26 Best Indoor Plants To Have In Your Home Office

When working from a home office, there are clever ways to make these spaces feel more comfortable and more distinct from the rest of the home — like adding indoor plants. Houseplants can help define a space, as well as providing cheer during the workday. There are many houseplants perfect for growing indoors, but it's wise to consider how different plants will fit into a home workspace before buying one.

Following is a selection of some of the best indoor plants for a home office. Before choosing one, you should decide where the plant is going to live — do you want it on your desk, right next to your computer screen? Or are you looking for one that can live in a hanging basket or wall planter? Or perhaps you're thinking of an indoor tree large enough to sit on the floor, or a medium sized plant that will look spectacular on a plant stand?

Once you determine where to locate the plant, you should check the light availability in that location so you know what your options are. Another limiting factor can be humidity — with some houseplants requiring high air moisture, and others, like hoyas and holiday cactuses, preferring drier climates. It's a good idea to think about maintenance as well. Low-maintenance plants, including spider plants or pothos, take high marks for most houseplant growers, but some might be happy to trade more houseplant care in exchange for fabulous flowers. Finally, safety for pets is also key for those with dog or cat work companions.

African violets (Streptocarpus ionanthus) are low-growing and free-flowering indoor plants that will sit prettily on a desk or windowsill, producing showy pink, blue, purple, or white blooms. Their fuzzy, round to oval shaped leaves grow in a rosette pattern, creating a tidy appearance on plants that reach up to 9 inches tall and wide. While these pet-friendly plants require a small amount of maintenance to keep them looking their best, maintenance tasks include little more than removing spent flowers and dead leaves. African violets thrive on bright to medium filtered light, and high humidity.

For an attractive, spreading houseplant, consider aluminum plant (Pilea cadierei), which has oval-shaped, green leaves and silver markings. Also known as watermelon pilea, this low-maintenance plant needs indirect bright light, and high humidity. It will grow slightly taller than wider, reaching up to 1 foot tall, and 9 inches wide. And since it's considered safe for cats and dogs, you can invite it into your home office alongside your fur buddies, where it will make an eye-catching indoor plant on a plant stand.

Bringing a touch of the forest floor to the home work space, bird's nest ferns (Asplenium nidus) have bright green, strap-shaped leaves with wavy margins, and dark midribs. These indoor plants need medium maintenance, high humidity levels, and bright indirect light to thrive. Non-toxic birds nest ferns can be situated next to unobstructed, north facing windows in the home office. When grown as houseplants, mature bird's nests ferns tend to reach up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, but are slow growing.

With long, wide, and flat leaves, cast iron plants (Aspidistra spp.) make perfect floor plants for adding masses of green foliage to a home office. These low-maintenance indoor plants grow well in low to medium light, making them rare among houseplants. There are many different types, many with dappled variegation that looks like stars on a night sky. Thanks to their low light needs, these non-toxic, pet-friendly plants can be placed further from windows than most other houseplants.

If you're looking for a colorful indoor plant for a home office and have high humidity in your space, consider Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema spp.) for a desk corner or plant stand. Chinese evergreens have large, oblong leaves that come in splashy color combinations of white, gold, silver, green, pink, and red. These houseplants grow best with bright indirect light and though they prefer high humidity, they will tolerate less humid air as well. These low-maintenance plants reach up to 18 inches tall and wide, and should be kept away from pets.

Related to hoyas, Dischidia species have thick oval-shaped leaves that spill beautifully out of small planters or hanging baskets. This low-maintenance plant requires high humidity, and bright, indirect light. Dischidia vines, such as watermelon dischidia, reach 2 to 3 feet long making them perfect for hanging baskets or wall planters in the home office. However, these indoor plants are not considered safe for pets, so those working at home with the company of a cat or dog might want to choose a pet-safe option instead.

Also known as Chinese money plant or pancake plant, friendship plant (Pilea peperomioides) is easily recognizable, with each thin stem holding a single, round green leaf. Give friendship plant bright, indirect light – it will gladly grow in humid air, though will also thrive without it. When grown as houseplants, these low-maintenance, pet-safe indoor plants usually remain at a size of 1 foot tall and wide. With its bobbing, round leaves, friendship plant works nicely situated on a desk where it can serve as a cheery companion to your workday.

Gasteria species, sometimes called ox tongue plants, are fascinating succulents that thrive in indoor spaces like home offices. These low-maintenance, stemless plants produce decorative, fleshy leaves that are arranged in either a fan-like or a rosette-shape. There are many types of Gasteria, so their mature sizes vary, but many of them reach just 4 inches tall and wide. Able to grow with just indirect, bright light, Gasteria can also thrive with a few hours of direct sun every day, making these pet-friendly indoor plants perfect for desk corners or windowsills.

With colorful winter blooms and leafless stems, holiday cactuses (Schlumbergera spp.) are more than just festive décor, they also make excellent houseplants. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactuses are long-lived, low-maintenance houseplants that can develop a 3-foot spread at maturity. Provide these pet-safe plants with bright to medium indirect light and high humidity. In the home office, a small holiday cactus can be placed in a small pot on a desk, a medium sized one can grow in a hanging basket or wall planter, and a large one will be stunning on a plant stand.

Hoya species, sometimes called wax plants, are pet-friendly houseplants that offer beautiful blooms as well as gorgeous foliage. Many of them are vining, making them perfect for hanging baskets, though some can be grown in pots next to a computer, such as single-leaf sweetheart hoyas. Knowing exactly how to grow and care for hoya climbing vines can be tricky since there are so many different types. Bright indirect light is good for many hoyas, although some require some direct sunlight for flowering. Maintenance needs and mature sizes vary, with some thriving in dryish conditions, and others preferring high humidity.

For those with home offices with bright sunny windows, consider jade plant (Crassula ovata) as an option. This succulent has fleshy, rounded, green leaves that grow from branching, woody stems. These low-maintenance plants prefer low humidity, and bright growing conditions, with at least two hours of direct sunlight per day. Jade plants generally reach 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide at maturity, but are slow growing. Jade plants in small pots can be grown on desks that have a sunny orientation. For home offices with furry co-workers, consider skipping jade plant and using a non-toxic option instead.

If you'd like a houseplant for your home office that will produce showstopping blooms year after year, you'll want to add a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.) to your space. With oblong, leathery green leaves, moth orchids bear long flower stalks that produce large, colorful blooms in shades of cream, yellow, pink, and purple. Surprisingly low-maintenance compared to other orchids, moth orchids prefer high humidity and tend to get the right amount of indirect bright light and sunlight when positioned next to east-facing windows. These non-toxic, flowering indoor plants remain less than two feet tall and wide.

A vining plant with leaves shaped like elongated hearts, heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) is a perfect choice for a hanging basket or wall planter in a home office with medium, indirect light. Not the best choice for arid climates, this tropical plant prefers at least a moderate amount of humidity, and in the right conditions, its vines can reach a length of 13 feet. This low-maintenance indoor plant isn't safe for pets to nibble on however, so keep it out of reach of cats or dogs.

With elliptical green leaves and creamy white blooms, peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) are common houseplants and for good reason. Low-maintenance peace lilies grow best with bright, indirect light but they are tolerant of low light as well. They look best with at least moderate humidity, since lower levels cause leaf tips to brown. Peace lilies have an upright shape, and can range in size from 1 foot tall up to 6 feet tall at maturity, making them usable on desk corners, or in floor pots in the home office — however, keep them out of reach of any pets. 

Sometimes called radiator plants, Peperomia species make gorgeous houseplants thanks to the many different patterns on their leaves. These low-maintenance plants thrive in bright to medium, indirect light and many types of peperomias need only average humidity levels. With hundreds of different peperomias, leaf type and mature sizes vary greatly, but there are many types that are the right size to sit prettily on a desk corner. As a bonus, these attractive indoor plants are non-toxic, making them pet-friendly.

Also grown as an annual bedding plant, colorful polka dot plants (Hypoestes phyllostachya) also make cheery houseplants in a home office. For the best looking houseplants, grow polka dot plants in bright, indirect light and you will be rewarded with spade-shaped leaves in variegated combinations of green and pink, red, white, or fuschia. These fast growing indoor plants grow up to 12 inches wide and 2 feet tall, and require only the moderate maintenance of pruning back leggy stems. Polka dot plants are non-toxic, and can be grown in plant stands or desk corners.

A palm tree shaped plant that has a swollen base and a fountain-like spray of long, thin, green leaves, ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) can provide a tropical feel to a home office. Slowly maturing to heights of 8 feet, with a 5-foot spread, these houseplants require full sun, making large ponytail palms perfect floor plants for south-facing windows, and small ones adorable for enlivening sunny desk corners. These low-maintenance indoor plants are considered non-toxic to both cats and dogs.

One of the easiest houseplants anyone can keep alive, pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is a no-brainer for the home office. This vining plant with heart-shaped, green or green and yellow leaves can grow to be dozens of feet long. Although these low-maintenance houseplants can survive with low light, they prefer bright, indirect light along with at least a moderate amount of humidity. Hang one in the corner of your workspace and let the vines trail around the room, or place a cutting in a jar of water to brighten a desk corner. Just keep them out of reach of pets.

Known for their highly decorative foliage, prayer plants (Marantacea) can beautify a work from home décor in offices with high humidity levels. Including many types such as Maranta species and calatheas (Goeppertia spp.), the leaves of these plants raise up at night, and lower again at sunrise. Prayer plants require a moderate amount of maintenance, and light exposure should be indirect and either bright or medium in intensity. Often found in sizes of 18 inches tall and wide, the mature dimensions of these non-toxic plants vary, and they are well suited for either desk corners, or floor pots.

With large, oval-shaped, green leaves, rubber plant (Ficus elastica) is an upright tree that can grow to be 50 to 100 feet tall and wide at maturity, though it is usually kept pruned to a more manageable size indoors. With many cultivars providing variations on the typical green leaf coloring, this low-maintenance indoor plant grows best in bright, indirect light. Small rubber plants can be placed on desk corners, but larger specimens make lovely floor houseplants in home offices, as long as they are kept away from pets. 

Many houseplants add a comforting green to the space without attracting too much attention, while on the other hand, silver inch plant (Tradescantia zebrina)  provides an intriguing focal point. This plant's lance shaped leaves make a strong visual impact with their purplish green to magenta coloring and silver stripes. These low-maintenance and pet-safe indoor plants grow up to 9 inches tall with a 24-inch spread, looking their best when grown in indirect bright light. Silver inch plant looks beautiful in pots, wall planters, hanging baskets, and plant stands.

Though not pet-friendly, snake plants (Dracaena spp.) are one of the easiest houseplants to keep alive. With wide, flat leaves, there are many different snake plant varieties that are perfect for growing in your home or home office, with foliage in shades of green, silver, and yellow, depending on the type. Adaptable to bright to low light, snake plants can also thrive with a few hours of direct sunlight as well. These low-maintenance indoor plants vary in size, with some making perfect floor plants in the home office, while smaller varieties fit perfectly on desks.

With long, green or variegated, grass-like leaves, spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is an adaptable, low-maintenance, and pet-safe houseplant that works perfectly in home offices. Spider plants grow well in indirect, bright to medium light and prefer moderate humidity. They can live with lower air moisture, but their leaf tips will turn brown. Reaching 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide at maturity, spider plants are perfect in hanging baskets, but smaller specimens look attractive as potted indoor plants on desks, too.

With a quirky appearance and rainforest origins, Staghorn ferns (Platycerium spp.) are epiphytic plants that produce silvery green, branching fronds that have a leathery feel and look like the antlers of elk or deer. At maturity these pet-safe indoor plants can reach up to 3 feet tall and wide. Thriving in indirect bright to medium light, staghorn ferns can add intrigue to the home office as wall mounts, or in hanging baskets. While staghorn ferns make low-maintenance houseplants, these plants do require moderate humidity levels.

Zebra haworthia (Haworthiopsis attenuata) has spiky, green, succulent, leaves patterned with dots or lines, and this eye-catching succulent is perfect for beginners to grow indoors. Zebra haworthias are low-maintenance, pet-friendly succulents that grow slowly, starting out at only a few inches tall then gradually reaching their mature size of 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide. These indoor plants are cute and perky grown on desk corners in home offices, and prefer indirect bright light, but can take a few hours of direct sun too.

ZZ plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) are low-maintenance, upright houseplants that have glossy, green leaflets growing on long stems. Bright, indirect light is best for these plants, which can reach up to 4 feet tall and wide, but they can handle some direct sunlight as well. Larger specimens can be placed on the floor, smaller ones can be situated on desks or plant stands. However, those with pets that hang out in the home office may want to skip this indoor plant and choose one of the many types of houseplants that are safe for your pets instead.