Vacation homes are designed to feel different from everyday life. They’re places to slow down, reconnect, and enjoy a sense of ease. While location and amenities matter, one detail consistently shapes how a space feels—and how it performs as a rental: live plants.

Here’s why real greenery plays a bigger role in vacation homes than many owners realize.

1. Live Plants Instantly Elevate First Impressions

Guests decide how they feel about a space within seconds of walking in. Live plants add warmth, texture, and a sense of care that can’t be replicated with décor alone. You can't have a live plants without them being looked after.

According to real estate staging research, homes with natural elements are perceived as more welcoming and higher quality than those without them—often before a single feature is consciously noticed.

2. Properties With Biophilic Design Command Higher Value

The Lake Arrowhead rental market has over 1,200 listing. How are you differentiating your space? May we suggest biophilic design? It's much easier than you think.

Biophilic design—the integration of natural elements like plants into built spaces—has been linked to measurable financial benefits.

• Studies show that biophilic interiors can increase perceived property value by up to 15%

• Short-term rental listings that emphasize natural, well-designed interiors often see higher nightly rates compared to similar properties without those features

In competitive vacation rental markets like ours, even small design upgrades can directly impact revenue.

3. Guests Associate Greenery With Cleanliness and Care

Think about the fanciest place you have ever stayed. Were there plants there? Maybe some cool floral arrangements, a living wall? And the place you stopped just because you needed to sleep?. Did they have any greenery? Was it fake, or my personal nightmare, dusty and fake?

Healthy plants signal that a home is actively maintained. Subconsciously, guests associate thriving greenery with attentiveness, cleanliness, and overall quality.

On the other hand, artificial plants—or worse, neglected real ones—can create the opposite impression. Live plants only enhance a space when they’re healthy.

4. Real Plants Improve How a Space Feels, Not Just How It Looks

A few years ago an article that contained research from NASA went viral. It said something to the effect of needing 11 live plants in your home to improve air quality. Everyone went wild for it and plant parents felt justified in their pursuit of an in-home jungle.

Research consistently shows that indoor plants:

• Reduce stress and anxiety

• Improve mood and overall comfort

• Increase feelings of relaxation and wellbeing

For vacation homes, where rest and relaxation is the goal, these subtle psychological benefits matter. Guests may not remember the furniture—but they remember how the space made them feel.

5. Greenery Makes Listings More Photogenic

If you flip through any book about home interiors, or an issue of Architectural Digest, odds are there are going to be live plants in those photos. And for good reason.

Scroll-stopping photos are essential for vacation rentals. Live plants add depth, color, and softness that photograph beautifully, especially in natural light.

Listings with warm, layered interiors tend to perform better online, earning more saves, clicks, and bookings. Plants help create that lived-in, aspirational look renters are drawn to. I mean who hasn't dreamed of staying in an Architectural Digest location.

6. Live Plants Strengthen the Connection to the Surroundings

People come to the mountains to connect with nature. Indoor plants immerse you in that by helping to bring the outside in. This connection enhances the sense of place and reinforces why guests chose the location to begin with.

It’s a subtle design choice that makes a home feel intentional rather than generic.

7. Why Not Fake Plants?

If live plants do all these great things, won't fake plants get you 70% of the way there?

A few reason they won't and why it might even create additional issues.

• Fake plants are hard to keep clean, dust and grime sticks to them, and no one is going to spend the time cleaning each leaf.

• They don't give the benefits relaxation and air cleansing.

• Will they make photos look nice? Absolutely. When they get there and realize they're fake, your guests will feel duped and the space immediately feels like a cut below.

• The space feels stale, lifeless, and neglected, not what we want guests to feel.

8. The Only Catch: Plants Need Consistent Care

The benefits of live plants are clear—but vacation homes present a unique challenge. Extended vacancies, irregular visits, and changing conditions make consistent plant care difficult.

Without regular attention, even the best-designed plant setup can decline quietly over time, undermining all the advantages plants are meant to provide.

Making Live Plants Work Long-Term

For many vacation homeowners, the ideal solution is simple: enjoy the beauty and value of live plants without having to manage them remotely.

That’s where professional plant care comes in—ensuring plants are watered, monitored, and maintained regularly so they always enhance the space rather than detract from it.

If you love the idea of real greenery in your vacation home and want it to remain an asset year-round, let's chat about your space! Book a free 15-minute discovery call.

Healthy plants don’t just happen—they’re cared for.

Sources

Terrapin Bright Green. The Economics of Biophilic Design.

Frontiers in Psychology / International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI).

Kellert, S. R., & Calabrese, E. The Practice of Biophilic Design. This foundational research outlines how natural elements, including live plants, improve user experience, comfort, and emotional connection to spaces.

Hospitality Net & biophilic design surveys. Hospitality-focused research suggests that guests perceive plant-filled spaces as more welcoming, higher quality, and better maintained, influencing booking decisions.

Growing Roots & Terrapin Bright Green industry analysis. Properties incorporating greenery and natural design features often command higher rental premiums and increased tenant satisfaction compared to similar properties without biophilic elements.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Research on indoor environmental quality shows that exposure to natural elements indoors supports cognitive function, relaxation, and overall occupant satisfaction.