2021’s Hottest Houseplant Trend, According to a Pro Stylist

BALTIMORE-BASED plant and interiors stylist Hilton Carter believes that even the most unfashionable plant can deeply gratify a doting minder. But Mr. Carter, whose eponymous collection of plant and garden accessories for Target launched in May, conceded that “variegated plants are having a moment.” Most are a blend of greens, creams and whites, he said, “and how that mixture comes together can be breathtaking.” At right, the author of the recently published “Wild Creations” (CICO Books) lists four patterned plants he sees trending, and the once-popular species they’re pushing off social media.

In the context of your décor, such splashy greenery pops but calls for a bit of extra consideration. Interior designer Kirsten Krason cautions against placing a striated Watermelon Peperomia next to a wall covered by, for example, Schumacher’s fruit-tree-filled Citrus Garden wallpaper. A busy plant against a hectic pattern gives your eye nowhere to rest, said Ms. Krason, co-owner of design firm House of Jade, in Riverton, Utah. Instead, play a more exhibitionist plant off neutrals like a ship-lapped wall or a linen drape. Layering pattern on pattern can work if you pay attention to scale, she said. “Pair a tiny-leafed plant with a large-patterned wallpaper or large-leafed tree with a smaller pattern.” And apply colour theory: “A very bright green next to a hot-pink pillow will electrify a room, while the same plant next to a dusky blue will tone down both the green of the plant and the vibe of the room.” Below, four flamboyantly patterned houseplants that are wooing early adopters.

IN: Calathea Orbifolia

The banded leaves of what Mr. Carter calls a designer plant resemble the lustrous sleeve of a Renaissance courtier, and they can grow to over a foot in width. Hailing from Bolivia, the species is happiest in high humidity and medium light, and can fill that naked corner with drama.

OUT: Stromanthe Triostar

Despite glamorous pink, red, white and green foliage, this plant is passe. Too many variations of the Stromanthe Triostar were made available in plant shops, noted Mr. Carter. “It just hasn’t appeared in as many homes in 2021 as in 2017 to 2019.”

IN: Watermelon Peperomia

This petite stunner’s fleshy leaves radiate silver from a centrally fixed stem, giving the variety its namesake pattern. Despite topping out at 12 inches, this easy-to-grow plant with contrasting red stems “has a presence among other plants in your collection,” said Mr. Carter.

OUT: Pilea Plant

The darling of millennial houseplant fans—second only to succulents—the Pilea hogged the limelight from 2016-2019, perhaps due to its easy propagation. Watermelon Peperomia shares this quality, so don’t clone too many or it could suffer the same fate.

IN: Marble Queen Pothos

Playfully mottled rather than elegantly striped, this variegated version trails like other Pothos, making it similarly ideal for hanging planters. Bonus: It thrives in medium light and can stoically weather neglect.

OUT: Golden Pothos

Appealing for all the easy-care reasons of the Marble Queen Pothos, “it’s one of those plants we’ve all seen in our grandparents’ homes, and just feels like a throwback,” Mr. Carter said.

IN: Birkin Philodendron

This native-Brazilian philodendron not only produces gracefully pointed leaves with feathery striations of lime green and white but also grows quickly—with bright indirect light and high humidity—and as large as 3 feet tall.

OUT: Monstera Deliciosa

Once coveted for its photogenic, exotically gapped leaves, the Monstera Deliciosa has become overexposed and mass-marketed. “And just like anything, the more available something is, the less it’s desired,” said Mr. Carter.

The marketplace has spoken and, at least for now, it’s showing preference for hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) over battery electrics. That makes Toyota’s foot dragging on EVs (and full speed ahead on hybrids) look fairly wise, though the timeline along a bumpy road still gets us to full electrification by 2035.

Italian supercar producer Lamborghini, in business since 1963, is also proceeding, incrementally, toward battery power. In an interview, Federico Foschini , Lamborghini’s chief global marketing and sales officer, talked about the new Urus SE plug-in hybrid the company showed at its lounge in New York on Monday.

The Urus SE interior gets a larger centre screen and other updates.
Lamborghini

The Urus SE SUV will sell for US$258,000 in the U.S. (the company’s biggest market) when it goes on sale internationally in the first quarter of 2025, Foschini says.

“We’re using the contribution from the electric motor and battery to not only lower emissions but also to boost performance,” he says. “Next year, all three of our models [the others are the Revuelto, a PHEV from launch, and the continuation of the Huracán] will be available as PHEVs.”

The Euro-spec Urus SE will have a stated 37 miles of electric-only range, thanks to a 192-horsepower electric motor and a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery, but that distance will probably be less in stricter U.S. federal testing. In electric mode, the SE can reach 81 miles per hour. With the 4-litre 620-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine engaged, the picture is quite different. With 789 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque on tap, the SE—as big as it is—can reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and attain 193 mph. It’s marginally faster than the Urus S, but also slightly under the cutting-edge Urus Performante model. Lamborghini says the SE reduces emissions by 80% compared to a standard Urus.

Lamborghini’s Urus plans are a little complicated. The company’s order books are full through 2025, but after that it plans to ditch the S and Performante models and produce only the SE. That’s only for a year, however, because the all-electric Urus should arrive by 2029.

Lamborghini’s Federico Foschini with the Urus SE in New York.
Lamborghini

Thanks to the electric motor, the Urus SE offers all-wheel drive. The motor is situated inside the eight-speed automatic transmission, and it acts as a booster for the V8 but it can also drive the wheels on its own. The electric torque-vectoring system distributes power to the wheels that need it for improved cornering. The Urus SE has six driving modes, with variations that give a total of 11 performance options. There are carbon ceramic brakes front and rear.

To distinguish it, the Urus SE gets a new “floating” hood design and a new grille, headlights with matrix LED technology and a new lighting signature, and a redesigned bumper. There are more than 100 bodywork styling options, and 47 interior color combinations, with four embroidery types. The rear liftgate has also been restyled, with lights that connect the tail light clusters. The rear diffuser was redesigned to give 35% more downforce (compared to the Urus S) and keep the car on the road.

The Urus represents about 60% of U.S. Lamborghini sales, Foschini says, and in the early years 80% of buyers were new to the brand. Now it’s down to 70%because, as Foschini says, some happy Urus owners have upgraded to the Performante model. Lamborghini sold 3,000 cars last year in the U.S., where it has 44 dealers. Global sales were 10,112, the first time the marque went into five figures.

The average Urus buyer is 45 years old, though it’s 10 years younger in China and 10 years older in Japan. Only 10% are women, though that percentage is increasing.

“The customer base is widening, thanks to the broad appeal of the Urus—it’s a very usable car,” Foschini says. “The new buyers are successful in business, appreciate the technology, the performance, the unconventional design, and the fun-to-drive nature of the Urus.”

Maserati has two SUVs in its lineup, the Levante and the smaller Grecale. But Foschini says Lamborghini has no such plans. “A smaller SUV is not consistent with the positioning of our brand,” he says. “It’s not what we need in our portfolio now.”

It’s unclear exactly when Lamborghini will become an all-battery-electric brand. Foschini says that the Italian automaker is working with Volkswagen Group partner Porsche on e-fuel, synthetic and renewably made gasoline that could presumably extend the brand’s internal-combustion identity. But now, e-fuel is very expensive to make as it relies on wind power and captured carbon dioxide.

During Monterey Car Week in 2023, Lamborghini showed the Lanzador , a 2+2 electric concept car with high ground clearance that is headed for production. “This is the right electric vehicle for us,” Foschini says. “And the production version will look better than the concept.” The Lanzador, Lamborghini’s fourth model, should arrive in 2028.