Bringing the Outdoors In: Incorporating Nature-Inspired Decor into Your Home
Everyone wants a little nature indoors. It's relaxing and enjoyable to have a little green here and there, plus it feels cozier when we use natural materials inside. How can we bring the outdoors indoors? Here are some ideas for incorporating nature-inspired decor into your home.
House Plants
The easiest nature-inspired element of decor is nature itself. House plants let us have a little life inside and are perfect for giving your home some vitality. There are lots of options for house plants, depending on how much time and energy you want to invest in caring for them. If you are a house plant pro, go for gorgeous orchids, a pretty African violet, or even a calming bonsai tree. If you are less interested in working to keep a plant alive but still want something in your space, there are great options for you too! Sanseverias, climbing green pothos, and various desert succulents don't require a lot of attention and would be perfect to welcome a busy person home at the end of a long day. You can also choose to put your plants in ceramic pots or woven baskets for an additional nod to Mother Nature.
Dried Flowers
If live flowers are not your thing, consider dried flowers instead. They can be just as elegant—particularly during autumn—while also being very low maintenance. A bouquet of dried flowers would be nice and lasts longer than a live bouquet. There are also safari-like grasses and bunny tail bunches that would look great in a tall stand-up vase. You can even make floral art from what you discover in your neighborhood. Tie local wildflowers to a branch in bunches using a fibrous natural rope. Use all the same type or use different kinds or mixed bunches to give the piece some visual interest. Then let the bunches hang down and use the same rope to put your new piece up in your entryway to give a smooth transition from outdoor to indoor. Perfect!
Artistic Decor Made From Natural Materials
Using art pieces with natural materials is another great way to pull some nature into your house. From basic elements like using wooden frames for your photos (go full rustic with branch or twig frames) or mirrors to fancier pieces like a twig wreath decorated with flowers, there are always interesting things that you can put on your walls that will add to the elegance and coziness of your home. Try macrame hangings or hanging plant holders or put a woven tapestry-esque mandala on your wall. See what different things come to mind and use them to put your unique mark on your home.
Natural Furniture
Wood is the easiest natural material to incorporate into your furniture, so go for it! Wooden headboards and bed frames for the beds in your house would be great. A wooden rocking chair with a pillow to sit on for comfort would give a nice rustic vibe. Perhaps even consider a sofa with wooden accents or a wooden dining table. Don't let typical furniture pieces limit your creativity. A woven hanging chair, wicker footstools that can double as bean bag chairs, and even a burlap lampshade can be creative.
Natural Fabrics
If getting full pieces of furniture is a little outside your price range at the moment, consider decorating with natural fabrics. There are many, including cotton, linen, hemp, and burlap. What about using linen sheets on your bed to get comfy at night? Alternatively, you could use a hemp throw blanket or a burlap table runner. You could also use seagrass baskets for storage. Get a nice rug made of sheepskin or use a faux fur blanket. Consider pillows made of natural materials or a pillowcase or cover to give yourself more options. See what you can come up with!
Nature-Inspired Colors
Sometimes even just the colors we choose to decorate with can change the tone of a room. By using the colors and color combinations from nature, you can call to mind different relaxing environments. Bonus points for mimicking the environment right outside! Use light sandy browns with turquoise and royal blue in your bathroom to evoke the ocean. What about brown and different colors of green to remind you of a forest? Try shades of orange and yellow with muted greens and a bit of sky blue to create a desert feel. If you don't want to create full-on environments in your color schemes, just pick up some earthier tones like browns, creams, whites, and grays with splashes of brighter colors like orange, yellow, blue, and green.
Now that you have some ideas to start, see if you can find fun, different ways to bring your outdoors indoors and make your home more relaxing and cozier than ever before.