it got caught in a tornado!
Landings: Large Philodendrons
At the top of the stairs or around your foyer, you may have a large landing that’s not quite big enough to function as a room on its own, but it’s too big to just remain empty. The best way to make use of this space is by getting a big, beautiful statement plant with an artsy, sculptural quality to it. There are so many varieties of large Philodendrons that totally fit the bill! Philodendron Little Hope has large, wavy leaves with a silky sheen that bring a luxurious, tropical vibe to the atmosphere. Congo Green has thick, sturdy stems and super-wide leaves in the most vivacious shade of green, and its cousin Congo Rojo is similarly shaped, but with darker green leaves and rich burgundy stems.
To see more of the best indoor plants for your entryway, the foyer, narrow hallways, and all those other awkward spots in the house, browse our full catalog at Plant Decor Shop! We have all our plants conveniently organized into categories like low light, pet friendly, and low maintenance, so you can make sure you’re picking the right plant for your space.
