Bringing the Outdoors In: A Designer’s Guide to Interior Plants & Cachepots 

As fall arrives and the weather begins to cool, our attention naturally turns indoors. I always like to maintain a connection to the landscape outside, and living plants are one of my favorite ways to do it. As a kid, I remember going into large furniture showrooms with my parents and feeling uneasy about the lack of life in vignettes. I realized later it had a lot to do with living plants.  

Their organic forms soften architecture, introduce movement, and bring natural color into a space. In a layered room, a well-placed plant can be considered as a piece of furniture, sculpture, or an object collected over time.  

For me, the presentation is equally important. The plant and its container should work together, with each chosen to complement the character of the room. The word cachepot comes from the French cache-pot, meaning “to hide a pot,” a decorative vessel designed to conceal the practical pot a plant comes in. It allows the container to become part of the design, too.

The Impact of a Tree

Trees are particularly effective in larger spaces. Their height can fill an open corner, balance substantial furniture, and bring a softer form alongside the lines of the architecture. I’ve long used greenery as an important layer in my interiors, particularly indoor trees for their height and presence.

I tend to choose trees with a distinctive silhouette. Fiddle-leaf figs have broad, sculptural leaves, while pale green olive trees create a lighter, airier effect. Meyer lemon trees bring color, and exotic character. Tall Traveler palm trees look great too in layered Ralph Lauren inspired interiors and resort locations. Each has enough presence to become part of the composition of a room. 

The proportions matter, too. A large tree needs enough breathing room for its branches and a substantial container to visually anchor it. Thinking about the plant at the same time as its furnishings helps it feel integrated into the interior design.  

The Other Half of the Presentation: The Container

Once the plant is chosen, the cachepot is an opportunity to reinforce the design through material, texture, and color. 

For example, a woven leather bucket has a handsome quality that works beautifully in a modern or masculine setting. Rush baskets are wonderfully classic and introduce natural texture – they work well in a casual country house and a beachside setting. Ceramic planters can bring in color and pattern, while aged lead offers weight and patina. 

I have always loved blue and white porcelain, and it is particularly versatile in a collected interior. I equate it to a Demin – it works with everything.  A blue and white planter can look great in a casual interior or an elegant, formal space.  

Antique vessels are another favorite. Their craftsmanship and patina bring history and an additional level of detail to the arrangement. They may be more of an investment, but the right piece can move throughout the house and be used in different ways over time. 

The cachepot should ultimately feel like an extension of the interior itself. It is part of the presentation, not simply something needed to hold the plant. 

Smaller Plants & Decorative Cachepots

Not every space calls for the scale of a tree. Boston and Maidenhair ferns are classics, with graceful forms and a distinct Southern sensibility. One of my favorite ways to display a full fern is on a pedestal, where the added height gives the fronds room to fall naturally. 

For consoles, tables, and chests, smaller plants offer another opportunity. Myrtle topiaries have a tailored ball shape, while hydrangeas bring seasonal color at a more intimate scale. 

This is where a decorative cachepot becomes especially useful. A nursery pot can simply be slipped inside, allowing the plant to change while the vessel remains part of the room. Azaleas might fill it during the spring season, a Mum in the fall, and transition to a small pine or holly plant around the holidays. 

Because the contents can change, a cachepot is worth choosing with the same attention given to other accessories. I particularly love using vintage pieces – Fornasetti waste bins and silver ice buckets for my container. Collected on a table with smaller plants inside – the silver adds sparkle to the room.   

Bringing the Outside In

Having house plants makes interiors feel inhabited and not stagnant, just as humans and pets add life to a space. Living plants keep a connection to the landscape just beyond the windows. For me, plants are a key element for a layered interior. Choosing the right variety is only part of the equation. The right cachepot, placement and its relationship to the interior surrounding are what brings the entire room together. 

Shop the Edit

The pieces in this edit were chosen with the full presentation in mind, from classic woven baskets and decorative cachepots to antique vessels that bring texture, color, and character to living plants throughout the home.