You love the outdoors. You wish you could bask in it all day, every day. Unfortunately, you have to work, take care of the family, and just generally be a grown up. Sure, there are weekends and vacation time, but when those are over (and they always are, much too quickly) you have to kiss the sweet outdoors goodbye until next time. So, what if you could bring some of the outdoors in?
Decorating with elements from nature is an ideal way to, at least temporarily, quell your longing for a more rustic lifestyle. No need to worry that the look may not work with your current home decor either. There are numerous ways to bring the great outdoors in and many of them give a home a very chic, modern look. Read on to discover different ways to welcome nature into your home.
Create a Kitchen Herb Garden
If you love to cook and garden, then you may as well bring some of the garden inside. After all, having fresh herbs at your fingertips is the ultimate cooking experience. Imagine the flavors you could create with herbs picked just seconds before adding them to a dish. Even better, an herb wall looks lush and adds a bright pop of green to a kitchen space. There are countless online tutorials on how to construct an herb wall and many of them require basic supplies and limited handy skills. Alternately, you can keep potted herbs along a windowsill.
Make a Moss Shower Mat
Mossy greenery underfoot screams outdoors. Imagine stepping out of the shower onto such a texture. No, you don’t have to bathe by a creek to have this kind of experience. A moss shower mat can be created quite easily. It’s a win/win relationship because you get a soft natural mat under your feet and the moss gets the water it needs to grow. Not to mention the fact that the mat adds an unexpected natural element to the bathroom.
Construct a Living Wall
What is a living wall (also known as a vertical garden), you ask? A vertical garden lets you place plants vertically. Most often, they’re attached to the wall or lean against one. As with the indoor herb garden, there are many different ways to create a living wall and they can be made using a wide variety of plants. Succulents make particularly eye-catching walls and wall hangings and don’t require a lot of care. Think outside the box on placement too. Living walls look amazing in bathrooms, living rooms, and even bedrooms.
Assemble a Natural Arrangement
There are so many interesting textures and colors in nature and all add a relaxing, Zen-like quality to a home. If you find yourself drawn to a certain type of natural object, why not start a collection? For instance, you can collect interesting rocks you find when you’re out walking, or sand and shells from various beaches you’ve visited. You can then choose to display your collection in a pretty bowl or a tabletop Zen garden, or any other configuration you dream up. Driftwood or tree branches can also be collected and used for various craft and DIY projects around the home.
As you can see, there are so many ways to add natural textures to your home that go far beyond just hanging a few houseplants. Surrounding yourself with bits of nature is good for the soul, too. Think about what you love most about the outdoors and find ways to bring aspects of that to your day-to-day living.
