Natural Home Décor Ideas - 6 Easy Styling Tips
Are you inspired by the idea of bringing the outdoors in and creating your own indoor oasis?
Nature and greenery have a calming effect on people - it’s a universal human response. It doesn’t mean we all respond the same to all natural environments of course, but at some level, nature and it’s associated greenery soothes the savage beast, so to speak. Ever heard of performers hanging out in the “green room” prior to a performance to help with nerves? There’s a reason it’s the green room and not the red room.
So as we spend more time indoors and in front of screens, makes sense that we would want to include the natural world our indoor environments.
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Here are some simple steps you can take to create an indoor oasis of your own:
Reduce clutter
Plants and greenery, real or faux
Natural elements & objects
Natural home décor
Nature-inspired color palettes
Seasonal decorating
Declutter your space
Before we get into the fun part of bringing the outdoors inside, I’m going to start with reducing clutter. I don’t mean to be a downer, but I’m telling you, it’s going to be really hard to create a space that feels anything like an oasis if its full of too much stuff. Speaking from experience here! I don’t know about you, but my chest literally tightens up when I walk into my house and I’m surrounded by clutter I’ve put off dealing with.
Nature needs room to breath, and so do you. It’s about starting with a clean slate.
Try to take it on one mini-project at a time. Tackle cleaning off a countertop or table. Sort and put away what you’re keeping. Bag up and donate or sell the rest. As soon as possible.
Sell it only if you’re going to list it quickly and it’s actually worth the time and hassle. (There are a lotta FB Marketplace and Craigslist flakes out there, am I right?!) Weigh this against the satisfaction of getting it out the door the same day. Plus your donation is a tax write off if that works for you. Here’s a post on decluttering mini-projects that can help.
I feel an actual mini-high when I get stuff out the door and out of my home. So don’t delay, just rip off that band-aid. Then give yourself a reward cocktail or whatever works for you after it’s done - great job!
Plants & greenery, real and faux
Nature and greenery have a calming effect on people. There’s a reason indoor plants have exploded in popularity the last few years, and especially last year. We are hardwired to respond positively to nature and greenery.
One of the easiest ways to create a green and serene oasis is with plants, but they don’t have to require regular watering. Let’s explore our options:
Live plants
First up is live plants and no surprise, it’s my favorite. If you haven’t tried a live houseplant yet, I encourage you to go for it. The only thing you’re in danger of is getting hooked!
Here are a few tips for bringing the outdoors in with live plants:
Tall or trailing plants offer vertical impact and drama. A trailing plant looks dramatic cascading off an open shelf or ledge. Many plants will grow larger leaves if tethered to a climbing trellis. It can be fun to combine vertical height with trailing length. Read about why some plants grow larger with a support and how to DIY your own.
In addition to the plants you bring into your home, consider your containers. For a neutral, earth-toned look, go for natural looking materials as well as colors. Think terra cotta, cement and neutral-toned ceramic planters.
Try to avoid plastic pots whenever possible. Neither the material nor the color typically contributes to a nature-inspired feel. There are so many beautiful and creative containers in outdoors-inspired colors and materials.
The Greenhouse Studio home office has has an indoor-outdoor feel with a dedicated plant bench and nature-inspired materials and palette.
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Cut foliage & flowers
Live plants too much work? If so, consider using cut foliage and flowers as a bridge between potted plants and faux plants. Cut greenery isn’t a long-term commitment like plant parenthood. (And let’s face it - we’re not all cut out to be parents!)
Heck, it can even be dried - perfect!
It doesn’t take much in the greenery department to create a natural looking atmosphere. Some foliage in glass, a simple branch or two, or a flower arrangement on a tabletop can go a long ways towards bringing the outdoors in.
Here’s another bonus - oftentimes foliage lasts weeks or months. My fern fronds last a couple months in a vase.
Fresh greenery is often all you need to bring the outside in. Fern fronds in a vintage glass bottle are a nice contrast to the warm wood tones. The left-side cuttings are from my Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus) and are already pushing buds.
Seasonal flowers or flowering branches are always beautiful. Three stems from your local florist in a vase can make a dramatic impact.
Check out the post on indoor flowering branches to brighten up your home during the dreary winter months.
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Faux plants & greenery
Some of you will say “Can’t I have the nature look without the actual nature?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” I’ve got you. Live plants aren’t for everyone.
I have a couple faux plants on display in my house that my sons gave me, and they’re very realistic looking. I challenge anyone to tell real vs. faux at a glance!
The faux ZZ plant in a woven basket provides greenery to the space without ever needing water. Source | Urban Outfitters
The greenery from plants, whether real or not, is most of what provides that outdoors-in feeling we crave. If you don’t want to fool with watering, soil, and your cat/toddler eating the foliage, then go faux.
If you have a dark room, why condemn a succession of plants to die slow deaths from lack of light? Get a nice looking bit of quality faux greenery, arrange it with the rest of your decor on that dark bookcase/coffee table/bedroom until your heart’s content, and call it done. It will look great, I promise!
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Natural objects & elements
Taking the faux plant theme one step further, you don’t even need to include plants at all to bring the outdoors in. Including items that either represent nature or are taken directly and sustainably from nature is a great way to bring the outside in.
Nature represented
First, objects representing nature don’t even need to involve natural materials. They just need to evoke the feeling. Think artwork, photography, sculpture, decorative objects. They need to evoke a feeling rather than being the literal real deal.
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Natural objects
This is a fun one in my book - styling with items taken directly from nature. It’s right up there with live plants and makes a big impact in creating a nature-inspired interior.
One point to consider though is how you’re sourcing things. For instance, I have a chambered nautilus on my bookshelf (see above). I’d seen whole lot of those being sold new at the time, which made me question if they’re being harvested sustainably or not, so I went to some trouble to find a vintage one on eBay. (Based on the built-up filth inside it’s spiral chambers, it was the real deal!) If you’re out in nature and collecting something just be sure it’s ok to do so.
For lots more inspo and ideas, be sure to check out my post on decorating with natural and found objects.
A number of nature-inspired objects in my bookcase. A cast-iron acorn finial found on our property, a wood-carved apple, my owl I carved as a kid, a giant toadstool, sugar pinecones, and a dried floral arrangement from the garden.
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Natural home décor materials
Natural materials are timeless. Going back to our primitive roots again - our response to nature includes natural materials for our home décor.
Natural materials create a warm and cozy atmosphere, literally. They’re comfortable to live with in our homes because they’re often good insulators helping to keep us warm and cozy. Natural fibers are also breathable, so they’re comfortable to be up against in hot weather as well.
This gorgeous bedroom by Fletcher Rhodes Interior Design uses natural materials throughout. Photography by Rebecca Gosselin
Natural materials such as wood, stone, rattan, and wicker all help bring the outdoors in. Even when processed into textiles, objects, or furniture, they’re still a form of nature that becomes part of your living environment.
From woven storage baskets to stone tabletops, rattan chairs to rough-hewn beams, opting for natural materials brings the great outdoors into our homes. And we live all the better for it.
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Nature-inspired color palettes
Natural color palettes go hand in hand with everything else we’ve discussed, and could be considered a foregone conclusion, but here are a couple ideas to help with color palettes.
When thinking about color and your indoor oasis, it’s important go go with your gut. If you’ve gotten this far, then I’m assuming you want a space that really makes you feel inspired, serene, and all things nice. This means choosing colors that make you feel good. You could say “Duh!” but it’s not always obvious.
So here’s my recommendation - make a mood board on Pinterest. We’re talking about nature-inspired palettes here, so what natural elements make you feel the most inspired? Blues, greens, neutral earth tones?
For instance, do you feel calm and collected when looking at beige or white walls, or do you feel like yawning? Do you feel energized by looking at tangerine or lavender walls or do you want to run out of the room?
Collect about 50 images, take a step back, and see what color trends emerge. Your mood board doesn’t lie!
This Moroccan interior is literally bringing the outdoors in. The plaster walls are made from the local ocher-colored earth. The green plants provide beautiful contrast to the terra-cotta palette.
Shopping for paint? Check out these peel and stick samples from Samplize that use real paint - pure genius! The days of messing with actual painting to choose your paint colors are over!
Below are some nature-inspired Benajmin Moore paint colors I've used in my own home:
Seasonal decorating
We have a never ending opportunity to bring the outdoors in by changing up our spaces alongside the seasons.
The take away here though is to keep it simple. The last thing any of us needs is for seasonal decorating to be burdensome or time consuming. Here are a few easy ideas:
Winter decorating ideas
Winter is the time of dormancy and rest. Evergreens were celebrated by early pagans because they were the only plant that persevered during winter. Think evergreens, pinecones, winter-ripening fruit like citrus, and winter blooming bulbs like narcissus.
Change out textiles and pillows from lighter colors and fabrics (cotton, linen) to to cozier, heavier colors and fabrics like wool.
[Related post - Natural Holiday Decorating Ideas]
Spring seasonal display
Think spring flowers and flowering branches. Renewal and birth is the main theme after the cold and dark of winter - garden, eggs, moss, tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs.
Lighter and often pastel colors and textiles (flower colors) represent the new season, leaving winter behind.
[Related post - Forcing Spring Branches To Bloom Indoors]
There’s no doubt this image is about springtime and Easter with colored eggs and daffodils. Photo by Marta Dzedyshko from Pexels
A lovely spring or summer tablescape creatively elevates everyday items like herbs, clipped branches, and eggs into part of the display. Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels
Summer display
Summer is our bounty of seasonal fruits, veggies, and flowers. Display your garden (or grocery store) haul in your favorite vase, bowl or plate.
Spring flowers give way to green summer foliage. Make a statement with branches placed in a container.
These branches make a huge impact in the entryway of Steve Cordony’s hallway. (Seriously coveting that black cockatiel photo too!) Source | Steve Cordony via Instagram
Fall decorating ideas
Summer is over and flowers are replaced by berries and fruit. Persimmons, pumpkins, and other seasonal fruit and berries are harbingers of the fall harvest.
For more great fall decor ideas and general tips, check out styling a nature-inspired fall bookcase .
[Related post - Easy Fall Seasonal Decor]
This fall seasonal display pulls together many natural décor ideas - using natural materials, objects, and greenery and even nature imagery. Photo | Greenhouse Studio
Those are my ideas for bringing the outdoors in and creating a nature-inspired home. It really doesn’t take much to bring a natural feel to your space (like in the image above). What are your favorite ways to create a natural feel in your home? Leave a comment below and let me know.
[Want more design inspo and helpful plant tips? Let's hang out on Instagram!]
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