Even history’s greatest artists have yet to parallel the jaw-dropping creativity of Mother Nature. She explodes in every color imaginable, working wonder into each flower petal as she whispers sweet lullabies through gently blowing autumn leaves. However, modern architecture is full of sharp lines, artificial lighting, and drab colors. Bringing nature with your home is something we have to think about it and these Home Interior Design Ideas can be your best option.
Such monochromatic urban designs can take a toll on your mental health. According to environmental psychologist Colin Ellard, cityscapes contribute to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. With rates of such disorders soaring since the pandemic, it only makes sense to seek greater peace of mind through every available means.
Bringing the outdoors in is a buzz phrase people should hear and use more often. Incorporating such elements into your decor could ease stress and make you feel more relaxed and comfortable in your home. Here are seven great interior design tips for nature lovers.
Home Interior Design Ideas for Nature Lovers
1. Green Your Indoor Air
It’s no secret that the folks at NASA want to learn how people can live in space, and way back in the 1980s, they decided to see if houseplants could clean the air in artificial environments. They discovered that green, leafy foliage released oxygen and remove toxins like formaldehyde from indoor air.
Let your green thumb shine by creating a plant wall, using floating shelves and hooks to display your varied foliage. Why not make a herb wall in your kitchen so you can add fresh basil to your spaghetti sauce with a pirouette and a few quick snips of your sheers? Greenery can also add accents to living areas and bedrooms — select varieties that do well in low light for the latter.
How else can you incorporate plants into your home decor? Try these ideas:
- Add a corner basket hanger: Fill each container with a trailing plant.
- Make wreaths: Why stop at your front door? No law says you can’t adorn interior ones, too.
- Style a hutch or old TV stand: Did you cut the cable cord? Transform that furniture into a display case for your most appealing houseplants, using enclosed cabinets to hide extra potting soil, plant food, misting bottles, and watering cans.
- Make a growing headboard: If your bed is a mattress on the floor, create an artificial headboard with plant shelves and hanging baskets.
- Play with vines: Use them to trail along your mantle for a holiday-style decoration all year.
2. Let There Be Natural Light
Perhaps the ultimate interior design tip for nature lovers is to accentuate natural light wherever possible. Start with your existing windows. Take down those heavy curtains and replace them with sheers. Better yet, opt for a one-way film that gives you an unobstructed view of the outside while keeping peeping toms from spying on you while you telecommute.
The film offers an additional advantage. It blocks UV radiation, which protects your flooring and furnishings from sun damage. It also safeguards your skin if you work near a window, so you don’t end up with “truck driver face” or skin cancer.
What if your home features tiny windows or not enough of them? Is there anything stopping you from installing more or enlarging what you have? For example, bays and bows can provide a welcome, sunny spot to sit and read a book, although they can increase your heating and cooling bills a bit.
Maybe your window restriction comes from dwelling in a condo or row home with only two exterior walls. If so, look to the sky. Skylights provide the ultimate in natural light, and some designer models come with remote-control shades so you can dim the glow when it gets too extreme.
Believe it or not, you might be able to DIY a skylight install, depending on the configuration of your roof beams. You also have the option of smaller solar tubes that fit into places like bathrooms. However, don’t hesitate to call the pros if you doubt your skills — you don’t want to spring a leak.
3. Flow From the Outside In
Why not let your outdoor living space flow into your interior? One way to do so is by adding more windows around an existing sliding glass patio door. Better yet, replace sliding models with French doors that let you catch the incoming breeze from both sides. The opening beckons you to step through and breathe the fresh air.
A Florida room is the ultimate in indoor/outdoor living if you have a bigger budget. You can use yours to transition from an outdoor deck to your glass-enclosed space to your home. Keep these tips in mind when planning your project:
- Unite your theme: Use similar colors and fabrics in your Florida room and the interior living space attached to it to create the illusion that one room flows into the other.
- Keep the windows bare: Your Florida room won’t bring the outdoors in if you leave the blinds closed. Remember that tip about a one-way film? It’s a must for this area, as it blocks heat with UV rays, keeping your space more comfortable in the summer.
- Give your Florida room practical use: Please don’t keep it only for garden parties. Use it for your home office or child’s playroom to get more of the great outdoors and its depression-busting effects in your daily life.
4. Embrace Sustainability
Part of being a nature lover is embracing eco-friendly principles to preserve its beauty for future generations. Why not make sustainability an integral part of your decor?
For example, it doesn’t take much DIY talent to learn how to paint and refinish old furniture instead of buying new and resigning your used goods to a landfill. Most first-timers do terrific on their initial attempts. You can transform a room’s entire look and protect your health by selecting non-VOC stains that won’t pollute your indoor air with chemicals.
When purchasing new decor items, ask the following questions to determine how sustainable they are:
- What materials does it use? While natural is generally better, some species of wood are on the endangered list.
- How are those materials harvested? Does the manufacturer take pains to protect the environment during harvesting and replant new trees to replace those taken?
- How does the supply chain treat its workers? Part of sustainability entails protecting people from abuse and unlivable wages.
5. Use Natural Materials and Soft Lines
Some modern interior design has all the welcoming coziness of an airport lounge. Dark navies and grays with straight lines and sharp corners might make for a productive-looking office, but it’s no way to live if you want to relax and reduce stress when you walk in your front door.
Instead, opt for natural materials and soft lines. Do you have to line everything up in a square or rectangle? Why not place a loveseat perpendicular to a corner, using the space behind for a large ficus tree and some bonus storage space? Soft throw pillows and blankets invite you to curl up with a good novel or settle in for an afternoon nap.
Here’s an exception to the au naturel rule: your couch material. Leather is technically natural, but it comes off as cold and unfeeling. Instead, opt for velvet, damask, or chenille.
6. Engage All Your Senses
Bringing the outdoors in entails more than engaging your sense of sight. A savvy interior design tip for nature lovers is to engage all your senses.
The sound of running water is soothing to many. Why not incorporate a fountain into your decor that replicates the relaxing white noise of a babbling brook? A lower budget option involves your television screen. YouTube abounds with gorgeous nature videos accompanied by natural sounds and soft music — put it on for background ambiance when you aren’t watching a show.
Don’t forget your olfactory sense. Aromatherapy activates scent receptors in your brain that have impressive health benefits. For example, lavender is a lovely, light natural scent that helps you relax, and eucalyptus can stimulate your immune function.
7. Let Your Decor Roar
Is your personality a bit whimsical? This final design tip entails going a bit wild by incorporating animal prints into your decor.
For example, why not line your breakfast bar with stools covered in cowhide if your home features a Southwest-natural decor? Those inviting throw pillows look cozy and crazy when covered in zebra stripes or leopard print.
So, Let’s Bringing Nature Indoors
Interior design does more than reflect your unique style. It also affects your mental health, and bringing the outdoors is one way to ease anxiety and depression.
Do so by embracing interior design tips for nature lovers. You’ll feel more relaxed every time you come home.
