Which artificial plants do interior designers recommend? — Australia 2026
The short answer: Australian interior designers in 2026 consistently recommend the faux olive tree as their first choice for living rooms and open-plan spaces, the fiddle leaf fig for contemporary and Scandi interiors, and birds of paradise for coastal and tropical-inspired homes. The common thread is scale — designers consistently go larger than clients expect, and consistently prioritise trunk and leaf quality over everything else.
Something shifted in the Australian interior design industry over the past three to four years. Faux plants moved from being the compromise choice — what you specified when a client couldn't manage real plants — to being the considered choice. Designers now specify premium faux plants not despite their artificial nature but because of the practical and aesthetic advantages they offer. This guide covers what that looks like in practice.
The species designers specify most often
Faux olive tree
The universal choice for Australian interior designers across virtually every style — Hamptons, coastal, contemporary, transitional. The olive tree's Mediterranean character, silvery-green foliage and gnarled trunk give it a timeless quality that suits the broad range of Australian home aesthetics. Designers typically specify 180cm or above.
Shop faux olive trees →Faux fiddle leaf fig
The go-to for contemporary, Scandi and minimalist interiors. The bold, graphic leaves and strong vertical form create an architectural statement. Designers typically specify a single well-positioned 160–180cm tree rather than multiple smaller plants — one is more powerful than three.
Shop faux fiddle leaf figs →Faux birds of paradise
The signature choice for coastal Australian interiors and any home that references tropical or resort aesthetics. The dramatic paddle-shaped leaves at 160–180cm create immediate impact. Designers use it to anchor open corners and beside sofas in coastal living rooms.
Read the guide →Faux ficus tree
The ficus's fine-leafed, layered canopy creates a softer architectural quality suited to dining rooms, studies and transitional interiors that sit between contemporary and classic. Its dense canopy and irregular branching structure are among the most convincingly realistic forms in faux plants.
Shop faux ficus →Designer placement rules — where they actually put them
Placement is where amateur and professional approaches diverge most visibly. Most people place a faux tree where there is spare floor space. Designers place a tree where it will have the most visual impact — which is almost never the same thing.
The diagonal corner. The most used placement by Australian interior designers — the tree is positioned in a corner at 45 degrees to both walls. This fills the corner without the tree looking pushed into it, allows the canopy to spread into the room, and creates depth and shadow that reads as genuinely planted. A tree sitting flush against two walls looks contained; a tree at 45 degrees looks like it belongs.
Beside rather than behind furniture. A common mistake is positioning a large tree directly behind a sofa. Designers position trees beside furniture — to one side and slightly behind, so the canopy overhangs the seating edge. This creates the same intimate, enclosed quality seen in professional interior photography and is significantly more visually effective than a tree placed centrally behind a seating group.
Flanking architectural features. Fireplaces, doorways, windows and TV units become significantly more impactful when flanked by matched pairs of large faux trees. This is a classic designer move — symmetry creates formality and hierarchy, which suits Hamptons, classic coastal and transitional interiors particularly well.
Entries and transition spaces. Australian interior designers consistently underline the importance of entries. A 210cm faux tree in a substantial pot in a double-height entry makes a first impression that no amount of artwork or furniture can match. It is the single most impactful use of a large faux plant in a residential interior.
The styling details that make the difference
The pot is as important as the plant. Interior designers are emphatic about this. A premium faux olive tree in a cheap plastic nursery pot looks unfinished. The same tree in a well-chosen fibrestone or ceramic pot looks considered. The pot should be proportional — at least one-third the height of the tree and substantial enough in diameter that the tree looks grounded rather than top-heavy.
Cover the base with moss or stones. The soil or base of a planted tree is hidden by ground cover — moss, pebbles, or the organic debris of a living thing. Leaving the base of a faux tree exposed as bare black plastic is the most immediate signal that it's artificial. Designers cover every base with preserved moss, decorative stones, or a combination of both.
Shape the branches intentionally. Real trees don't grow symmetrically. Designers spend time on arrival shaping the branches of a new faux tree into an asymmetric, natural posture — some branches angled upward, some slightly drooping, outer branches reaching out and away from the centre. This takes 15–20 minutes and makes a significant visual difference.
Use a single strong statement rather than multiple small plants. A professional approach to faux plants is almost always about one or two large, excellent pieces rather than a collection of smaller ones. Multiple small faux plants together can look cluttered and draw attention to their artificiality. One large, quality tree in the right position reads as design rather than decoration.
Which faux plants add the most value to a room
| Plant | Impact level | Best room | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faux olive tree 180–210cm | Very high | Living room, entry, open-plan | Universal style fit, strong trunk presence, scale that reads across a room |
| Faux fiddle leaf fig 160–180cm | Very high | Living room, dining room | Graphic architectural form, single statement piece that anchors a space |
| Faux birds of paradise 160cm+ | High | Coastal living rooms, bedrooms | Dramatic tropical presence, creates immediate sense of warmth and life |
| Faux ficus 180cm | High | Dining rooms, studies | Softer, more organic quality than fiddle leaf — works in warmer interior palettes |
| Faux kiku flower arrangement | Medium-high | Dining table, coffee table, console | Adds colour and texture detail; works as an accent to larger trees |
Frequently asked questions
Which artificial plants do interior designers recommend in Australia?
Australian interior designers most consistently recommend the faux olive tree for living rooms and open-plan spaces, the faux fiddle leaf fig for contemporary and Scandi interiors, and faux birds of paradise for coastal homes. The species choice depends on interior style — but the consistent principle across all recommendations is scale: designers always size up from what feels instinctively comfortable.
Which faux plants add the most value to a room?
A single large faux olive tree or fiddle leaf fig at 180cm or above, in a well-chosen pot with the base covered in moss, positioned in a diagonal corner or beside a sofa. The impact of one excellent large plant significantly exceeds the combined impact of multiple smaller ones. Scale and quality matter more than quantity.
What are the most popular faux trees for interior design in Australia?
The faux olive tree is consistently the most specified artificial tree in Australian interior design — it suits virtually every residential style from Hamptons to coastal to contemporary. The fiddle leaf fig is the second most popular, particularly in contemporary and Scandi interiors. Birds of paradise is the third, primarily in coastal and tropical-inspired spaces.
How do interior designers style artificial plants?
Four consistent principles: they always size up; they position trees at 45 degrees in corners rather than flush against walls; they use one or two large quality pieces rather than many small ones; and they always cover the pot base with moss or decorative stones to conceal the nursery pot. The pot choice receives as much attention as the plant — an inappropriate pot undermines even the best faux tree.
Do interior designers use artificial plants in luxury homes?
Increasingly, yes. The shift in Australian interior design over the past three years has seen premium faux plants become the specified choice for luxury residential projects — particularly in spaces where maintenance access is difficult, air conditioning is constant, or the interior is photographed for publication. The constraint is quality: only premium faux plants with real wood trunks and PE foliage are appropriate for luxury interiors. Anything visibly artificial at normal viewing distance is not.
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The species, sizes and quality that Australian interior designers specify. Australian-owned, dispatched within 4 business days from Sydney.
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