Bring Natural Elements Into Your Living Space

Bringing natural elements into your home can have a big impact on your well-being, as well as the aesthetic quality of your living, eating, and sleeping spaces. One of the most obvious ways to bring nature into your home is with plants and flowers. These can add natural tones of green, as well as vibrant colors to any living space. Plants have also been shown to have a calming effect as well as improve air quality in your home. Even if you’re not very green-fingered, keeping a few houseplants couldn’t be easier. But this is not the only way to bring natural elements into your home. There are plenty of other natural materials that you can use, and you can read more about them below.

Rugs

Introduce a jute rug and layer your existing furniture on top of it.  A natural rug can set the tone for the whole room, adding nature from the ground up. And natural materials can also be very hard-wearing and tough, perfect for floor coverings, and especially useful if you have pets or kids in the house.

Seating

Consider furniture that includes small accents of natural elements. This adds a natural touch without changing the whole style of the room. Wood is a versatile and flexible material that is both lightweight and incredibly strong. That means you get furniture that is flexible enough to be moved around but is also sturdy. Wood is particularly suited to conservatories and sunrooms, as it can be moved with ease. Armchairs can also be a great way of adding a natural touch to your living space, with a great mix of styles and colors available for all design schemes.

Plants and foliage

As we mentioned above, plants and flowers are one of the easiest ways of bringing nature into your home. A good selection of large houseplants can transform any space, adding natural and calming green tones as well as improving air quality and helping to reduce stress. But it doesn’t have to be large plants. Decorate existing side tables, tops of sideboards, or shelving with live plants or flowers. We can use any surface area as an opportunity to add such touches of live décor.

Natural light and views

When we think of the natural world we think of sunlight, air, and space. So why not try and incorporate these design elements into your home design? Bringing sunshine into your home at various times of day (depending on your room orientation) can be a great way of working in harmony with the natural world. Seeing the sunrise or sunset through a large picture window can bring the outside in. If you are blessed with beautiful natural landscapes or views, then try and make the most of those by framing them with windows, balconies, or decking – creating an inside-outside space that ties your home to the natural world that’s all around us.

Natural materials

Using natural materials and elements in your home is also a great option. One of the main materials that can add a natural feel is wood. So, try and choose furniture that displays its wooden construction with pride. For larger wooden furniture, choose a piece that has a textured surface that enhances the wood grain (Seb, Miles, Emery). This adds additional character to the wood and a slightly rustic feel. Try a wooden coffee table or wooden dining table to build your room around. To add a statement piece to the room, armchairs or coffee/side tables instantly bring in a laidback, resort-like vibe to the indoor space.

Using the building

The chances are that if your home is over a certain age, it will be made using a variety of natural materials. This can be in the form of stone walls and lime render clay bricks, or wood paneling. In the past it has been common to try and cover up these elements, almost to try and hide the way the natural materials were used to create buildings. But today there is much more of a movement to show off the workings of any building. If you have stone or brick walls, then think about uncovering them and showing them off. A natural wall can be a real feature and focal point and can add a natural or rustic feel to any space. Likewise with natural wood grains on the paneling. It can be hard work to take these surfaces back to their original finish, particularly if they are hiding under render or years of paintwork, but it can be a very rewarding thing to do.