6 Reasons Why You Should Have a Living Wall in Your Home or Office

Having a lush living wall in your home or office space can transform the appearance of the environment.

As a type of living garden, a living wall introduces an artistic, fresh look to any property. In addition, it provides a number of health benefits, and can also increase workplace productivity.

If you’ve never considered installing something like this in your home or commercial property, there’s a number of reasons why you should. Here are 6 factors that make adding life-renewing greenery to your walls a worthwhile investment:

1.   Visual Appeal

Vertical gardens make a breathtaking statement – there’s no doubt about that.

When used in offices, living walls greet employees with an alluring, lush environment. This abundance of foliage isn’t only attractive and soothing, but also a purveyor of good health (more on that later).

Wherever they’re installed, living walls are typically the most appealing part of the room. Their captivating appearance easily turns even the most boring walls into unique pieces of art.

2.   Psychological Impact

The love of life and the living world is defined as biophilia. It’s a term that describes people’s inner desire to seek connections with other forms of life and nature as a whole.

Biophilic by nature, living green walls integrate natural forms, materials, and elements into architecture. When they feature a mix of plant species, living walls can have a very strong biophilic effect.

This translates to measurable psychological benefits. People living in a home with a vertical garden experience a deeper sense of happiness, enhanced cognitive function, as well as reduced stress levels.

3.   Improved Air Quality

For city dwellers, spending a lot of time inside is way too easy. Socializing, relaxing, working – we’re doing all of these things in enclosed, air-conditioned environments.

However, spending a lot of time inside can be harmful. In some cases, air-conditioned environments will contain a plethora of toxic substances. These pollutants, such as xylene or formaldehyde, can have a very dangerous effect on anyone’s health.

As you probably already know, plants purify the air. They release oxygen into the atmosphere while filtering carbon dioxide and most of the pollutants mentioned above.

A beautiful living wall takes care of the harmful substances, increases oxygen levels, and keeps the residents (or employees) awake, alert, and productive.

4.   More Comfortable Temperature

Have you ever heard of the urban island heat effect? It takes place when an urban area becomes significantly warmer than its surroundings due to human activities.

Basically, it occurs as a result of the combination of energy created by people, modification of the land, hard surfaces of buildings, and traffic.

One way to mitigate this effect is to install exterior living walls. They can reduce the amount of thermal energy absorbed by building walls. This in, turn, prevents the heat from getting transmitted inside and makes turning on the air conditioning unnecessary.

So, besides adding appeal to your yard, an exterior living wall can actually help you save on energy bills.

Interior living walls, on the other hand, increase the airflow, balance humidity levels, and reduce air temperature. The result of this is an environment that’s significantly cooler during summer months.

5.   Noise Control

You’ve probably noticed how carpeted rooms tend to be a lot less noisy than the ones with tiled or wooden floors. This is because flat, non-porous surfaces don’t absorb sounds, unlike rugs and curtains.

Vertical gardens have much the same effect. Plant leaves will absorb the sound vibrations, rather than reflect them back into the environment. Living green walls can make a room a lot less echoey.

Outdoor living walls, on the other hand, reduce the noise coming from construction activities and traffic. They’re a great choice if your commercial property experiences excessive noise pollution.

So, whether they’re on the outside or inside, vertical gardens work as artistic, affordable sound barriers.

6.   Increased Property Value & Brand Reputation

Homeowners and business owners can make several changes to add value to their properties. However, many of these changes will cost a lot of money. Even if you spend thousands of dollars, there’s no guarantee you’ll get anything more than a small return.

A more affordable way to make a house or a commercial property more valuable is to install a living wall. Potential buyers are often highly impressed by vertical gardens. Besides the aesthetics, living walls also save energy, adding even more value to the property.

Vertical gardens also improve brand reputation. They make the office space more inspiring and welcoming, giving the customers a good impression of the brand. They also depict the brand as environmentally conscious.

To put it simply, it’s an investment that starts paying for itself immediately upon installation.

Not only will a lush living wall improve the appearance of your home or office, but also make you healthier and more productive. When looked at from a commercial perspective, these charming vertical gardens can attract potential clients and employees. What’s not to like?

Written by Kevin Jefferson.

Kevin has gone through an extensive home renovation with his son, which he has both

thoroughly enjoyed, and dreaded every morning. He is now the proud owner of half his dream house (the other half has been waiting for spring). You can read more of Kevin’s work on PlainHelp.