The 'Plant' John Legend Swears By For Easy Entryway Décor
Let's face it, for many of us, keeping up with the maintenance and care of indoor plants can be a to-do we don't have the time or interest to deal with. But singer John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen have come up with a time-saving décor option that gives you greenery with a low maintenance cost: artificial trees.
"We love artificial trees because they never drop leaves or turn brown. We have a big olive tree in our entranceway that looks and feels completely real," Legend told MyDomaine. The advantage of having a tree as décor in an entryway is that it immediately greets visitors with a sense of bringing the outside in, but because some species of trees often need a lot of sunlight, an entryway might not provide enough for a real tree to grow happily. Going the artificial route obviously solves this problem, and it can provide your home with a few other benefits as well.
The growing artificial plant trend
Now, before you balk, the artificial trees that John Legend speaks of aren't the super-fake-looking artificial plants decorating your grandmother's living room. Improvements in artificial plants have come so far that high-end interior designers have also started to embrace them, even writing books about decorating with artificial flowers and foliage. And retailers, from Pottery Barn to IKEA to Walmart, are also jumping in on the décor trend, offering lovely-looking artificial trees that look completely real.
Another advantage of using an artificial tree — and artificial plants, in general — in a high-traffic area like an entryway is all the comings and goings in and out of your home can inevitably result in any natural plant in the area getting bumped or knocked over just from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Having a synthetic tree there means you don't need to water it, feed it, clean up any dirt, or worry about leaves or branches getting damaged as people come and go.
Allergies are another reason to consider going artificial
Along with having a lot of high-quality options now that are low-maintenance, there is another reason to embrace the artificial tree trend: they're hypoallergenic! And, in fact, the large artificial olive tree isn't the only synthetic plant in Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's household for that very reason. Teigen posted to her Instagram in November 2022 celebrating the installation of artificial turf outside of her office, because she's allergic to grass.
And actually, there's a chance Legend's very same artificial tree fooled a lot of experts. In March 2021 on Instagram, Teigen posted a photo of herself seated on a couch, with the picture showcasing a very large olive tree. Based on comments, many people — including fashion designer Rachel Zoe and actor Brooklyn Decker — seemed to believe it was real. While it is possible the family has both fake and real olive trees in their household, it seems likely that their artificial tree does indeed seem to look exactly like the genuine article.