Interior Obsessions – Bring Nature In

04/21/11

11 comments Interior Obsessions – Bring Nature In by Modern Simplicity

Last week’s look at the use of green for your interior decor ended with an image that showed pendant lamps suspended from a large bent branch. This got me thinking about some of the different ways we can bring nature into our living spaces. If you happen to live in a lovely area with windows that bring that beautiful view inside, that may not be as important to you. But items in a natural or semi-natural state can provide a beautiful foil for light, minimal spaces or for the hard lines of many common furnishings.

There are quite a few choices when it comes to adding the natural world to your interior space. Many times this can be achieved solely through material choices – wood floors and stone walls would be standard. But we can also bring the outside in with smaller gestures like grabbing a fallen branch and using it as wall art or standing it in a vase. These can be left raw or painted to emphasize their irregular shape. We can collect rocks from pebble to boulder size and use them to create a juxtaposition with the smoother surfaces of our home. Fallen logs can be used as is, or gently milled to provide an eating or working surface. Seed pods, bird nests, anything you find on a hike can be a great addition, even if it sits nestled on a shelf between stacks of books. This doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, but can be a quick rest for the eye. My family has collected rocks and driftwood for years, piling stones on the hearth, and filling tall glass cylinders with sticks of many sizes. They’re great to touch and serve as a gentle reminder of the outdoors as well as past memories.

(above) Branch over Bed

River Rocks and Smaller Stones + Boulder at Entry

Coffee Table Log

Outdoors on the Mantle + Painted Twigs

Sawn Trunk Counter + Shaped Wood Stool

This entry is filed under decor, FFGW, formfire, home, home decor, interior, interior obsessions, modern, nature.

11 comments to Interior Obsessions – Bring Nature In Click here to reply

I love nature and am so inspired by these. Makes me want to run outdoors and bring the outside in.
Kathryn Dyche Dechairo recently posted..Shoefiti

Kathryn Dyche Dechairo commented on April 21st, 2011 at 10:08 am

I agree with you there Kathryn. I love the more rustic vibes of nature mixing in with the very modern surroundings. Nice juxtaposition.
-Brittni

papernstitch commented on April 21st, 2011 at 10:34 am

Hi Brittni!

You might know by now that bringing nature in my home in the form of a piece of tree is one of my big decor-plans…
In fact this weekend I brought home a BIG river washed branch (as well as a bucket full of pebbles) … it’s not a tree yet, but I’ll get there in the end!

So thank you very much for featuring these very inspiring homes. It’s always a pleasure to see how other people bring nature in their home… and I especially loved the second series about rocks and pebbles!

{hearts}
& happy Easter!
k.
pilli pilli recently posted..the ninjas travels

pilli pilli commented on April 21st, 2011 at 11:39 am

Hey Pilli. You’ll have to show us what you come up with out the materials you recently gathered. Sounds great! Hope you have a great Easter weekend as well. Thanks for stopping by.
-Brittni

papernstitch commented on April 21st, 2011 at 12:01 pm