Plants bring natural beauty to our living spaces. By creating texture and balance, a room or patio can be transformed into an environment that comforts and welcomes. But, just like Miss Universe, plants can do more than look pretty. They’ve been proven to reduce stress so well that one glance at a plant lowers your heart rate. They also help clean the air we breathe by absorbing toxins and acting as little oxygen factories. Plants simply make us feel better.

By easing mental fatigue and improving air quality plants manage to find themselves an indispensable part of your home life. Not convinced yet? Studies show that:

1. In addition to calming your heart rate, plants lower blood pressure and reduce muscle tension related to stress

2. Plants help us relax and focus, leading to increased productivity,creativity, idea generation, and problem solving capabilities. In fact, the presence of plants helps so much that it has been shown to relieve the symptoms experienced by children with ADD.

3. Plants help patients recovering from surgery and ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

I guess we’re finally learning what our ancestors have known for centuries, plants are more than just ornaments. At some level, we are deeply connected to them. So much so, that simply cohabitating with them brings us health and repose.

Thanks for sharing all these little secrets to our today guest blogger Justin Mast ( Founder of Bloomscape an online shop with beautiful flowers ). I’m sure that Justin is not the only one who can write for Freshome, and if you think you have something you could share with our little community feel free to use our Send Us Tips and get in contact with me.

Designer Thomas Wold wanted to try something new, and he got his inspiration from nature when he created this table. The mushroom caps function as flat table tops, each with different height and cap circumference. The “burl” base provides an extremely stable platform for the “growing” stems and caps. In conclusion something new, and unique when we speak about tables, but it looks more like a table for dwarfs from my perspective. How do you see it ? - Price : $985 at DesignPublic. - Via - Frizzifrizzi

Browsing on Amazon today I’ve found these beautiful Shogun Juniper Bonsai at just $34,99. This juniper bonsai will create the illusion of an aged miniature tree in nature.

Enjoy the ancient Japanese tradition of Bonsai cultivation with our Shogun Juniper Bonsai. The term ‘bonsai’ literally translated from Japanese means tray planting or tree in pot. The term refers specifically to the training and artistic vision applied to the tree; ultimately this will give the illusion of an aged miniature tree in nature. It is more than just a little tree, it is an attempt to represent nature itself in a small pot. Nurturing such a micro-environment over many years can be a wellspring of meditative pleasure. Harmoniously balanced with an ancient piece of granite in a stylish, 7″ cobalt blue ceramic pot. This small tree will do best if it can be placed outdoors, at least during the growing season. Like other conventional bonsai, it needs sun, wind, and rain to approximate the life of a “real” tree.

Framevase is a pure definition of simplicity. As the names says Framevase is just a frame of a vase. Behind this simple design here is also an eco-friendly touch. With framevase, we stress on the point that it is not a vase which only captures the user’s attention to only the flowers, it is the three elements (the vase, container and flowers) together which made frame vase a complete design. - Via - DesignSpotter

This beautiful hand-carved chair combines the elements of an antique chair with some modern materials and elements. Perhaps most telling of the quality craftsmanship is the way the flourishes blend effortlessly with the jacquard upholstery, like two ballerinas from different worlds locked in a tightly choreographed dance. The price for this chair is not ultra expensive how you might expect, is just $299 at Brocadehome. - Via - Padstyle