Collaborative post
Some of the top trending predictions for this year’s interior design include a more natural approach to decorating. Sustainable and natural elements inside the home look to enhance the connection with nature as we slowly emerge from our respective lockdown conditions.
While the warmer climate, as we head into summer, will play a role in allowing us to experience more outdoor time, there is no guarantee that lockdown restrictions will be fully lifted and it is, therefore, necessary to do all that we can to invite a more natural feel into our homes.
To do this, designers are including such things as:
- Earthy Tones
- Plant Life
- Sustainable Materials
Natural or earth tones are excellent colours when used properly and are expected to be big this year while plant life in the home is probably the best way to feel more at nature when inside and sustainable materials used for a more natural look and feel can be both natural or synthetic.
Earthy Tones
Flat yet rich, earth tones such as browns, tans, greens and some shades of orange, red and blue, these colours are an excellent way to incorporate a more natural feeling in your home and as such, earth tones work best when used in a natural themed design such as with wooden furniture, exposed brick or masonry and complementary plants.
The furniture and accessories that are placed in a room should complement the primary earth tone colour that has been used and not the other way around. As such, grey is always a good option if you aren’t sure, but be sure to check what colours go with grey painted furniture as even though the colour is subtle, it can be imposing.
Plant Life
Bringing plant life indoors is a tradition that goes back thousands of years and shouldn’t just be done at Christmas when deciding on a tree. However, you shouldn’t just start bringing in every random plant you see and if you want to make the most of natural plant life in your home you should complement your existing decorating style with plants.
Some plants will fare better in specific rooms as well. For example, plants that require high humidity such as spider plants, English Ivy and money trees will thrive when placed in a bathroom, while lavender in the living room can promote relaxation, aloe can purify the air around the communal areas and herbs in the kitchen can be used for cooking.
Sustainable Materials
A controversial topic at the moment is that of whether you should use synthetic or natural materials. Natural materials need to be harvested and can damage the environment or animal habitats while synthetics can cause pollution in their manufacturing process that emits carbon dioxide into the air.
A good compromise is to use sustainable materials that can be either natural, synthetic or a mixture of the two. For example, composite decking consists of both recycled wood and plastic in order to mimic wooden flooring. If you really want to go with wood then you can opt for reused or recycled wood that reduces the need for cutting down more trees.