Decorating with natural materials in mind does not equal boring! There are so many ways to style your space using natural home decor, and it will make your home feel earthy, luxurious, and grounded.
Embracing natural home decor when styling your house or apartment is a great practice if you desire to make more eco-friendly choices in your life. It is also a way to make you feel closer to nature.
This blog post is all about embracing natural home decor.
Natural Home Decor Ideas
1. Utilize Wooden Furniture
When choosing your furniture, stick to real wood pieces. Hardwood chairs, tables, and dressers can be expensive investments. However, they are sure to stand the test of time. Wooden furniture of high quality will literally last for centuries. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend checking out garage sales and thrift stores. You never know what kind of treasures you could stumble upon!
I’m going to be honest here – all our furniture is definitely not hardwood. When we first moved into our house we were on a tight budget. A couple of our pieces were purchased from places like Jysk and Ikea. Items that look like wood, but aren’t. While they do their job and look all right, I can tell that the quality is just… ok.
On the other hand, we have some vintage chairs that we use every single day, made out of real, 100% wood. They look beautiful and I know they will last for many more years.
Another great thing about wood is that it can be sanded down, stained, or painted if you want to give it a fresh, new look.
2. Incorporate Natural Stone and Clay
When decorating your space, try using items made out of natural materials like clay and stone. Ceramic vases, pots, and jugs can add a lot of beauty and interest to a room. Try to look for sculptures or other decor items made out of real stone. These pieces are sure to last, and they bring a sense of nature into your home.
Style your bookshelves with books, stone sculptures, ceramic items, and plants. I promise you it will look really good!
3. Accessorize With Rattan
Rattan is a great natural material to accessorize with. A large variety of items can be made out of this material – wall hangings, rugs, lamp shades… But best of all – baskets!
I hereby permit you to go crazy with different kinds of baskets in your home. They are both functional and cute! I have a ton of woven baskets around my home to store different items like toys, blankets, and even paper towels. Baskets are a great way to hide messes while adding a touch of nature to your space.
I love the rattan lampshade in the image above. And you can see that they even stored candles in a small rattan basket. Both functional and pretty!
4. Add Plants to Every Room!
Plants, plants, plants. It’s seriously amazing what a couple of plants can do to a space. They add so much life and vibrancy. I am not the best at taking care of indoor plants (I forget to water them… oops!), but I want to get better. Simply because I love how they make a room feel. Potted plants come in hundreds of varieties, so there is something out there for everyone.
Whenever I feel like a room is missing a little something, I add a plant in a cute pot. Then BAM! The room feels fresh and complete.
If you like flowers, go ahead and add some flowering potted plants to your home. These will add a touch of color and cheer to any space. Flowers simply make us happy and that’s that!
5. Add Softness With Natural Fabric
When it comes to any fabrics in your home, whether it’s bedding, curtains, or throw pillow covers, try going for natural materials. Cotton, linen, and wool are wonderful options. If you can find organic fabrics, it’s even better. Natural fabrics look more “real” than for example polyester. They also feel great against the skin. Cotton, linen, and wool are all biodegradable, meaning they can break down into soil when they get old.
How amazing isn’t it when our old materials can turn into growth medium for new plants?
If you want to add rugs to your home, there are many natural fabric alternatives out there. We have had a woven wool rug in our living room for the past 3 years and I LOVE it. It feels so soft and comfortable against cold feet.
6. DIY Seasonal Wreaths
If you’re into DIY projects, this tip is for you. Seasonal wreaths can be made out of materials you find outside. I like using branches and binding them together with jute thread to make a circle. You can be really creative in wreath making. Add whatever foliage you like. Keep it minimal or make it an eye-catching piece that people can’t help but notice.
You could add dried or fresh flowers, pinecones, nuts, leaves, etc.
I have an eco-friendly hack for you: don’t throw out your wreath when the season is over. Simply remove the decor pieces and repurpose the base for your next wreath project!
7. Light Delightful Beeswax Candles
Beeswax candles are an excellent way to add mood lighting to your space. Beeswax is 100% natural, and it burns wonderfully. I sometimes make my own candles using beeswax pellets from a local farm. Check out my simple tutorial here. If you prefer purchasing your candles, these are a great alternative from Amazon.
They give off a nice aroma while also cleansing the air! They are truly a must-have in natural home decor. I love lighting candles in almost every room of the house. Living room, kitchen, bathroom counter… It just adds an extra element of coziness.
8. Decorate with Nature Treasures
I love collecting things like pretty seashells and fascinating-looking rocks when I’m out in nature. Why not use items like these as home decor? If you have a beach nearby, try collecting a couple of beautiful seashells and adding them to a glass jar. Stick it on a shelf and there you have a gorgeous decor piece that will remind you of your times outside.
You could also use branches and dried flowers as home decor. Braches in an aged stone vessel give a modern and rustic look. Braches can also be hung from the ceiling. Add some fairy lights, and you have a stunning DIY lamp that will add tons of warmth to a room.
I just love how a simple branch can make such a huge difference in home decor!
9. Use Functional and Edible Items As Decor
My last tip is to reconsider what decor is. You may have a bag of oranges in the bottom of your fridge drawer. Instead of storing fruit in the fridge, why not keep it on a table or kitchen countertop for all to see? Get a beautiful wooden or rattan bowl and add your favorite colorful fruits!
Storing dry goods like oats, nuts, and flour in glass jars is also a natural decor tip. The simple act of moving flour from the bag to a glass jar can make such a huge difference.
Also, don’t be afraid to display your wooden cutting boards and kitchen utensils in the kitchen. Hanging kitchen items from a rod or having them in a pretty jar can look great!
Displaying oils, spices, and herbs in pretty containers adds a cozy and lived-in feeling to the kitchen. It’s quite simple to do and you probably already have a lot of items you could display.
These were my best tips on how to incorporate natural home decor in your space. I hope you found this blog post helpful. I’m always on the lookout for new home decor hacks, so if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them in the comments. Have a wonderful day!